Ferrari 458 and Porsche Cayenne show why racing should be restricted to the track.
Everyone who drives knows that street racing is dangerous, but the drivers of a Ferrari 458 and a Porsche Cayenne recently ignored the risk and the results were deadly. A motorist with a dash camera captured the scary footage as the two high performance vehicles attempted to pass slower-moving traffic on a narrow two lane road.
When the Ferrariand Porsche met the oncoming traffic, there was nowhere for the speeding vehicles to go and a massive crash ensued. Sadly, the driver of the oncoming car was killed and his wife continues to suffer with serious injuries in the Zilina Region of northern Slovakia.
The Foolish Street Race
We do not know any of the details on the yellow Ferrari 458 and the black PorscheCayenne shown here, but we know that when the grainy video shared by The Daily Mailstarted, these two vehicles went blasting by the car carrying the video camera. The Ferrari is in front with the big SUV giving chase, clearly moving at speeds well beyond a reasonable limit.
A few seconds later, a silver SUV can be seen coming towards the racers in an area with guard rails tight to the road, the Ferrari has to slow down suddenly. It appears as though the Porsche runs into the back of the 458, forcing it out of the way and clearing the lane for the uninvolved SUV to hit the Cayenne head-on.
The Aftermath
As you can see in the video and images, the Ferrariwas badly damaged while the silver SUV and the Porsche Cayenne were both destroyed. Worst of all, the driver of the uninvolved vehicle died while being transported to the hospital and his wife, who was riding in the passenger’s seat, remains hospitalized with serious injuries. There is no mention of the well-being of the drivers of the Porsche or Ferrari.
While many people who race on the street will insist that their driving skill keeps them safe, this incident shows that public roads present too many variables to risk a race like this. While racing on any public road is a bad idea, racing around other vehicles is careless and in this case, deadly.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
You must be logged in to post a comment.