ACO to look into flying cars

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, promised an urgent investigation into a series of aerial accidents that have befallen prototypes this year.

The ACO made the pledge after another car flipped, this time during qualifying for the 24 Hours. Hideki Noda took off in the Kruse Schiller Motorsport Lola-Mazda LMP2 car after getting sideways into the Dunlop Curve. Noda's Lola was the sixth car to take off so far this year. The RML MG-Lola became the seventh when it went into the air during the race.

"We have to work urgently with the FIA to make sure the cars remain stable," said Le Mans sporting boss Daniel Poissenot. "Our first thought was only to modify power outputs for next year, but we realize we will have to look at the aerodynamics as well."

Poissenot suggested that a downforce reduction to lower cornering speeds was one way of increasing cars' stability. He said that there would be no knee-jerk reaction without a thorough investigation of all of the recent accidents.

ACO boss Jean-Claude Plassart also said he was "hoping" to have a level playing field between diesel- and gasoline-powered cars for next year. AutoWeek