Yahoo Finance This Porsche Cayman GT4 RS's Near-Miss with a Ducati on the Nürburgring Is Terrifying
As fun and special as it is, the potential dangers of the Nürburgring Nordschleife and its Touristenfahrten sessions are endless. Anything can happen on the famed track, without any hint of warning. Two motorists were reminded of that last week when they had an extremely close call on the 12.9-mile track that was caught on video and shared online.
YouTuber xthilox was filming a lap on the Nordschleife for their friend Eric, who was running his Porsche Cayman GT4 RS, when they caught a near-disastrous crash towards the end of their lap. xthilox was following a motorcyclist on a Ducati Panigale from behind the wheel of their 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 MR when Eric, the driver of the GT4 RS, decided to go for a pass at an inopportune time. Exiting the Stefan Bellof S corner at nearly 180 kmh, the red GT4 RS goes to make a pass on the outside at the same time the Ducati rider swings wide on corner exit.
Using all of the track available to him, the motorcyclist narrowly avoids colliding with the Porsche and forces the car off the track, allowing the GT4 RS to get some rare off-road experience. After recovering, the driver and rider compose themselves and continue their respective laps, though the motorcyclist does raise his arms in frustration immediately following the near miss.
"The GT4 RS and a Ducati Panigale nearly crashed at over 180 km/h right in front of me," xthilox wrote in the caption of their YouTube video. "Thanks to God nobody was hurt and they could shake hands after the lap."
All was well after the lap, it seems, but the video sparked another round of a common Nürburgring controversy in the comments centered around motorcycles on the 12.93-mile track. While 'Ring officials have implemented a motorcycle season at the track and even limit which days motorcycles can run, some drivers believe that motorcyclists and cars shouldn't be able to run at the same time. With high stakes all around and even more on the line for two-wheelers, the difference in pace between a fast car and motorcycle can be staggered, in turn creating an uncomfortable lack of space for all involved.
"With bikes being significantly slower around corners and under braking, plus visibility challenges, plus added risk I would rather set up some specific [Touristenfahrten] sessions for bikes and not allow them to ride during normal public sessions," YouTube commenter Great Motors said below the close-call video.
"As a biker on the Nordschleife, I actually see the fault more with the motorcyclist. The Porsche driver reacted extremely well, but could perhaps have been a little more patient. The biker could have been more attentive and not let himself drift out so far," another commenter by the handle of DerMopedTyp said.
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