YouTubers Try Brakeless Driving Because Science Needs a Challenge Once in a While

However, in 2022, YouTube took this saying literally and put the theory to the test. Granted, the duo from Car Throttle retorted to using a mundane BMW 3 Series from over two decades ago, but the test is valid, nonetheless. They might have used any automobile on this planet as long as they didn’t step on the “slow-down” pedal.

The test is simple: do a lap around the track without braking. Then repeat and improve the time. Then do it again, and if the time is still better, the challenge goes on. The first driver to fail to beat his performance twice in a row loses. However, because it would be… unwise to eliminate the brake pedal, the driver can still pull the reins but gets a five-second penalty. And an 85-decibel punishment from a sound system connected to the said pedal.

So, it’s not a duel, but a skill show-down, with each driver having to drive faster than his previous laps, regardless of his opponent’s times. However, there is a cheat – as one of the YouTubers demonstrates: there is no set limit – speed or time – so one could accomplish the task by driving at walking speed.

Even so, the piston addiction got the better of the two men behind the steering wheel. Thus, the brakes were required at one point or another and quickly regretted, as 85 high-pitching decibels are a very uncomfortable means of enforcing the game’s rules.

The moral of the story is: yes, Bugatti was right, he made cars to go, but it is every driver’s responsibility to bring them to a halt. And please don’t try this test at home, on public roads, or in open circuits. Better still, don’t try it at all.