Cadwell Park Clio Pit wall crash HANS device 

The Porsche driver should be banned for life

People who drive like that should get the same penalty as attempted murder.

What came of the driver who ran you into the wall? If it were up to me, he wouldn't race again. Glad you were ok, that hit was massive.

Porsche driver is an utter, utter disgrace, as well as being a complete ****. I'd hunt him down legally, there can't be any way you can get away with that behaviour. And it's not a cliche to say he could have killed someone, because 80mph+ into a pit wall is truly horrible, and could have done just that. Needs to have a long hard look at himself. And then hang up his boots, and not darken a racetrack again....

So someone can afford to buy and prepare a Porsche 968 and then drives it like he's on Xbox Live. What a waste. He should've picked a different hobby...

I remember that incident very well....I was one of the marshals stood on the pit wall right next to the impact!

A very strong message, I'm glad your okay and 6 points is lenient, I hope you are able to get back into racing asap.

I think it's brilliant that this video has brought so much awareness into the sport. Absolutely embarrassing and pathetic driving skills from the porsche driver. It's an absolute miracle that you're okay, thank you for sharing this video.

This should be classed as attempted murder.

Some people have commented that the incident was initiated by the Clio driver in the previous corner. There was contact in that corner, but only AFTER the Porsche driver collected the oversteer moment (the lack of drive meant he carried slightly less speed at the apex). This wasn't agression from the Clio driver - pause the video at 1:36 - you can clearly see the front tyres of the Porsche pointing away from the apex (i.e. slight opposite lock). Being FWD, there was little the Clio driver could have done to avoid the kiss once he'd committed himself - his tyres were probably already at maximum load on a greasy downhill corner. Personally, I'd have hung back a bit after watching the preceding footage of the guy - he was clearly struggling for traction through either tyres or poor throttle control - the body language of his car suggests he was a little overloaded, and you could have probably nailed him elsewhere on corner exit. *But it's easy to make those observations that from the comfort of my office chair*. The other guy must have known that the Clio was there after the initial contact and the 'chop' at 1:41 was pretty blatant. If it wasn't deliberate, I'd question whether the guy in the Porsche should have even been racing at all - this demonstrated a total lack of awareness at best, and a total lack of respect at worst. There was no reason whatsoever for the abrupt line change that caused the final result. I race Karts and thankfully the energies are much lower - but we're open to the elements & feel much more vulnerable as a result. I'm glad the Clio driver walked away from this unscathed!

My reaction is certainly not "that's racing."

Hi Darren, glad to see you walked away with only minor injuries, I feared it might have been worse when I passed your stricken car on track. Every point you make in this video is spot on and all drivers need to be aware that any kind of contact at that kind of speed can have dire consequences. The Porsche driver needs to have a serious think about whether or not he's in the correct sport. Regards Steve Reynolds in the Double R Racing Clio.

Dirty bastard move that, I hope he had his race licence revoked for that ??

Glad you're ok Darren. I really admire how you've turned it into something positive.

Had the same problem at lots of track days Including Cadwell Park a Porsche driver was really not happy that i was quicker then him in my completely bog standard 197 Clio road car and blocked me every time i went to overtake. There is no place for these people on road or track. Glad your ok 👍.

Thanks A LOT for taking time to create this video!!!

That is insane... that's the sort of move that should get a car/driver "visited" in the pits.

Saw this via Facebook. That is beyond simple bad driving, it was malicious and there is no room for behaviour like that in any sport. Driving like that should be rewarded with permanent exclusion from the sport.

If it were me that Porsche guy would not have a working car by the end of the day. What a dick. I'm amazed how the little Clio held up, very tough car.

That Porsche driver was desperate to stop the clio overtake him , 6 points ! He should be made to take an extensive race license course/test before being allowed back racing again as someone could have lost their life due to a driver with little control and little skill in a car that's beyond his capabilities

Absolutely shocking driving. You see it a lot at this level. There's not a massive amount of gentlemanly respect and cameraderie going on, but there is a lot of do-or-die, "I must hold this position at all costs" type of mentality. That driver needs a serious word with himself.

