Another One Bites the Dust: BMW Z4 Roadster Fails to Negotiate Curves at the ‘Ring

TopSpeed

By Jonathan Lopez

Published Jul 25, 2018

The driver gets out okay, though

No matter who you are or what you drive, the Nürburgring is one of the most fearsome race tracks in the world. Combining high speeds, big elevation changes, blind corners, and all other manner of technical challenges, the ‘Ring is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous places in the world to get your speed fix. Despite this, amateurs regularly try their hand at playing race driver here, and as evidenced in the following video, it doesn’t always go as planned.

Continue reading for the full story.

The Full Story

This latest crash vid once again comes from the YouTube channel Auto Addiction, which posted the clip over the weekend. It’s shot at Brünnchen corner, widely respected as one of trickier sections of the ‘Ring. The set-up is downhill, followed by a blind double apex right-hander that requires late turn in to hit it perfectly.

It’s a tricky thing to navigate correctly, that much is certain, and given its tendency to collect novice drivers, it’s gained the nickname “YouTube Corner.” Unfortunately for the owner of this BMW Z4 M Roadster, he’s now part of that legacy as well.

The video opens with a headlong shot of Brünnchen, where we see the red Z4 pop into view behind a pair of older Bimmer models. After failing to track out to the rumble strips, the driver enters the right-hander with too much speed (remember, the set-up is downhill). After missing the first apex, the driver gets on the throttle, causing the car to understeer into the gravel traps.

Ruh roh. As the Z4 hits the gravel, it looks as though the driver snaps off the throttle, causing the rear end to get loose, ripping off the rear bumper as the tail slides across the mounds of gravel. The Z4 then reenters the track sideways, and the driver tries to counter steer and apply some throttle to settle the rear, but by then, it’s too late - the Z4 slides across the track and into the opposing barrier, crumpling the frontend and triggering the airbags.