The Race of Champions saw more action than usual this past weekend. In the very first round, Heikki Kovalainen managed to stuff his Audi R8 GT into the wall while going head to head against Sebastien Loeb. Kovalainen clipped the inside barrier that separates the two tracks before spinning into a concrete wall, destroying his racer’s suspension and knocking himself unconscious in the process. Kovalainen said that a sticking throttle was the cause of the accident in his Twitter feed, though the video also looks like he simply got too close to the inside barrier.

Fortunately, Kovalainen was not seriously injured during the bang-up. Likewise, his girlfriend, who was riding in the vehicle at the time, walked away from the incident without so much as a scuff as well.





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Sweet story bro.

 

I bet it was the throttle. Look for yo selves.

 

that actually does look like a throttle issue. he went into the last straight a bit skewed, but he still was gaining speed when he was under braking. wow, what a shame. that was a nice car.

 

looks like he was hot on the throttle, had too much speed, applied brake and steering at the same time, lost traction and slid into the corner. track looks hella slippery when you watch those events.

I thought the stuck throttle thing was limited to direct competition of US competitors?

 

ROC is the gayest **** I've seen in my life...and I've seen a lot of gay **** from my days with the NoVa crew.

 

True story.

 

Says the guy who wore a scarf.

 

Audi recall!

 

I'd like my steak RARE ************, I'M FROM TEXAS!!!!

I bet he broke suspension on the wall before the ugly impact and the car turned on it's own.

 

What is this weak *** indoor racing **** going on these days? That's for monster trucks.

I have never worn a scarf, but I was only born in TX. Guess you have to live there a while to earn that privilege.

 

Poor R8.

No stuck throttle, no trail braking, no excessive wheelspin. Go back and look at the clip at exactly 1:05. When he comes off the wall you can see the rear wheel is toe-out like hell indicating that the brush with the wall broke something in the rear suspension. When he came off the weel, the new rear-steer (which would make the car want to go left) combined with some weight transfer from hitting the brakes sent him for a wild ride. You could tell he was surprised by the fact that as the car is diving across his lane, he is not countersteering.


R8 Crash by AnonymousNamelss, on Flickr

 

You mean that rear wheel steer isn't a feature?

 

yeah i see it, as soon as the car leaves the wall, it steers away erratically....he was still going too fast.

 

styrofoam pwns R8

 

Dog-leg shifter? Pantera?

 

benz cozzy 2.3-16 (getrag)

 

Where is my prize?

 

Tucked away in my dresser drawer. Come get it, big boy.