I have to say, your response to this is an inspiration to me. I'd of, without a second thought hunted him down like a rabid dog... But you showed that actually a lesson in safety is more in order than a good old fashioned revenge kicking. I do hope the other driver has watched this and also understood that he could of killed you if your car safety or build had in any way questionable. I tilt my hat to you good sir and wish you many safe laps going forward.

I'm glad everyone is ok. It's great that you have turned what is obviously a very negative incident into a very positive message regarding HANS devices and for that, you should be commended. Hopefully, you'll be back on track next year with The Silver Shit v2.0. Wishing you all the best.

Forget what happened just before Forget it He rammed the Clio of the track you can see it from the 3rd cars cam!!

He clearly ran you off the road, but there are two smaller considerations as well. 1) You hit him first, in the corner before your crash. Retaliation is never pretty, and is usually against rules, but tempers flare in all forms of motorsport, and 2) Why does a racetrack not have water barrels or some other form of protection in front of a wall like that? The track owner / administrator can share some responsibility for the hard hit. I mostly watch racing inside the USA, such as Indy and NASCAR, and pit walls like that always have water barrels. Search RU-vid for some clips to see how effective they are at absorbing energy. I assumed that every track in the world would provide these simple safety measures.

glad you are ok , you are one of the good ones . best of luck for the future .

I'm so glad you're OK, terrible accident. And I hope HANS helped you with repair costs. Great marketing oportunity to show the importance and utility of their device.

Thanks for sharing the video Darren ... glad you're alive. A shocking position to be put in ... however it's also an important message for those out driving on public roads : inexperience, speed, other drivers and no roll cage, no harness, no Hans ... no sense

The actions of the Porsche driver would look out of place on a banger racing track!. Darren what injury's did you sustain even with a HANS device?. What was the impact speed 70mph?. If you have been driving a mid engined V6 Clio I expect the end result of this accident would of been far far worse. Luckily you had an engine between you and the wall.

Thank you for this video! That is such an useful work to show people how important HANS is. That reaction is the best you can do to face that kind of idiot.

Glad you survived that relatively unscathed. Dangerous driving by the Porsche, hope he was dealt with. Hope you still continue to race

Hopefully the footage was sent/shown to the MSA and the guy's racing license was banned. In isolation the crash itself isn't enough, but with the remainder of the footage, it all together, ought to be. The behaviour doesnt surprise me at all unfortunately, ive seen it first hand racing karts, some people simply have no common sense/care for others' safety - egos are involved and they see red, your winning and their losing in their minds and that's enough to justify anything in the heat of the moment. It says volumes about the character of such people and they are a big part of why motorsport can be dangerous PS: The Porsche turned into the Clio, causing him to struggle for control and effectively squeeze the Clio off the track. The Clio didnt fishtail the Porsche, his track position/line did not deviate from a straight line he took coming out of the corner. The Clio was close into the corner yes, but you can clearly hear him managing the throttle to prevent an accident/spin inducing mid-corner collision.

Great film Darren. I saw Chris on Monday at Brands and asked after you. These incidents are the ones that make us question why we do it I guess. But more significantly it highlights the importance of a well built car along with things like the Hans device. Unfortunately there are always going to be people like No 59 in the sport as in all walks of life! It's how we deal with them and their actions that matters. Hope to see you on track again next season.

The Porsche driver should not be allowed to participate in any race of any kind after what happened from now on. I used to race and this is just shocking, you could end up dead. This is ridiculous and really gets me crazy. Glad you are ok.

I'm pleased to see you were okay chap, good job there little clio!!

The driver of the 968 came close to having caused a fatality, I wonder if that ever enters his tiny head? I once watched a Alfa GTV go head on into the guard rail at a track and was killed. Don't believe HANS was used back then. Walking into the paddock just as the officials announced his death was deeply upsetting. I will never forget that day. This could have been so similar....

Good video, you should think about being a documentary presenter, is really well presented.

