WATCH: Porsche 911 GT3 RS Catches Fire, Goes Airborne In Nürburgring Crash

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BMW M2 Competition & Porsche 911 GT3 RS Meet Shocking End
The Nürburgring has earned its nickname as the Green Hell once again after an explosive crash between a BMW M2 Competition and a 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS collided on a high-speed section of the circuit, completely destroying both German sports coupes. The videos uploaded to social media show the moment of impact from the Porsche driver's perspective and from a surveillance camera alongside the track, revealing that a misunderstanding between the two drivers led to both of them jockeying for the same bit of tarmac at the same time, and the internet is divided over which driver should take the bulk of the blame.
How The Fiery Crash Happened
The video from the GT3 RS driver's perspective shows that the Porsche driver was approaching the Bimmer at high speed after exiting a right-hand turn. As the circuit curved to the left, the slower-moving M2 moved over to the right side of the track. It seems that the fast-approaching Porsche driver had assumed this was an invitation to overtake, as passing on the Nordschleife during these Touristfahrten sessions (when the circuit turns into a tolled public road) should always be done on the left unless it cannot be avoided. Normally, the slower car indicates to the right and moves over, thereby informing the following driver that the slower car is aware of their presence and won't cut across the track, but in this case, the M2 driver didn't activate their turn signal.
This suggests that the M2's movement to the right side of the track was to prepare the car for the approaching left-hand bend, not to yield to the Porsche. Thus, both cars arrived at the same apex with the Porsche marginally ahead, the Bimmer driver turned into the right rear of the 911, effectively performing a PIT maneuver on the 911. This caused the Porsche to deviate right, and as it careened toward the barriers, it took the Bimmer with it. On impact, a fiery explosion occurred, and the Porsche was sent flying through the air. The entire front end was ripped off, and a suspension arm (still attached to the brake disc and caliper) landed nearly a hundred feet away. Happily, both drivers survived, but things could have been much worse.
Our Take
Perhaps the M2 driver ought to have been aware of the approaching GT3 RS; slower cars are obliged to move over for quicker traffic on the Nordschleife, but as discussed above, there is a correct way to do this: in conjunction with a turn signal activation. It should also be noted that slower traffic should move over when it is safe to do so, not the very instant they see another car in their rearview mirror. With the preceding turns being rather technical, it seems a little unreasonable for the M2 driver to be prepared for a move up the inside when the Porsche appeared to have only just closed the gap to its rear bumper.
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On the other hand, the Porsche driver might argue that the speed with which they were approaching should have been obvious to the BMW driver, and the way in which the M2 abruptly moved to the right side of the track might have looked like an invitation to pass. We don't have more video evidence of the preceding miles, but based on the crash itself, we're inclined to side with the Bimmer driver on this one. Sure, both drivers could have done something differently, but the M2 driver had the right to that piece of asphalt, and the Porsche driver seemed a little overeager to prove that the GT3 RS was quicker. Some commenters have proclaimed that this sort of incident is the result of amateurs trying to replicate YouTube personality Misha Charoudin's style of Nürburgring video, but his fans will argue that Charoudin has always campaigned for greater safety and has tried to discourage reckless behavior on the Nürburgring. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
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Sebastian Cenizo View Profile