VW Golf GTI Gets Sideways and Airborne in Odd Nurburgring Carousel Near-Crash

Well, we're here to fill that void and we'll use the piece of footage at the bottom of the page to tick this box. The video shows us a Mk V Volkswagen Golf GTI entering the frame already sideways - while the driver does appear to have taken the bumpy racing line, the rear end had stepped out.

The Nurburgring has a particular way of making the base-to-height ratio of hot hatches work against them in roof-landing crashes and while this GTI came close to such a situation, luck saved the day.

No, the driver isn't the one responsible for preventing a rollover, since that would've required the man to steer in the direction of the... tilt. And with the video here also offering a slow motion take on the action, we can clearly see the missing reaction from the guy behind the wheel of the spicy hatchback.

And when you think that certain drivers take the Carousel lightly enough to drift their way through this twist. Of course, such a path involves using the smooth tarmac on the outside of the bend and here's a BMW example for you.

As for most Carousel crashes, these happen when driver don't plan their corner exit well enough, coming out of the twist at an angle - usually this approach sees a car having two wheels on the rough part and two on the smooth part of the bend, with the exit potentially throwing the vehicle towards the barrier on the side of the track.

Speaking of adventures that take place during Nurburgring Touristenfahrten (Tourist Day) events, we'll remind you that the track will close its 2016 gates later this month. To be more precise, the final 2016 tourist drive is scheduled for Sunday, November 20, so if you still haven't turned your Green Hell plans into driving reality, you'd better press that pedal harder.

P.S.:As a part of out office, some of you might find it hard to believe that the Mk V GTI is now more than a decade old.