 Following the race the ACO and the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile ( FFSA ) national motorsport body investigated the incidents . The FFSA questioned the ACO 's decision to allow Mercedes to continue to compete after the two accidents prior to the race start , but the ACO argued that there were no indications that the problems that befell CLR No. 4 were shared by the other Mercedes entries . The ACO argued that the design of the CLR , with the longest front and rear overhang amongst the prototype field , was the cause of the problem . A Porsche 911 GT1 , similar in design to the CLR , had suffered a nearly identical accident the year before at Road Atlanta in the United States . The ACO changed the regulations for the LMGTP category in 2000 , decreasing the allowable length of overhang . The FIA also instructed its Advisory Expert Group to develop new regulations to prevent similar airborne accidents in other racing cars . The LMGTP class itself was abandoned by the teams in 2000 as Toyota cancelled its programme and Audi concentrated on open @-@ cockpit LMP cars ; the class reappeared in 2001 . 
