Here's A New Angle Of Last Year's 15-Car 'Ring Pile-Up, With An Important Message
Late last we saw a Nurburgring touristenfahrten session end in disaster, with a fluid spill triggering a 15-car pile-up. Subsequent footage frustratingly showed cars continuing to plough into sticken cars at the Hatzenbach section of the Nordschleife, with destructive results. At the time, drivers reported a lack of yellow flags waved before the crash site.
Now, we’re given a new perspective of the accident that effectively demonstrates just how quickly things can go wrong at the tricky 12.9 mile track. The above video was shot from the Porsche 911 GT3 RS that’s seen sliding into frame in the exterior-shot footage below at the 1min 3sec mark, and it gives us a better understanding of how and why it all unfolded the way it did.
First though, we get five important pieces of advice. Perhaps the most relevant in the case of this accident being to not drive at 100 per cent during a touristenfahrten lap, and advising potential good Samaritans against parking up ‘in the line of fire’. You may have the noble intent of warning approaching drivers, but you’re also turning your car into a potentially lethal obstacle that could make things so much worse.
As for the accident footage itself, we see the RS driver chasing a Lamborghini Huracan, before coming round a blind left-hand bend and being presented with multiple stopped cars. There’s precious little time to react, and thanks to the spilt coolant, he slides into a Skoda Octavia, before spinning backwards into the barrier. At this point the camera falls off its mounting, and we’re left with only a series of sickening thuds, screaming and shouting.
In the lengthy YouTube description (it’s well worth reading the whole thing), the uploader describes how he was in the middle of exiting the car, before deciding to get back in upon seeing three cars about to join the pile-up. We’re also told of a man who was flung 10 metres in the air “ejected by the [crashing Audi] TT,” yet somehow escaped with only a broken leg. The Audi driver was less lucky, and had to be cut from his car and flown to hospital by helicopter.
All of this a harrowing reminder that no lap of the ‘Ring should be taken lightly. Wear a helmet, leave some margin for error and keep a safe distance from other cars. You never know what might be around the next corner.
Via Bridge to Gantry
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
The nurburgring touristenfahrten are not track days! People who try to set B2G records on the touristenfahrten are stupid idiots. It’s a day for people/ families who want to experience the track. Not race it!
True, but at a race track you can’t expect slow traffic can you. They should have separate batches for those who want a slower drive…
So scary how the one moment everything is fine, next corner and there is disaster
That was some scary sht. when i saw cars suddenly crashing :o
This is the scariest thing I’ve seen all day… I believe that they should have separate batches for fast cars and slower cars. And proper safety inspection. There are many videos of absolute shitboxes on the ‘ring.
But damn…
The green hell truely has a fitting name, no place for errors or even accidents like this.
It’s dangerous but fascinating and I think that’s what draws people to this track over and over.
But you always have to be 110% focused and even then you can’t avoid everything.
The only thing that kept the performante from slipping was probably the AWD. Can’t say much for the Audi though
REKT
You can buy a new car, not a new life, seeing this footage, i scared a lot, the noise, the people screaming, Thank god no one died
The video has been taken down after a copyright-claim by the Nürburgring-owners.