CRASH BMW M3 Schirmer vs RSR Lotus Exige at Nordschleife - Whose fault is it?

[Jamie Vandenbalck]

A hard crash at the famous and dangerous Nordschleife. The cars involved are a BMW M3 tuned by Schirmer on semi slicks, standard engine, weight is 1500kg and a Lotus Exige from RSR which weighs a little less. Date: 28.06.2015

The M3 driver is a good friend of me He was pushing for a good lap time, he did earlier a 7:22 laptime with his M3!

[TrevorM3]

typical asshole m3 driver. trying to pass on the inside of a downhill turn.

[kaiv]

Car ahead is entitled to the line and keeping it. Car behind is responsible to go around and make a clean pass. At least that's how it works here? Either way looks like both drivers were not in sync as to what's going on...

I guess that's the risk we're willing to take when tracking our cars but it can get sketchy sometimes, though, when someone gets a little too crazy and carried away chasing that lap time at all costs. Especially at a high speed/high traffic/no runoff track like the ring.

Going home in one piece > all. Personally I always lift as soon as someone shows up behind me and let them by for a nice quick safe pass. And similarly I expect the same when coming up to a slower car. It's 0 fun being stuck behind a slower car that doesn't want to let you by (not saying it was the case there).

[///M Power-Belgium]

No doubt the fault came from the ///M3 .

[808@702]

Fisticuffs ensue

[AriuSen]

Originally Posted by kaiv

Car ahead is entitled to the line and keeping it. Car behind is responsible to go around and make a clean pass. At least that's how it works here? Either way looks like both drivers were not in sync as to what's going on...

I guess that's the risk we're willing to take when tracking our cars but it can get sketchy sometimes, though, when someone gets a little too crazy and carried away chasing that lap time at all costs. Especially at a high speed/high traffic/no runoff track like the ring.

Going home in one piece > all. Personally I always lift as soon as someone shows up behind me and let them by for a nice quick safe pass. And similarly I expect the same when coming up to a slower car. It's 0 fun being stuck behind a slower car that doesn't want to let you by (not saying it was the case there).

then you must stop with your drifting skills to be even safer HAHA jk...great skills

[okusa]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

No doubt the fault came from the ///M3 .

+1

[roastbeef]

m3 straight pitted the guy.

[M3 Esq]

Yikes that's a vicious hit. The lotus driver went for quite the ride. The overtaking car is responsible for making a safe pass. Asshole BMW driver.

[FogCityM3]

Was the M3 driver trying to pass? Looks like the Lotus may have been drifting in that corner, slowing it down and causing the nose to point left? Hard to tell as I don't know that corner well.

[Strick]

M driver clearly at fault, lotus had a line and the M challenged it... On a downhill turn...

[Talk2meg00se]

meh, the risks associated with tracking your car . . .

the accidents always happen in the "advanced" groups.

[BMWDEMON]

Physics...M3 took hard inside, barely tapped the other car which put him into a spin...was he aggressive? yes. Was it totally his fault? Not entirely but it does seem he did not let off until too late which caused the spin out...maybe he should have let off since it was clear he would not be able to pass on the inside on a downhill. Feel bad for the other driver.

[W///]

That's why "M3 drivers have no friends".

The E92 and the 1M looked really good though.

P.S. Been watching more and more Ring wrecks videos on Youtube and it's scary. I'm glad I was able to go at least once, but I'd be very tempted to not bring my own car there.

[Ezio]

can someone explain to me how the ring works. Can anyone just drive on it ?

[WhatsADSM]

M3s fault. Exige is keeping pace with and even on (nearly) the same line as the (V6 Exige?) in front of him, he just gets tapped from the inside there. Seems to me like not a good place to put your car.

Of course "technically" there are weird rules in play on the ring since its a road or whatever...

[M3 Esq]

Now that I've watched it a few times it looks like the Lotus runs a little wide going into the apex. Maybe he checked up not sure, but the M3 is following too close anyway given this is not a racing event. Seems like it could have been avoided.

[Flying Ace]

lotus is at fault for a few reasons:

1. overtaking car is responsible to figuring out the correct passing lane
2. this is a public street, and I know this type of passing is against the rules on the rign, at least it didn't look like some private track day.

[Flying Ace]

Originally Posted by W///

That's why "M3 drivers have no friends".

The E92 and the 1M looked really good though.

P.S. Been watching more and more Ring wrecks videos on Youtube and it's scary. I'm glad I was able to go at least once, but I'd be very tempted to not bring my own car there.

yeah, once you view one on youtube, it keeps suggesting other videos of wercks on the ring. I once flipped a Star Mazda formula car coming out of the turn 2 pits at Laguna, boy was I embarassed.

1MOREMOD saw it and rolled his eyes when it happened.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

yeah, once you view one on youtube, it keeps suggesting other videos of wercks on the ring. I once flipped a Star Mazda formula car coming out of the turn 2 pits at Laguna, boy was I embarassed.

1MOREMOD saw it and rolled his eyes when it happened.

The problem is that not only is the Ring already challenging enough, there are idiots out there at the same time. When I went with my rented VW Scirocco, I saw a GT-R crash right in front of me only 2 laps in. I drove like a grandma for the other 2 laps haha

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

yeah, once you view one on youtube, it keeps suggesting other videos of wercks on the ring. I once flipped a Star Mazda formula car coming out of the turn 2 pits at Laguna, boy was I embarassed.

1MOREMOD saw it and rolled his eyes when it happened.

i had no room to criticize, there were 10 year olds posting better times than me with lots of track time.

[ortho281]

Without seeing clip of the beginning of the corner prior to the accident, it is hard to say for certain who is at fault. However, it looks like the Lotus might have been passing the M3 on the outside of the corner, and turned in too early leaving the M3 little room. Those Lotus have one of the worst rear visibility of any car I know, and so this could have contributed to him thinking he was clear of the M3. Always give a little extra room just in case?