WRC Car Gets Pitched Into Air After Hitting A Bridge

Making a mistake during a WRC event often leads to a scary shunt and Toyota driver Juho Hanninen got some serious air after smashing into a bridge on the opening stage of the Tour de Corse

Jack Leslie

13 Apr 2017

Hitting a bridge is probably pretty frightening even for a World Rally Championship driver, but thankfully Juho Hanninen’s Toyota Yaris WRC landed back on all four wheels in this crash.

During the opening speed test of last weekend’s Tour de Corse, Hanninen ran wide into a tight corner than went over a bridge – with steep drops either side. His Toyota smashed into the low wall of the bridge with such force it was pitched into the air. It was already a hefty hit but the crash could have been a lot worse.

There was a damaged steering arm to contend with and punctures, which eventually led to his retirement on day one.

His right-rear wheel setting on fire didn’t help his cause, but did result in this awesome slow-motion shot from YouTube user Jiří Tureček. Hanninen lost 13 minutes trying to sort out his damaged and slightly burnt car but retired at the end of the stage, although he did return on day two.

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville went on to win the rally – making it four different winning drivers and cars so far in 2017.