Clearly the Clio had a run on the Porsche onto the pit straight and was passing on the right as close to the edge of the track as possible. There was about 1/3 car length overlap when the Porsche started to move right which caused the contact that sent both cars off the track. 100% the Porsche driver's fault, and he could have come off as badly as the Clio but he was very lucky. Glad you're OK Darren, and just in case you are thinking of replacing the Clio with a Peugeot 405 race car I think I have some body panels in the loft from the 1994 BTCC season ... :)

I've watched this vid a few times now , I still cant believe that Porsche driver only got 6 points on his race license , he's free to bash another day...

Great video and great advert for the safety kit. I'm sure you already know, but make sure you fit new tethers to the Hans before using it. Hopefully you'll be out racing soon, we need more good guys like you in our sport 🏁

Any update on the Porsche driver? Shocking behaviour, not just unsporting but incredibly dangerous too. Glad you're OK.

that is why i dont play soccer or do any other sports with people involved. the porsche-driver is a bumpercar-driver, 10 kph more and this thing could have killed you

That porsche driver had plenty of room on the left of the track, did he think I was forza or something? Drivers like that make me so mad 😠

Wow! No impact absorber on that wall!? That's ridiculous!

That is *shocking*! Glad you're OK Darren, no thanks to that arse that tried to kill you. Very well presented video. I would hope that your fellow racers after seeing this will all come together as one and say, "if he's racing then none of us are going to." The sport needs zero tolerance on this kind of behaviour. Banned for life at the very least. You can't have people using their car as a weapon.

The work that has gone into making this video is amazing. Well done to all involved. I think you get the statement across very well and the video itself it so well put together that it is one of the best I have seen. The statement is about safety and the fact that this sort of behaviour can kill. The driver of the Porsche needs to think and understand how important it is for him to hold off the Clio. Really looking at this the Clio is much quicker and the Porsche should move out of the way. I would imagine that they are not even in the same class so the result of either car is not even valid in any of this.

Well put statement. That had to be a crazy ride. Wow

Glad your ok Darren. I can't believe the weaving down the straight let alone the actual incident. What happened to pick your defending position and stick to it! Well done Clio, I would hate to think what the 205 and me would have looked like after that!

I love how the pace car literally is an ambulance.

wow what terrible driving from the Porsche!! what happened to him? Should have his licence taken away. What a shit slow salty driver.

ok, so 9 years late with this comment but here goes. the point in entry level racing is about exactly that, racing, making passing moves, learning the capabilities of the car and you as a driver. give racing room, set up the pass. i hate seeing this stuff, people too proud to be overtaken that they risk seriously injuring someone just to save their ego.

6 points and a race ban for deliberately shoving someone off the track and endangering their life, I personally think the punishment should be stiffer! We're all out to have some fun on a Saturday with like minded people, we accept the inherent risk with participating in Motorsport. We should not accept the risk of competing with dangerous drivers! Hopefully the incident will be reviewed by the MSA disciplinary committee for harsher punishment if he got away with only what the Clerk of the Course could impose.

The ratio of dislikes to likes shows that 1 in in 14 people are complete idiots and might have acted in the same manner as the "driver" of the Porsche. And THAT is frightening. Very.

I know this is old now, and I know he should have seen you in his mirrors. But was the porsche driver mindlessly moving over to block or was he attempting to enter the pitlane??

Did you ever get a chance to have a few words(or more)with the driver after the race?

Woah WTF?!?! This guy watched 'Days of Thunder' one too many times. Glad you're okay mate. It's truly shocking that another driver who shares the same passion for racing could blatantly risk the safety and or lives of others like that. It was pathetic on his part no matter how you look at it. Glad your kids still have a solid Dad to look up to. Cheers!

The Porsche driver pushed you off no doubt about that

What's the name of the Porsche driver?

Amazing how well the Clio held up, I know it had a cage but the front end looks more or less standard and that was a huge hit, credit due to Renault as well as the guys who prepared it.

Hope You will get quick back on the track. Let power be with You :D

Thank you for sharing. That reckless Porsche driver could have killed you and I wonder if he cares. I love racing and I seriously take your advice on the Hans safety system.

Did you sue? Just because you're on track doesn't mean you can act like an idiot....

