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Opel Vivaro's Ridiculous Nurburgring Crash: Why Most Vans Should Avoid the Track

We get to see plenty of vans entering the Nurburgring during the Touristenfahrten (tourist day) events. And we get it. Their drivers spend tons of hours behind the wheel, so spreading the legs of their workhorses is something that might kill the boredom and perhaps redefine the man-machine connection.
Opel Vivaro's Ridiculous Nurburgring Crash 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Unfortunately, most vans should stay off the 'Ring. And that's because the safe understeer built into their handling will only protect one so much, with the Green Hell ultimately biting them without any trace of remorse.

The latest example that comes to support this is offered in the video below. The clip shows an Opel Vivaro driver performing some serious modifications to the rear end of his van, all with the help of the protection element on the side of the track.

The crash is downright ridiculous, first of all because the guy pushes the van in a way that makes him lose the rear end - yes, the Vivaro is a front-wheel-drive machine, with this driver experimenting one of the multiple ways in which FWD vehicles can go into full oversteer mode.

Not only does the driver spin his van but he also fails to step on the brakes in time, a move that might have just prevented the impact. And we're talking basic driving skill here.

However, at the other end of the manhandling skill scale, we find the biker behind the Vivaro - check out the clip and you'll understand.

P.S.: Sure, there are vans that might as well spend their entire life on the 'Ring. Most of them have been built by Ford, while any van can develop such a nature once it welcomes Sabine Schmitz behind its wheel. Just make sure to leave the cargo in the parking lot, unless you like your cocktails both shaken and stirred.

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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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