At the recent HyperFest event in Alton, Virginia last week, the owner of a V8-powered Miata thought it would be a smart idea to roll the lightweight sports car up to a concrete barrier before flooring the throttle in an attempt to do the wildest burnout possible.
It seems to start out fine with the rear wheels being spun into a frenzy and the tires spewing rubber and smoke. Before long however, power stops getting transferred to the tarmac and the driver unknowingly starts burning up the clutch with his foot still planted on the accelerator.
Within a matter of seconds, the gearbox couldn’t take it anymore and the clutch disc apparently shot through the bell housing, instantly causing a ferocious fire which the driver was lucky to escape from uninjured. By the time crews managed to douse the flames, the fire had engulfed most of the car.
The lesson here seems pretty clear: don’t do a burnout unless you actually know how to.