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Opel Astra Driver Gets Lucky in Nurburgring Lift-Off Oversteer Near Crash

The Nurburgring didn't earn its Green Hell nickname by forgiving those who make mistakes while tackling it. Nevertheless, there are also times when certain drivers receive a get-out-of-crash-free card and a shenanigan that took place yesterday stands for the perfect example of this.
Nurburgring Lift-Off Oversteer Near Crash 4 photos
Photo: rallyeoberehe The Nürburgring & Rallye Channel/YouTube
Nurburgring Lift-Off Oversteer Near-CrashNurburgring Lift-Off Oversteer Near-CrashNurburgring Lift-Off Oversteer Near-Crash
As we've discussed on multiple occasions already, yesterday was Carfreitag (Car Friday), which marked the official season opener for tourist drives. As such, the Ring was open to amateurs all day long.

This meant that plenty of drivers got on the circuit, with some of these being more familiar with the track than others.

And while we're not sure what caused the driver of the Opel Astra in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page to lose control, we can confirm that the rear end of the compact was all over the place.

The Astra, a member of the first generation, appears to have experienced a lift-off oversteer episode, which typically occurs when a driver panics as he or she enters a bend too quickly and suddely takes the foot off the gas - this causes the weight to shift to the front of the car, with the rear axle losing grip.

The Opel went straight for the guardrail on the inside of the bend, but its nose missed the metallic element by inches. Nevertheless, the compact still had enough speed to be in danger.

And the driver's countersteering efforts turned out to be slow, but the car managed to stay away from the guardrail, all to the surprise of the crowd. In fact, you can hear those stationed close to the Ring section that hosted the shenanigan cheering towards the end of the video.

Alas, some of the other drivers who made mistakes during this year's Car Friday weren't as lucky, with a Mercedes A-Class even rolling over.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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