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  Article Image gallery (19) 701Y000003 Specifications  
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Country of origin:Germany
Produced in:1999
Numbers built:4
Predecessor:Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:October 19, 2009
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Click here to download printer friendly versionDuring the first lap of the pre-race warm-up, the replacement CLR also performed a back-flip. Again with Webber at the wheel but this time it was down the Mulsanne Straight and there was no 10-point landing. A French photographer had captured the car at a 90 degree angle and there were numerous pictures and even TV footage of the car lying on its roof. Fortunately Webber managed to crawl out of the car unhurt. Clearly there was a design flaw but much to everyone's surprise the two surviving examples lined up for the race. To prevent another accident of this kind, the team had fitted additional dive-planes on the nose and further adjusted the aerodynamics. The need to win Le Mans was apparently worth the obvious risks.

The race started off well for the two CLRs, which diced for the lead with the Toyotas. An early worry was the pace of the BMWs, which managed to keep on the leaders' tails and run two laps longer between each stop. All this was of little importance when, on lap 75, Peter Dumbreck took off in the approach to Indianapolis. His CLR flew into the trees and he was incredibly lucky not be seriously injured. A tree-trunk had pierced the tub between his seat and the fuel tank. The dazed Scott was apparently breathalysed by a local Gendarme, who figured that this was an accident on public road. Although he was back racing shortly after, Dumbreck did not return to Le Mans for nearly a decade.

The whole incident had been captured live on television and Mercedes-Benz had no choice but to withdraw the other car. By Sunday morning the accident dominated the newspapers and the video of Dumbreck flying into the trees is still a big hit on Youtube. The reason why the CLR was so prone to fly was probably a competition of very low downforce and the relatively bumpy track. At speeds of well over 340 km/h and with very little load over the front wheels any bump in the road could lift the nose sufficiently for the air to get under the car and flip it. After the disastrous race, the CLR was not race again and the Mercedes-Benz president vowed never to return to Le Mans. Arch-rival BMW dropped the final pinch of salt in the gaping wound by winning the race outright that weekend.

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  Article Image gallery (19) 701Y000003 Specifications