Markus Niemela and Simona De Silvestro Clash in Atlantic Championship Finale

The following clip is onboard footage from Markus Niemela's car during the Atlantic Championship finale at Laguna Seca. Contact between Markus Niemela (Jensen Motorsport) and Simona De Silvestro (Team Stargate Worlds) in the corkscrew is shown. The incident resulted in Markus being penalized 2-positions (30 seconds) for "avoidable contact" and Simona De Silvestro dropping out of the race (along with her chances of winning the overall title). Footage is courtesy of Jensen Motorsport.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Markus_Niemela
• Simona_De_Silvestro
• Atlantic_Championship
• Onboard
• Crash

[PhilipTheBigOne]

DAMN!!! Markus, that wasn't very smart!!! You could have waited for another lap to make your move...

It is a shame, because had this crash not happened, Simona would have won the championship (she came in the points-leader)!!!

[Ksoism]

And he would have braked on the sand, right? That is called racing, and in racing, there will be accidents, without it being anyones fault. He didn't have anywhere else to go, fence ahead, tires on sand (AND in the corkscrew!) with door closed on his left. Shame, 'cause Simonas move was really brave, just a tad too late. It would've been a great pass, but you just can't go side-by-side through there.

[conesussteve]

@limao38 You actually can put most of the blame on him. Trying to pass in the cork screw at Laguna is one of the stupidest things you can do in racing.

[foxtrotalphaone]

It's difficult to tell if she thought she was clear of him and pushed him wide, or if the speed he was carrying through the turn to stay beside her took him off track. He did get on the throttle a bit early, especially for not having the apex, but still she should have left room for him. She would have had the inside anyways for the next turn, which is essential if you're going to run through it flat.

[jraybay]

@jdagracing safer spot? The corkscrew is a perfectly fine place to make successful passes. why wait and try it somewhere else? Its easy for you to speak in hindsight. The truth is markus f****d up.

[jraybay]

@terrunazz Yea thats racing Men do it too. wtf?

[DBoy02]

@fueldragster There's still some hope. Word is Mazda's looking to sink some money into a revival for 2012 if nothing can be done sooner. But it may hinge on the IRL canceling Indy Lights(which is getting increasingly likely every year with how little Indy Lights has helped generate new talent compared to the Atlantic Championship).

[CeBeSprTNG2005]

Well he thought he was Zanardi , but Talent comes in small doses. ... Tough luck for Simona . A shame.

[everybodylovesmybaby]

She was ahead of him in the corner, and the intelligent thing to do would be to back off and let her have it. Instead he drove across the dirt, where he had less control, and ran straight into her.

[jockspotter]

shocking driving from Niemela...