I know this is in the track but what he did was criminal! The police should investigate what he did he intentionally tried to ram you into that wall with no regard for your life. 😡

Good to know your alright The driver from the car who rammed you off should be banned from racing what did you do when you next saw him/her

Just watching the guy weave to stop any attempt at a pass shows how much of a knob he was and I'm sure his dangerous behaviour up to that point would have warranted a trip to the clark of the course. (Especially as you had it on video.) Know as for the move he put on you. I'm sorry but that accounts to a criminal offence. I'd seriously be considering taking him to court. If there was a death then that's manslaughter. I'm glad you're o.k. and bringing this to people's attention can only benefit low level motorsport.

What happened to the porsche driver?

What a terrible move from the porsche no respect for anyone else on track. Hopefully you make a speedy recovery and the porsche driver got a good slap on the wrist so is thought to do better next time

If the Clio hadn't pushed the Porsche in the preceding turn losing them exit speed, then this would not have happened. To put it simply, the Porsche was making sure that the Clio didn't pass from an unfair push on the corner leading to the straight.

I'm embarrassed that a Porsche owner would be such an idiot... Sorry for your loss. Thank God your OK

those noting the 968 is positioning himself for the corner ahead are deluded. look at the circuit, its a mild left he can take flat out, why would he take the longer way around on the wet side of the track? malicious move.

looks like he was too drunk to try overtake , I would have waited till he made a mistake before overtaking

I can't believe some people are blaming the Clio driver. Are we all watching the same video?

Totally right that isn't racing, I don't expect the Porsche driver had this out come in mind when he moved across but he certainly was expecting to block a legitimate passing maneuver by getting in the way as he did . He should at the least be sanctioned by the racing body that covers this sport and to my mind be prevented from competing for a period perhaps a couple of seasons. That also means a check on his entries to other events through other racing bodies so he's not on track for some time. I am glad you could talk about this good job Hans and all the other safety features on the car but it does also seem to be a failure in the track design itself surely this should be fixed before some one is killed at this point.

I gotta be honest here, the first time he blocked you to the level he was - let it go, the second time was deliberate, the third time was when you really should of gone right into the back of him and made little effort to stop it, That's a warning for ALL to see you can't be bullied and won't put up with it. What he did when you took the inside line and got the nose up there was just some car thief level getaway driving - not racing. He should of been pulled for that crap, banned and told to leave.

great message in this video. i'm sorry for your car, but being unharmed is way more important! get back on your feet and keep racing ;)

Oh boy... That SNAIL on a Porsche tried to kill you. No, that's not racing. Let me repeat: That SNAIL in a Porsche tried to kill you. That isn't racing. Someone doing that would never put his feet in a racetrack again. Maybe that was the wrong part here. You see, me and my dad, we drive for around 28 years together now, loads of photos and good memories on racing with friends. Racing was always fierce but that kind of thing never happened. Nobody ever tried to kill me CLEARLY pushing my car toward a wall. He should be banned. No excuses.

IMO, that guy in front should have had his license taken. I'm not surprised you tapped his arse at 1:37 as he was erratic-his braking before Barn corner was early and looked odd, perhaps he was trying to provoke something then-but his reaction to getting a tap was idiotic.

Wow... never saw that. Even if the setup of the "passer" was so so, the "passee" has serious existential questions to ask himself. Voluntarily running someone off like in that clip, here in Canada, it's an immediate suspension and outright revocation of his racing license. Also, pushed in the back of a truck by a couple of moloch and told never to come back at gun point... uh at finger point. Sorry. But I like this clip. IT serve us well in showing people that not everybody is firing on all cylinders. That not everybody's elevator goes all the way up. (Clip was shared on an Race2Play forum)

Oh man, that guy wouldn't have left the pits with a one-piece jaw if he pushed me off.

Jesus wept, that’s messed up! Pleased to hear you came away uninjured.

Was he banned?

during the initial part of the turn it looks like you gave him a nudge? I'm guessing the other driver (Porsche) retaliated? Is there a stewards finding you can link to/

I have a 182 sport. gutting seeing this

R.I.P Silver Shit we will miss you :(

What suspension did your Clio had?

