Toyota built 25,000 examples of its Toyota GR Yaris to comply with the World Rally Championship's homologation requirements. However, the Japanese automaker might need to build another Yaris after this scary rollover crash during a wet track day.
Despite the vehicle’s rally-racing pedigree – winning the WRC constructor’s championship in 2018 – the driver couldn’t hold the vehicle straight after losing the rear end. CCTV footage from the circuit reveals a textbook tank slapper, where there was an attempt to save the slide, but the rear gripped up at the last minute, sending the Yaris sideways into a nearby gravel trap.
Rather than sinking into the gravel and coming to a gentle stop, the side of the car dug into the gravel, sending it into a nasty barrel roll. Thankfully, the video description shows that the driver walked away from the incident unharmed. Unfortunately, after four flips in the gravel, it's no surprise that the hot-hatch was a complete write-off.
From the exterior, it appears that the roof caved in quite a bit during the off-track excursion. Of course, a rollover like this is a worst-case scenario, but the damage remains alarming. After a quick glance inside the car, it’s great to see that all of the safety systems inside the Yaris deployed successfully. Putting the destruction aside, a lot of dirt and gravel also entered the cockpit during the incident.
Race Car vs Road Car:
The fact remains that the Toyota GR Yaris won’t be sold in all markets and the best hope for these countries at the moment is a GR variant of the Corolla hatchback. Regardless, pushing it to the limit at the race track remains a fun but dangerous experience.
Sources: Ma To via YouTube, Car Scoops