With a tight track that's not really designed for fast-paced supercars with over 500 hp, the Goodwood Hillclimb circuit is certain to catch a few pro drivers off guard each year. Yesterday, it was the turn of a GT-R Nismo driven by Olympian Chris Hoy, who took a corner too fast and crashed straight into hay bales lining the side of the road.
The Nismo version of the GT-R is an amazing machine, capable of lapping the Nurburgring track in a record 7:08.679. Its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 was tuned by Nissan's motorsport engineers to produce 600 hp (447 kW) and 481 lb-ft (651 Nm) of torque. It's also got a number of changes to the suspension, braking and steering systems, not to mention its own shade of frozen metallic paint and a carbon fiber infused body kit.
Behind the wheel of the car was six-time Olympic gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy, a former cyclist who's been involved with Nissan since his retirement from the velodrome. The accident at Goodwood took place in the famous Molecomb corner most FoS crashes usually happen. Hoy turned the steering wheel for the left-hander but was carrying excessive speed and plowed straight into the protective walls.
I suppose it had to come at some point; just had my first proper shunt in motorsport at #FoS. I'm fine but the car looks a bit sore!
He was uninjured and the Japanese supercar didn't suffer major dame. However, after the incident, he made the following statement on his Twitter account: "Well that was embarrassing! I suppose it had to come at some point; just had my first proper shunt in motorsport at #FoS. I'm fine but the car looks a bit sore!"
Still, it wasn't an all-bad weekend for Nissan. They got to showcase the amazing 2020 Vision Gran Turismo Concept, which attracted a lot of attention, for starters. Another GR-R Nismo called the "Time Attack" also managed to set the fastest supercar lap on the same circuit.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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