If there were ever a directing prize for GoPro cameras, this one mounted inside an orange rally car would definitely win it. Of course, it wouldn't have such strong competition as these little action cameras tend to stay wherever their owners put them, but that doesn't make its achievement any less spectacular.
It all happened during the Prodbrdská Rally Legend 2016 event, a competition involving classic cars held in the Czech Republic. Most of the cars involved are Skodas, the Czech brand that is now owned by Volkswagen, but you will also see the occasional Mitsubishi Lancer EVO or even a Subaru WRX STI. Our camera, though, was mounted inside a Skoda 130 LR, which is one of the latest models sold by the Czech company before it was acquired by the German giant.
The crew of the orange Skoda is made up of Martin Kdér, driver, and Radek Sladkovský, co-pilot who, we should point out right from the off, got out of this crash unharmed thanks to a rollbar and racing harnesses. The car, however, will only be racing with the angels up in Heaven as it's been completely destroyed.
It all starts well for Martin as he proceeds to make his way through the green scenery of the Czech countryside, not even the man-made chicane on a straight bit of road able to upset him. The car sounds fantastic and even though we don't have a speedometer, it is clearly going quite fast on that narrow strip of asphalt.
The crash (1:40) seems to appearout of nowhere. There's a seemingly harmless left-hand turn that the car somehow manages to come out of the wrong way. It's really hard to tell whether he clipped the grass on the inside or there was a patch of rough asphalt that destabilized his vehicle - whatever it was, it worked. The Skoda veered off to the left and went straight into the field, very narrowly missing a tree.
For all of Martin's bad luck, this is where the camera starts to work its magic. As the car begins to roll through the grass, it is ejected out manages to catch a glimpse of the vehicle flying by with dirt and grass flying all over. It's one of those shots that's both beautiful and terrifying at the same time, but knowing that everyone came out alright helps us focus more on its artistic merits.
And here are a few o the cars that took part in the racing event (Martin's isn't featured):
The crew of the orange Skoda is made up of Martin Kdér, driver, and Radek Sladkovský, co-pilot who, we should point out right from the off, got out of this crash unharmed thanks to a rollbar and racing harnesses. The car, however, will only be racing with the angels up in Heaven as it's been completely destroyed.
It all starts well for Martin as he proceeds to make his way through the green scenery of the Czech countryside, not even the man-made chicane on a straight bit of road able to upset him. The car sounds fantastic and even though we don't have a speedometer, it is clearly going quite fast on that narrow strip of asphalt.
The crash (1:40) seems to appearout of nowhere. There's a seemingly harmless left-hand turn that the car somehow manages to come out of the wrong way. It's really hard to tell whether he clipped the grass on the inside or there was a patch of rough asphalt that destabilized his vehicle - whatever it was, it worked. The Skoda veered off to the left and went straight into the field, very narrowly missing a tree.
For all of Martin's bad luck, this is where the camera starts to work its magic. As the car begins to roll through the grass, it is ejected out manages to catch a glimpse of the vehicle flying by with dirt and grass flying all over. It's one of those shots that's both beautiful and terrifying at the same time, but knowing that everyone came out alright helps us focus more on its artistic merits.
And here are a few o the cars that took part in the racing event (Martin's isn't featured):