Koenigsegg has revealed the cause of the One:1 crash that recently occurred during testing at the Nürburgring.
The Swedish automaker says the wrecked vehicle – one of just seven built – was returned to Ängelholm, where the on-board telemetry was examined and extensive analysis performed.
“The One:1 experienced front axle brake lock-up at approximately 170 km/h on a section of the track known as Fuchsröhre, before hitting the fence at Adenauer Forst at approximately 110 km/h,” Koenigsegg said in a statement.
“The impact with the fence launched the car into the air for an estimated 22 metres while it turned 180 degrees before it landed on its left rear wheel and pivoted to land parallel with the fence. The airbags, fuel shut-off and other safety systems all deployed as they were designed to do.
“There was a small fire in the rear section of the car due to contact between the carbon-fibre rear panels and the exhaust upon landing. This fire was extinguished by the driver using a fire extinguisher that was located inside the car,” the statement explained.
The automaker added that the crash had been “traced to a fault with the front left ABS wheel sensor signal”.
According to Koenigsegg, data analysis showed that the dashboard ABS warning light was triggered as soon as the ABS wheel sensor malfunction occurred.
The small yellow ABS warning light is located centrally in the dashboard but may have been difficult for the driver to see as he was wearing a helmet and concentrating on high-speed driving around what is a truly demanding circuit.
“Our ABS system, like most, includes a back-up feature where the rear wheels are allowed to continue rotating in the event of an ABS fault that results in the front wheels locking up.
“Letting the rear wheels rotate instead of locking up together with the front wheels prevents the car from rotating. Instead, the car will continue in a straight line. The system worked to specification, as can be seen by the straight skid marks left by the front tyres on the track prior to the car colliding with the fence.”
The automaker added that it planned to roll out software changes to applicable vehicles to prevent a similar incident from occurring.
