What happens when there’s an oil spill on a crowded Nurburgring “touristenfahrten” (track day)? All hell breaks loose, that’s what happens.
If you think the Nordschleife isn’t perilous enough, you should try entering one of its many corners at high-speed, without knowing there’s oil on the road’s surface. Such an occurrence in a racing environment usually spells trouble for the participants, more so if the cars are equipped with tread-lacking, slick tires that can’t properly evacuate slippery contaminants.
But normal road cars aren’t safe either, especially while cornering, as their tires (threaded as they are) do little against the oil’s liquid viscosity.
The footage captured shows exactly what were the driver mistakes that transformed the situation into a mayhem, including one man who thought it would be best to get out of his car and try to slow down oncoming circuit traffic by waving his hands. Not a good move, to say the least, demonstrated seconds after with an out-of-control BMW.
Fortunately, the man survived the impromptu game of chicken with the Bavarian machine by jumping over the fence, with little time to spare.
So, if there’s an oil spill on your local race track, don’t ignore the yellow flags, don’t accelerate in mid corner, watch your corner entry speed, and, under no circumstances, try to be a hero.