We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve seen overconfident, underskilled drivers learn the hard way that the Nurbugring takes no prisoners. This time, however, it was a professional racing driver who got caught out. Bridge to Gantry reports that American racing driver John Shoffner was competing in the sixth race of the VLN endurance championship at the Nurburgring when he lost control of his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car just after the Flugplatz straight.
While overtaking slower traffic, Shoffner encounters some oversteer and clips the grass verge. This then sends the car into a harrowing high-speed rollover. The rollover is so dizzyingly fast the video looks like it has been sped up. It’s a violent, wince-worthy crash, as the car clips the fencing before ending up on its roof at the side of the track. Incredibly, the 911 GT3 Cup rolled over ten times in about five seconds. We feel dizzy just watching it.
Despite the severity of the crash, Shoffner miraculously walked away without any serious injuries. According to a statement by J2 racing, he stayed in hospital for a few days after being in intensive care but he wasn’t in any pain and is eager to get back behind the wheel. It’s a testament to modern safety standards in racing cars that drivers can survive serious crashes like this, let alone walk away uninjured. We bet he had a headache after that wild ride, though.
