By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The racing is billed on the Nürburgring VLN racing website as "MOTORSPORT CLOSE!" And that's an understatement as shown in an a raw video of a two-car crash coming of a turn on the road course in Wehrseifan, Germany. It's part of a 10-race endurance series of the Nurburgring VLN race, in this case the second of the 2012 racing season.
The driver of a BMW M3 E46 made contact with another racer and his car flipped and landed on the right side of the vehicle as it slid upside down from the outside oof the track to the inside.
The driver had difficulty climbing out so two rcing officials ran across the roadway while a flagman on the outside of the fence was waving two yellow flags. Still, the racing officials, not wearing helmets -- are fortunate they weren't hit by cars coming sarong the bend, even with the caution.
The fan who captured the crash posted his uploaded video: "I pull the trusty pocketcam out just as the first few drops of rain fall on Wehrseifen. An E46 driver loses control on the entry to the corner, and ends up rolling all the way around. Race was the VLN #2 of 2012 and this was only the second lap of a four-hour event!"
The fan who captured the crash posted his uploaded video:
"I pull the trusty pocketcam out just as the first few drops of rain fall on Wehrseifen. An E46 driver loses control on the entry to the corner, and ends up rolling all the way around. Race was the VLN #2 of 2012 and this was only the second lap of a four-hour event!"
The VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring is described on the racing entity's website as more than a "true evergreen for teams and drivers at the Nürburgring. Try it and you get infected with the VLN-fever!"
The site goes on to say, "Being fan-friendly represents a top priority for the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring. Therefore, the entrance is free all around the Nordschleife. Only those who want to witness the race action from the Grand Prix circuit’s grandstands and visit the paddock will have to pay €15. The reward is motor-racing at your fingertips, as the VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring offers the spectators the chance of witnessing the work of the teams during both the practice sessions and the race at close range."
What is impressive as shown in the video of the BMW crash is the huge catch fence that appears to be a couple stories high where spectators are gathered across from the crash scene, though where the flagman is standing doesn't appear to offer nearly enough protection from a car careening over the guardrail fencing.
Did You Know?
The "Nürburgring 6 Hours" is considered the season highlight – in 1998, even Sir Jack Brabham took part, at age 72.
Fast Facts: The VLN was founded in 1977 by several motorsport clubs, which are members of ADAC or Deutscher Motorsport Verband (DMV), in order to join forces. Previously, each club had run its own touring car racing event on the Nürburgring, lasting for 3.5 to 6 hours, with about 150 cars and 400 drivers taking part. The rules were unified and the races were made part of a series.
Motorsports fans are drawn to racing for different reasons: The excitement of speed, skill of drafting & passing; strategies on when to pit for fuel, tires or repairs; the will to win and so forth. Ultimately, though, it's the big crashes that fans seem to like more than anything. And though nobody wishes serious injury or death to drivers, crew members, emergency personnel & especially spectators, the sad reality is carnage is always lurking. Despite the latest technology & improvements in aerodynamics of vehicles, driver equipment and enhanced track safety features, the fine line between life & death is always at play in any given sanctioned motorsport. Given that Headline Surfer® puts such an emphasis on racing with Daytona Beach International Speedway, the 24/7 internet news outlet is counting down its listing of the top 1,000 WORST of the Worst. While on the surface it may come across as gratuitous gore to critics, there can never be enough discussion about the need for constant vigilance in looking at safety.
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.