Drag racing is one of the most demanding facets of the automotive world. Time is king and speed is the runner-up. Chasing seconds, even split seconds in the pursuit of being the fastest out there, but it can come at a cost. Sometimes that cost is having your 8-second R33 GT-R roll 11 times…
One of the most harrowing and spine-chilling crashes to ever happen occurred at the 2022 GT-R Challenge held at Cootamundra airport.
Eager drag racers put their all into being the fastest on the strip and a record holder and a certain Mike Mansour was among the many to try and whittle down their times. Mike Mansour fervently tried to shave off every possible second after setting a record of 8,2 seconds.
His R33 GT-R has been extensively modified and at its peak produced a whopping 1 565 kW, but to compete in the street class category, Mansour had to slightly watered the power down to be eligible to compete. After fitting an exhaust system and changing to pump fuel, the full-built drag car produced a still impressive 1 118 kW.
Race day came and Mike was eager to try and beat his record time. In an interview with Motive Video, Mansour spoke about his tendency to keep pushing himself, and it’s apparent that in the pursuit of a record-breaking time, this mindset is what keeps him wanting more. Turning up boost pressures is where it can go wrong, especially in a car that had previously been noted as unwieldy.
Before the tragic run, Mansour had insisted on wearing arm restraints and tightening his harness, which was common for him to do. Barreling down the straight at mind-boggling speed, the car began to fishtail, first ever so slightly but then it was a hair away from being sideways at 270 km/h. The nail in the coffin was Mansour’s car slightly clipping the grass next to him and sending him sideways, resulting in his tires and wheels separating.
Moments later, the R33 GT-R had rolled a total of 11 times. Mansour was able to walk away from the crash with only minor injuries. In his interview, he stated that he would most certainly be returning to the drag racing scene despite his harrowing ordeal.
