Wednesday 19th May 2010

Video: Why It Can Cost To Crash At The 'Ring

Astra 'Nurburging Edition' driver counts the cost of enthusiasm

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VXR 'Ring edition with original panels...

Many of us dream of taking our road cars to the Nurburgring for a hot lap or two, and some of us even get round to doing it for real. Here at PH HQ we're occasionally afforded the luxury of doing it with somebody else's metal - which considering the possibilities for things going wrong is pretty astonishing, really.

If you've got a Nurburgring itch that needs scratching, this YouTube video is an excellent reminder of what can happen when enthusiam exceeds experience or mechanical failure intervenes.

We don't know exactly what caused this accident, although we can see what it looks like, and we do know the aftermath is going to be expensive. As well as the damage to his pride and joy, this driver will likely get a bill from the Circuit administrators for new Armco sections, cleaning up the track and possibly a bit of helicopter time, too.

Check your insurance policy carefully for exclusions, is the usual advice. The 'Ring may be defined as a public road in Germany, but to UK insurers things are rarely so clear cut...

[Ex Boy Racer]

I think that's called understeer...

[Biker's Nemesis]

Damn this work computer.

[robm3]

I was there two weeks ago when this happened and saw the Astra (with UK plates and club stickers on) go through the barriers. Funny enouhg my mate and I (who later wrote his bike off on the same day) commented on how good it sounded.

Then the track was shut for 30 minutes followed by the Astra coming out on the back of a lowloader with an ambulance behind it.

[mrmr96]

Do they charge for closure time too? (On top of repairs, cleaning, recovery and first aid?)

[Nick_Johnson]

I think this is the result of stupid amounts of BHP & Torque going through the front wheels without any kind of LSD. An entertaining car to drive I'm sure but I doubt it really worthy of being call a "Nurburgring Edition" unless of course it is its final resting place!

[lockup]

Nick_Johnson said:

I think this is the result of stupid amounts of BHP & Torque going through the front wheels without any kind of LSD. An entertaining car to drive I'm sure but I doubt it really worthy of being call a "Nurburgring Edition" unless of course it is its final resting place!

And how would that contribute to understeer on the way IN to a corner?

[Adenauer]

mrmr96 said:

Do they charge for closure time too? (On top of repairs, cleaning, recovery and first aid?)

Yes, and it ain't cheap, neither is the armco.

[martyspain]

Too much speed into Brunnchen 2 - fault of the driver, not the car. Wonder if this was his first visit to the circuit - it's easy to get carried away there, given that it's a well-known spectator spot. He'll definitely have a huge bill for the repairs and track closure.

[joe_90]

Ex Boy Racer said:

I think that's called understeer...

Is that not what Astra's do best?

[Plotloss]

Adenauer said:

mrmr96 said:

Do they charge for closure time too? (On top of repairs, cleaning, recovery and first aid?)

Yes, and it ain't cheap, neither is the armco.

I'd heard that ring accidents become a bit of a profit centre for them.

Ouch.

[john_r]

"We don't know exactly what caused this accident"

As a wild guess... he was going too fast for the car, the corner and the talent behind the wheel?

Hope the people in the car were ok, and I hope he was insured...

[jet1987]

Surely its not a result of too much power and just the fact he may have gone into the corner too quick? Saying that it looked like the driver didnt even try braking? Hope no one was badly hurt.

[KrissJ]

Ex Boy Racer said:

I think that's called understeer...

That's what I thought. He seemed to enter that corner much faster than the cars before him. There was a lot of run off there. I bet he got through many, many, oh sts before he hit the armco. As someone else has put, I hope they were ok and insured.

Edited by KrissJ on Wednesday 19th May 11:30

[TdM-GTV]

Too fast, bad line...

What's really telling is that once he's got armfuls of understeer he does nothing, just takes a passenger ride to the armco. Lack of experience beyond the limit I would say, looks like he froze.

[vz-r_dave]

martyspain said:

Too much speed into Brunnchen 2 - fault of the driver, not the car. Wonder if this was his first visit to the circuit - it's easy to get carried away there, given that it's a well-known spectator spot. He'll definitely have a huge bill for the repairs and track closure.

100% fault of the driver, this must have been his first time around the track. Clueless

[Rollotomasi]

'to UK insurers things are rarely so clear cut'

Yeah, especially when someone posts footage of the accident on Youtube for everyone to see!

As for the reason for the accident, looked like just way too much speed into the corner to me. Any car would have struggled. Hope the driver and passenger are alright anyway.

[Dan7357]

Too fast into the corner..

I have heard 'it was the drivers second lap of the 'Ring'

[VXRDRIVER]

The owner/driver of that car is a vxronline forum member.

Have to feel for him.

[CampDavid]

missed the apex and from memory the camber on the outside isn't too clever. I just sent the link to another mate who's been to the ring a fair few times and his response "good lord, that's a bit optimistic" sums it all up nicely.

Bill will be a few thousand euros for the damage and closure. From memory they seem to be fairly random on the billing. We've had a couple out there over the years, similar accidents, one was 1100euros and the other 2400euros. I guess it depends if they like the look of you.

We never closed the track or had an air ambulance though...

[Clivey]

Nick_Johnson said:

I think this is the result of stupid amounts of BHP & Torque going through the front wheels without any kind of LSD. An entertaining car to drive I'm sure but I doubt it really worthy of being call a "Nurburgring Edition" unless of course it is its final resting place!

I think it was just a driving error TBH - He completely missed the apex of the corner and looked like he was just going way too fast on entry.

As for the car: Manufacturers have been painting cars in different body colours (and making other small changes) and flogging them as special editions for years - I don't know why some get wound-up over it (not suggesting you are Nick).

The Astra VXR itself is IMO one of the best hot hatches in its' class. Most cars these days, even hot hatches, are terminally unexciting and it's nice to see a car with a bit of character that's still practical enough for everyday use.