Im so sorry by your cart, it was beautiful

That was awful driving by the porsche. There's defensive driving and then there's blocking/weaving and that was definitely the latter. Glad you were wearing the right gear and that the car held up so injuries were minimised because that could have easily been a lot worse

Really glad you weren't seriously injured there. Horrible crash and a shame for the car. Porsche driver was at fault but I don't think it was deliberate. Look at his hands on the steering wheel at the point of impact. You hit him on the corner first (not that that's an excuse), but I don't think he thought you'd be alongside him when you were, and it's possible he didn't even see you there. Hope you're back racing now.

As a novice sharing with my dad I'll remember to stay the hell away from this series! What's most concerning to me is this has happened in a mixed grid type race aimed at novices. Not all cars are as inherently safe as your Clio, in an exposed sports car with old fashioned chassis and simple roll bar I wouldn't expect to walk away from this. Pleasingly 750 Roadsports seems to have far better driving standards based on my first experience of it, we did have some concerns over the type of cars racing but everybody seemed drive appropriately for the variety of grid and I was quickly confident to race with people that were clearly in slower cars with quicker drivers without having to worry. We drive the car to the circuit with the full expectation of there being a reasonable chance to drive it home again. It would be nice if there was a race series only for cars driven to the circuit, it adds another deterrent to getting into pointless trouble if you've got to work out how to get home!

That Porsche driver was weaving all over the place to defend his position, so clearly that driver was way too aggressive. Really glad you're ok, sorry about the car! Some people forget when they're racing that their actions carry real-world consequences and they're not on Gran Turismo any more

How can anyone call themselves a "Race driver" if all they can do is ram someone off the track just because their little Clio was faster out of the turn then their precious Porsche, chances are that the Porsche would of over-taken the Clio on the straight anyway.... So unsportsman like

Eloquently put sir. horrible to see such disgraceful driving. I imagine he will be shamed into leaving the series now, even if the CoC, MSA or series co-ordinator haven't got the gumption to kick him out. looks like he drives that way all the time, certainly not a one off thing. Glad everyone was unharmed. My team were impacted like that in the Mighty Mini series at Snetterton, punted off sideways through Coram, but as the "chap" was a series favourite nothing was done to him.

That Porsche driver was driving like a 15 year old on a go kart track..He has NO place on a serious track in a real car. Reckless beyond words

A stark and terrible reminder that idiots are everywhere, luckily the Clio was very well put together, what an awful thing to happen

Darren did you ever speak to the Porsche driver?

Wow already at the race start i immidiatelly noticed that the Porsche is a bit unpredictable and drivers like a cock, later on in the video there was deliberate blocking which is against the rules obivously and than this, What a collosal looser, get him out of there and have him clean the racers toilets with a toothbrush for atleast a year so he can think about it... Big respect to you.

I raced very powerful and very fast Jaguars and other cars in the 80's and early nineties and had not a single serious coming together. The only time I found myself in a gravel trap (Druids Brands Hatch) was in the Falken saloon championship and I was punted off by an idiot in a Golf. On that occasion I was driving an ex Andy Rouse Ople Commodore, which was very rare and quite valuable. I stood and watched the race and witnessed a coming together, at Druids, on every lap of the race. Poor driving standards, by younger drivers, in any form of racing is the fault of the BTCC. The standards of driving are atrocious and the attitude of TOCA only encourages this type of driving. It started in the 80's with BMW M3's, Vauxhall's and Sierra Cosworths and has just continued. If I can drive a 500bhp+, 1415kg, 15' long, V12 Jaguar on 12' wide slicks with no power steering and avoid the other 30+ cars on the grid, I don't see how it is so difficult to drive modern touring cars, with all their aids, without having to resort to "Banger Racing" tactics. It is also a product of the world we live in.

is this considered assault?

Did you talk to the other driver? What did he say about the incident? I've watched the footage over and over and what is obvious is that the track is very wet. You can see him sliding in the corner just before that front straight where the incident occurred. Without talking to the driver, and if this was F1 for example, we would actually see him either turn the steering wheel to the right to push you off the track or counter steer because his back end slid out. It's hard to judge these things without speaking to the driver or seeing such footage. All I'm saying is people shouldn't be quick to judge because racing incidences do happen.

We have the same problum with the one driver in the Irish rallycross