Crashing two million pounds worth of hypercar is every petrolhead’s nightmare, so one driver must be counting his lucky stars after losing control of a McLaren P1 GTR.
The YouTube video shows the P1 GTR, a track-only version of the hybrid hypercar, exiting the final section of the notoriously difficult ‘corkscrew’ on the Laguna Seca track with too much enthusiasm, shall we say.
As the driver hits the apex, the P1 GTR oversteers and the back end gets out of line. In an attempt to counteract the move, more gas is applied but it’s too late and soon the driver is going sideways and backwards onto the grass and towards the barrier.
Luckily for the P1 GTR and its expensive carbon fibre body, a touch of braking and quick steering directed the vehicle away from the wall, avoiding any damage being caused except, of course, to the driver’s pride.
Reports say the person behind the wheel wasn’t some rich amateur, but rather a factory driver who was there to teach other drivers how to handle a car with that much power on one of the world’s most demanding circuits.
While he may have failed to take the corner, it serves as a perfect reminder that even the best get things wrong. It’s perhaps lucky it was a private track day or it could have caused an expensive pile-up.
Owners of a McLaren P1 GTR get access to racing days and become a part of McLaren’s P1 Driver Programme, which includes individual driver profiling sessions and a race seat fitting session.
The McLaren P1 GTR takes 2.8 seconds to go from 0-62mph and has a top speed in excess of 200mph, thanks to a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 that outputs 986bhp (86bhp more than the standard P1).
Last year rally legend Walter Rohrl ended up in a similar position when in control of a Porsche 918 – a direct competitor of the McLaren P1 and a fellow hybrid hypercar. He wasn’t so lucky.
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