When Toyota conceived the GR Yaris as a homologation special for its rally car, FIA rules required it to build 25,000 road versions. And even when Toyota’s motorsport plans changed and it decided to continue racing in the WRC with the previous model, it still went ahead and built the GR Yaris anyway and stuck to its commitment to build all 25,000 cars.
On the evidence of this video, it might want to keep that production line open a little longer. We’ve seen some examples getting involved in minor fender benders, and we’ve seen drivers getting overconfident with the four-wheel drive system and make a fool of themselves on camera.
But this accident during a public trackday is a full-on Hollywood-style somersaulting car crash that renders the 257 hp three-cylinder hot hatch a complete write-off.
The footage is grainy and from a camera placed a long way from the accident, but you can see the GR Yaris suddenly appear at huge speed in the top left of the frame, already fully sideways on a damp track.
Read more: Chris Harris Treats The Toyota GR Yaris Like The Rally Car For The Road That It Is
The driver seems to be in control, and initially it looks like we’re watching one of the greatest saves of all time. But the the car hits a dry patch of track, regains grip and, because the driver still has some corrective lock applied, the little Yaris gets spit off the outside of the corner, spinning back the other way.
Which might have been okay if the outside of the corner was covered in grass. But instead, it’s gravel, and the car digs in and barrel-rolls multiple times before finally coming to rest.
We don’t get to see the driver exit the wreck, but a description under the video on what appears to be the owner’s channel, says he walked away unharmed. The car, though, wasn’t so lucky. A second video on the same channel made up of still images of the aftermath reveals the damage is every bit as bad as you’d imagine.
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