Audi R8 safety car went sideways at Le Mans with accidental drift that stole the whole show

This Audi R8 LMP safety car decided to steal the show at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is widely considered the pinnacle of motorsport.

Back in 2016, the marquee event was hampered by biblical levels of rain.

And the Audi R8 safety car accidentally stole the show with an incredible drift.

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Audi R8 safety car steals the show at Le Mans

Back in 2016, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was in full swing as it always is.

During the third qualifying session, torrential rain started to hammer the track.

As a result, the session was red-flagged due to the extremely slippery conditions.

As is protocol for nearly every motorsport event, the FIA sent out the safety car.

Thankfully, the driver of the Audi R8 safety car just happened to be Yannick Dalmas.

In case you are unfamiliar, Dalmas is a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Frenchman headed out in the torrential rain to do a lap of the track.

While coming through the famous Esses section, the rear of the Audi R8 safety car kicked out.

In a moment that quickly became the highlight of the event, Dalmas managed to recover.

The end result was one of the most incredible drifts that you are ever likely to see.

Audi ushers in era of LMP domination

The R8 has a long and treasured history at Le Mans – both as the safety car and in a racing capacity.

2011 saw the German safety car make its debut, featuring the addition of safety lights.

During the early Noughties, the German giant absolutely dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Audi R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP) was first introduced back in 2000.

It would compete in six iterations of the legendary race – and win five of them.

The Audi R8 LMP won the iconic endurance race in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005.

It ushered in an unprecedented era of single manufacturer dominance in the modern age.

The Audi R8 LMP would eventually be replaced in 2006 by the R10 TDI – a diesel-powered LMP.

That hypercar would go on to become the first diesel-powered car to win Le Mans.

It is very rare at any motorsport event that a safety car can be the highlight.

And yet this Audi R8 safety car managed to do exactly that back in 2016.The post Audi R8 safety car went sideways at Le Mans with accidental drift that stole the whole show appeared first on Supercar Blondie.