Endurance

Robin Frijns: “I passed less than a meter from the official with his flag”

The last lap in LMP2 was totally crazy at Le Mans. In the end 727 thousandths separate the first two crews. But the party could have turned into tragedy if Robin Frinjs had hit the man with the checkered flag at the finish.

Published on 23/08/2021 à 10:13

Quentin DUBOIS

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Robin Frijns: “I passed less than a meter from the official with his flag”

A tragedy was narrowly avoided at the finish of the 24 Hours of Le Mans / © Photo Joao Filipe / DPPI

It is an image that did not go unnoticed upon the arrival of the 89th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the Toyota se mettaient l’une à côté de l’autre afin de célébrer une quatrième victoire sur l’épreuve mancelle, la lutte faisait rage quelques mètres derrière en LMP2. À tel point que l’écart entre la WRT #31 victorieuse dans cette catégorie et la Jota #28 n’est que de 727 millièmes.

“I knew that Jota #28 was going to come back, confesses Frijns. The Toyotas came out of the pits in front of us and there were only five laps remaining. I tried to overtake them but they were faster. And of course everyone wanted to stay behind them so they didn't have to do another lap. There must have been four or five cars behind the two Toyotas. And I was under pressure with Blomqvist right behind me. »

But as he crossed the finish line, the 30-year-old Dutch driver swerved to the right to avoid a slowing car, causing him to pass within centimeters of the man waving the checkered flag.

“I turned right because there was an LMP2 in front which was idling after the last corner, explains the Dutchman. But when I turned right, I hit the right rear of Aston Martin. So I turned right and then very quickly left because I saw the man waving the checkered flag in the middle of the track. If I had hit him, he would have died. It didn’t go far, it must have been 50 centimeters or something like that.”

Robert Frinjs also returned to the feeling that a double-clock victory brings in such a context.

“At the moment, the feeling is mixed because we led three quarters of the race, but we lost it due to mechanical problems, then back in the lead on the last lap... Obviously I'm happy but it's is a strange feeling, says Frijns. When you see your sister car retire on the last lap, it's painful for the team. Especially because the team thought we were going to do a double. »

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BENOIT MINOR

23/08/2021 at 02:41 a.m.

The ACO demonstrated extraordinary amateurism: 1. with all the screens available to the officials, how could we not have realized the “explosive” situation in LMP2 at the start of the last lap when this was obvious to the smallest person in front of their television set? There are not only LMP1s in the race... 2. How could we not have warned the competitors of the said situation, this when the race director has ultra-efficient means of communication? 3. How could you not have warned the flag attendant? In the future, perhaps it would be a good idea to equip it with an earpiece or simply to place it high up, as in most current automobile competitions. In short, an arrival below all and which could have ended in a dramatic way.

DANIEL MEYERS

23/08/2021 at 02:00 a.m.

The sanction of the FIA ​​for this irresponsible behavior of the organizer will be exemplary, but I forgot the ACO and Jean Todt are friends friends!!!

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