REPORT: Schumacher totals Ferrari prototype at Nurburgring
Click to see Schumi unveiling the 430 Scuderia at Frankfurt '07
Reports from the world of motorsport indicate that Michael Schumacher has totaled a new Ferrari prototype at the nefarious Nurburgring Nordschleiffe. According to the reports, Ferrari had rented out the track for the day when the team's former champion took out the test mule based on the 430 Scuderia that Schumacher himself helped develop. Just days after taking laps around Fiorano in the new California and presenting it to dealers in Maranello, Schumacher reportedly went off the damp track at over 250 km/h (155 mph) at the high-speed Schwedenkruz corner and hit a guard rail, severely damaging the car and forcing the test crew to switch to a second vehicle. Sources suggested that Schumacher had his son Mick riding shotgun at the time of the crash, however alternative reports suggest that factory test driver Raffaele DeSimone was driving, with Schumacher riding shotgun.
Although no official word has been given, it would seem that Schumacher escaped the incident uninjured, rendering the outcome of his shunt on "the Green Hell" better than that of his predecessor Niki Lauda, who nearly did in a fiery crash on the track some 32 years ago. As to what the prototype was being used to develop, however, is up to speculation: it could be the successor to the F430 or a new supercar to replace the discontinued Enzo.
[Source: F1-Live]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mrx3m3 11:07AM (7/28/2008)
"nearly did in a fiery crash" -> "nearly died in a fiery crash"
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azzo45 11:12AM (7/28/2008)
British English vs. traditional American English...
Declan Moran 12:21PM (7/28/2008)
thats why Lauda had no ears and and a permanent tan.
Franz 11:11AM (7/28/2008)
Wow. Going off at 150mph could have been a disaster. I'm glad he's ok. I doubt Schumi would've been hurtling around the 'Ring with his son in tow though... I could be wrong, but I can't see that happening, on Ferrari's time and dime no less.
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Victor 1:14PM (7/28/2008)
schumi did take the wheel from his taxi driver with his family in tow, but yeah, thats a different circumstance and at much slower speeds. however, public roads are kinda dangerous vs doing that stuff on a track...
CORVETTE ZR1 11:15AM (7/28/2008)
Wow... well thats just nice... But don't worry im sure it was the Car... Michael would never mess up like that... there must have been something wrong with the car. i geuss theres a word of advice never drive ur Ferrari after it has just rained... or if the road is Wet...
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USCGTO 11:20AM (7/28/2008)
LOL. never drive ur ferrari after rain?
I never take out my GTO or the CBR when it rains or is supposed to rain. maybe they;re the ferrari for me..
I guess most sports cars or high HP, RWD, coupes/sedans would have a problem in rain, unless you have S***loads of gizmo keeping u in line with AWD a la GT-R... lol..
azzo45 11:38AM (7/28/2008)
Yeah... Schumi never dominated in the rain with his F1 Ferrari... all those GP wins were DRY race only eh?
Sorry... I don't get your attempt at humor ZR1.
CORVETTE ZR1 11:51AM (7/28/2008)
It was not supposed to be funny. I was pointing out that there might have been a mechanical problum with the car... remember it was a test mull...
mk 11:28AM (7/28/2008)
Wow...
1.5 tons at 155mph on a reduced friction surface (wet) on a racetrack called the "green HELL"...
that takes 'cajones' just to attempt intentionally. That is why HE is Michael Schumacher, and most of us, myself included, are not.
Glad he walked away. Let the car take the brunt of the judgment for trying to break the laws of physics. They can just build a better one. :D
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Giuseppe 11:29AM (7/28/2008)
This guy is having so much fun, well apart from the crash
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Todd 11:35AM (7/28/2008)
Insurance nightmare...just put your most valuable person in an unproven prototype and let him tear around a hobbyist track with no formal safety measures? Not smart. There are "shaker rigs" that Ferrari can use in a safe, controlled environment that would have exposed whatever mechanical failure caused the crash.
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Ben 11:44AM (7/28/2008)
I think it may have been an error on the part of the biological component. OR maybe I missed the sarcasm.
thePeterN 11:39AM (7/28/2008)
At least he didn't hit any other supercars? I caught 3 parked on the webcam this morning:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79476372@N00/2710463104/
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CORVETTE ZR1 11:44AM (7/28/2008)
Wooo... Enzo Ferrari, Koenigsegg CCX, and Maserati MC12... Thank You. Peter... Some of the best Super Cars out there...
Phil Perman 11:43AM (7/28/2008)
These things happen. Always makes me laugh whenever pics of a wrecked supercar appear and everyone goes on about how whoever was driving obviously must have more money than skills. If Schume can do it anyone can. Everyone makes mistakes, pencils have erasers for a reason
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Jay 7:33PM (7/28/2008)
I think you make a good point, but usually when people say how stupid the driver of a wrecked supercar must have been that driver trashed it on public roads. Losing control under the controlled conditions of a racetrack where there are no pedestrians or unpredictable traffic is different than losing control on public roads at speeds you should not have been reaching anyway.
Flea 11:45AM (7/28/2008)
Both passengers uninjured after crashing at 155mph?
...could Ferraris be safer than Volvos?
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Matty 12:31PM (7/28/2008)
I'm sure they are. With all of the carbon fiber and high-tech materials, modern Ferraris are incredibly safe. Most of their technology is derived from F1 cars, which manage to minimize injury despite high speeds and bare-bones construction. I'm thinking of Hamilton's crash from a year or two ago here. Also, recall that first Enzo that wrecked on PCH a few years ago, leaving the engine a quarter-mile from the rest of the car but leaving the occupants alive.
To the guy above that called a Ferrari an insurance liability, I doubt that this will be the case. Ferraris will be expensive to ensure because of their high costs and because they encourage high speed driving. However, there are few cars I would rather sustain a collision inside of than a Ferrari.
JD 12:36PM (7/28/2008)
Uh, yes. Lol. Just because their marketing dept says they're the safest doesn't mean they are.