“Nehmen ihn an die kurze Leine”: Clear IMSA warning to Estre

– IMSA race director Beaux Barfield explains the decision of the regulators to put Porsche factory driver Kevin Estre on probation after the collision with Jack Aitken’s Cadillac in Elkhart Lake, instead of immediately suspending him. At the same time, he issues a clear warning: any further misstep will immediately bench the Frenchman.

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During the media round on Thursday before the GT weekend at Virginia International Raceway, Barfield comments on the penalty following the accident in the final phase of the SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America on August 2.

Although both GTP prototypes ended up in the wall, Barfield refers to the disciplinary practice of the last decade as decisive for the two-step probation instead of an immediate suspension.

“If there were discussions about a race suspension, that does not correspond to the precedents we have established over the past ten years for probations and suspensions,” explains Barfield. “The history with these teams and drivers in offenses of this kind shows that probation was simply more appropriate.”

“There were in-depth consultations, but in the end, the previous case law was decisive in issuing probation instead of a suspension.”

However, Barfield makes it clear that IMSA officials will not tolerate a repeat. When asked how race control will monitor Estre during his probation period, the race director delivers an unmistakable message to the Porsche factory driver.

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“We are keeping him on an extremely short leash. This could lead to him spending the rest of his probation at the pit wall. That is the purpose of this measure,” emphasizes Barfield.

“How short this leash exactly is, is hard to express in numbers. But if he is involved in similar incidents on the track again, his workday will likely be over very quickly.”

Accident at the last restart

The trigger for the debate was a turbulent restart in the final minutes of the 6-hour race on the 6.514-kilometer course in Wisconsin. About ten minutes before the end, Estre in the Penske Porsche #6 and Aitken in the Action Express Cadillac #31 fought fiercely for second place behind the leader Filipe Albuquerque.

As the GTP field approached the first corner, the two contenders came too close in the battle for the line, with Estre moving significantly over. The hard contact sent both leading cars at high speed into the track barrier. Both cars were heavily damaged, and the race ended under yellow.

After a detailed analysis, the stewards issued a post-race time penalty against the Porsche #6 of Porsche Penske Motorsport for causing a collision, equivalent to a five-minute stop-and-hold penalty. Estre himself was put on probation for two races due to taking a disproportionate risk.

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