- A BMW M240i xDrive owner crashed his car after reaching 170 mph (274 km/h) at the drag strip with several cameras filming.
- He walked away unscathed but the car has likely seen its last days on the road or the track.
- The video is a sobering reminder of how far modern safety gear has come and how important it is to reserve this driving for the track.
Going racing is an exciting prospect for most but sometimes things go wrong quickly. For one driver in a BMW M240i, his trip to the drag strip ended with a dramatic high-speed accident that ended his day but, thankfully, not his life. He caught the entire scene on several cameras mounted on and inside of the vehicle.
His BMW M240i was seriously fast and he entered the day hoping to snag a sub 8.5-second quarter mile time. That’s not just quick, it’s Dodge Demon 170 beating quick. That super muscle car can only manage an 8.91-second quarter-mile and that’s assuming the driver is perfect, as most are far from that.
More: Watch Mustang Driver Lose Control And Slam Into Wall While Drag Racing Corvette Z06
In this case, the driver says he doesn’t know what happened but after running an 8.56-second pass at 170 mph (274 km/h), the “car pulled hard to the right.” Its pilot countersteered quickly but not fast enough. He glances off the right wall and then slides across both lanes to hit the left wall. From there, he’s capable and cognizant enough to keep the car straight down the middle of the track.
Somehow the driver walked away with no major injuries. It’s a sad end to what looked like a promising day. He made the run itself quite cleanly and even posted a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 2.1 seconds and a 60-foot time of 1.50 seconds.
Ultimately, this entire scene is a testament to just how far safety equipment has come in modern-day cars. Despite the immense forces at work when a car hits a barrier at this speed, the driver walks away almost unscathed. The airbags all go off simultaneously, and in effect, create a cushioned barrier all around him.
In addition, it’s a reminder to keep these kinds of antics on the track. Had this been a public road who knows what could’ve happened? Not only could the driver have been hurt further but others could’ve been injured as well. Thankfully, the worst result of this crash is just one less BMW M240i.