Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Losing the back end at high speed. This is every track day driver’s dream, or nightmare, depending on whether the sideways shenanigan is under control or not. Today we want to talk about what happens when that tail refuses to come back in line.
The results can be as devastating as the Renault Megane RS crash in the video below, which is one of the wildest Green Hell moments we’ve seen all year.
The hot hatch was in maximum attack mode going through the Schwedenkreuz section of the ‘Ring, an extreme velocity area. The footage comes from a dash cam installed on a car that was overtaken by the Megane.
Unfortunately, the hot hatch was already sideways during the passing maneuver. Despite the Megane RS’ playful chassis, which normally allows the driver to easily keep things under control, the Renault skids across the track, hitting the protection element on the side at full speed.
This is where the truly extreme nature of the crash starts to unfold - the Megane performs a failed front slip on the downhill section after the impact, landing on its roof. From this point on, the car starts spinning through the air.
We counted at least six spins, but, due to the poor quality of the footage, we can’t be certain about that figure. The vehicle does finally land on its wheels, but by the time the Megane RS comes back on the ground, the car is stripped of many bits and pieces.
There’s no official info on the crash and yet it seems the driver has survived. To be more precise, rumor has it “the driver is well under the circumstances.”
Speaking of the Schwedenkreuz, this is one of the ‘Ring sections that received a 124 mph (200 km/h) speed limit earlier this year. Nevertheless, the limits have been raised meanwhile, with the Nurburgring management deciding to change the layout of the track to make racing safer.
However, that move is not without its drawbacks, as a different layout means all the times set so far will be irrelevant to future track ventures.
The hot hatch was in maximum attack mode going through the Schwedenkreuz section of the ‘Ring, an extreme velocity area. The footage comes from a dash cam installed on a car that was overtaken by the Megane.
Unfortunately, the hot hatch was already sideways during the passing maneuver. Despite the Megane RS’ playful chassis, which normally allows the driver to easily keep things under control, the Renault skids across the track, hitting the protection element on the side at full speed.
This is where the truly extreme nature of the crash starts to unfold - the Megane performs a failed front slip on the downhill section after the impact, landing on its roof. From this point on, the car starts spinning through the air.
We counted at least six spins, but, due to the poor quality of the footage, we can’t be certain about that figure. The vehicle does finally land on its wheels, but by the time the Megane RS comes back on the ground, the car is stripped of many bits and pieces.
There’s no official info on the crash and yet it seems the driver has survived. To be more precise, rumor has it “the driver is well under the circumstances.”
Speaking of the Schwedenkreuz, this is one of the ‘Ring sections that received a 124 mph (200 km/h) speed limit earlier this year. Nevertheless, the limits have been raised meanwhile, with the Nurburgring management deciding to change the layout of the track to make racing safer.
However, that move is not without its drawbacks, as a different layout means all the times set so far will be irrelevant to future track ventures.
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