Motorsport OMG / WTF moments - Racing Funnies, Fails, Crashes, And Randomness

  • Thread starter Thread starter Furinkazen
  • 5,562 comments
  • 638,245 views
Well the co-pilot's reaction (hands across his face, covering his eyes) pretty much sums up the entire situation. There's making a wrong turn, and then there's making a wrong turn with some collateral damage on the side... Must be one of the first times where I've seen a citizen's car being involved in a rally car crash, and the Smart actually got out of that one better than the rally-spec Peugeot, figure that one out, haha.
Because race cars are designed to break apart easier so panels can be easily replaced.
 
Because race cars are designed to break apart easier so panels can be easily replaced.

Indeed, that bypassed me somewhat, of course you have to take repairing into account as race cars may need to be repaired quickly to avoid major time loss during races (or in the case of rallyes, to avoid major time penalties). Still, it's impressive to see how easily can a panel break apart in such an impact...
 
Indeed, that bypassed me somewhat, of course you have to take repairing into account as race cars may need to be repaired quickly to avoid major time loss during races (or in the case of rallyes, to avoid major time penalties). Still, it's impressive to see how easily can a panel break apart in such an impact...
It was one of the advantages and disadvantages when we raced minis as well.

Advantage the front end was one piece so only had to replace a single piece rather than several.

Disadvantage the front end was one piece so bloody expensive to replace!
 
It was one of the advantages and disadvantages when we raced minis as well.

Advantage the front end was one piece so only had to replace a single piece rather than several.

Disadvantage the front end was one piece so bloody expensive to replace!

Yes, that sounds just about right. On one hand, easy-to-repair panels and quicker repairing times. On the other hand, the fact that they are custom-made panels makes them a rather costly affair if they are broken...

I can't image how painful that crash must've felt, for the Peugeot 208's driver... He has to pay for the Smart's repairing costs as well, does he not?
 
Yes, that sounds just about right. On one hand, easy-to-repair panels and quicker repairing times. On the other hand, the fact that they are custom-made panels makes them a rather costly affair if they are broken...

I can't image how painful that crash must've felt, for the Peugeot 208's driver... He has to pay for the Smart's repairing costs as well, does he not?
Probably not! Would have liked to have seen the claim form though


I know rally cars are insured for the road parts between stages although my friend has been trying to get his fabia s2000 insured for months as it doesn't come up on the database.
 
He has to pay for the Smart's repairing costs as well, does he not?

I think it would be the gentlemanly thing to do... on the other hand if he doesn't I'm not sure that anything other than a civil case would force settlement. Certainly in the UK the Smart could be considered to be parked on a motorsport closed-course, the insurers wouldn't even bother to fight for you, imo.

Smart Cars turn out to be very solid though, I was very impressed :)
 
Probably not! Would have liked to have seen the claim form though

Quite, that claim file may have more zeros than what we think, all things considered... Even if they are panels for a Mini.

I know rally cars are insured for the road parts between stages although my friend has been trying to get his fabia s2000 insured for months as it doesn't come up on the database.

So it's a rather cumbersome process to get a rally car insured, it seems. It is possible, but your friend seems to be going through a hard time just to get his car insured...

I think it would be the gentlemanly thing to do... on the other hand if he doesn't I'm not sure that anything other than a civil case would force settlement. Certainly in the UK the Smart could be considered to be parked on a motorsport closed-course, the insurers wouldn't even bother to fight for you, imo.

Smart Cars turn out to be very solid though, I was very impressed :)

So in a sense if he doesn't have to pay, the only way the Smart driver will get insurance money is by forcing a lawsuit... Well, that is definitely something which could get messy if it's not solved quickly... And in the UK, that is not a possibility, that's a given, so if you do park your car in a rally stage God bless the Queen because you will not see a single pound if you didn't get a lawsuit going after that.

And yes, despite looking rather flimsy, Smart cars are sturdy, surviving a rear collision without any major damages which could write the car off. Then again, with such a small car, you do want to ensure that its passengers are safe and sound...
 
So in a sense if he doesn't have to pay, the only way the Smart driver will get insurance money is by forcing a lawsuit...

That's my own guess but I'd rather like to think that the gentlemanly way would out; the damage will be paid for by the team. Perhaps they do have specific public liability insurance that covers it, I simply don't know :D
 
So it's a rather cumbersome process to get a rally car insured, it seems. It is possible, but your friend seems to be going through a hard time just to get his car insured...

I think the problem is a lot of people relie on computers too much and don't know what to do when a 2 litre fabia that isn't an engine swap isn't on the database.

IIRC he still rallies it with German plates and its insured by a German company but it means he has to take it back to Germany every so often and does rallies over there.
 
That's my own guess but I'd rather like to think that the gentlemanly way would out; the damage will be paid for by the team. Perhaps they do have specific public liability insurance that covers it, I simply don't know :D

Do not worry mate, I do not know about that myself either. In the end, that was a rather hilarious crash, and a good lesson for all those who want to park their cars near a junction within a rally stage; don't, because you never know when a out-of-control rally car can reach your car and crash into it.
 
This would have been a good claim


Well, that is just about the most splendid tire bouncing I have ever seen; the timing which was behind a tire somehow breaking a car's glass is simply mind-boggling in my view. And yes, that would make a good insurance claim, because the car was close to the track, yes, but it was not a part of it. Court houses would have a field day with this...
 
Craig Lowndes left rear tires blows near 250 km/h while leading one of the V8 Supercar races on Saturday putting him into the wall. Thankfully it wasn't a super hard hit. The team completely rebuilt this car over night and he finished 2nd on Sunday reporting no issues with the car.

Edit: video no longer available.
 
Last edited:
Going the extra mile, and then some:
upload_2015-11-19_19-32-40.png
 
The destructive force behind such a crash, not causing any fatal injuries... It's simply mind-boggling, I cannot imagine how fast Mavlanov was going before the crash itself.
 
That car did an exceptional job. Windows still intact, and door still opens. Dissipating energy through losing bits and so leaving the survival cell intact is exactly what is supposed to happen.

Yep, crashes tend to look worse than they are these days because the cars do such a good job of breaking up where they're designed to. In the past the whole thing would just end as a crumpled mess, including the cockpit.
 
That car did an exceptional job. Windows still intact, and door still opens. Dissipating energy through losing bits and so leaving the survival cell intact is exactly what is supposed to happen.

Absolutely, and what I find particularly interesting is the protection for the fuelling area despite it being pretty much completely exposed. In the old days...

the whole thing would just end as a crumpled mess, including the cockpit.

...this. But in this case there'd be fire too, I guess.
 
I don't recall seeing this here: Niklas Ajo makes a mistake on the last corner of the last lap whilst 9th in the Moto3 round at Assen this year. Hanging on to the bike, he finishes 17th:

 
Last edited:
Back