Violent Land Speed Record Honda Crash Proves Safety Equipment Is Necessary

The Hasport LSR Insight crash at nearly 200 MPH ended with a really dead car, and a driver that very nearly could have been. 

It isn’t often that you see a car flip end over end fifteen and a half times. Even rarer is that such a crash occurs without life-threatening injury to the driver inside. That very thing happened a few years ago when the Hasport Tuning Honda Insight was aiming for a land speed record during an event at the El Mirage flats. Luckily for Brian from Hasport, he had the proper safety equipment of a well-built race car surrounding him when that very thing happened. While he did lose consciousness and his right lung collapsed, he was able to be pulled out of the car, transported to the nearest hospital, and recover completely.

In the video, you can see the entire front subframe dislodge itself from the car flinging the engine and transmission at least 30 feet into the air. The kinetic energy required for such a feat can really only be found when hurtling a Honda Insight across the desert at 180 miles per hour.

The crash itself begins when the rear end of the car begins to move around. Once the car begins to go sideways all hope is lost, and the crash is inevitable. The front wheel begins to dig into the sand, eventually folding over, setting the catapult crash in motion. Interestingly, you’ll note that the car is fitted with a parachute, which might have been helpful in getting the car straightened again had it been pulled before the dig in began. That said, at those kinds of speeds, it’s a split second affair between head over heels and finishing without a crash.

Be careful out there, and make sure all of your safety equipment is up to snuff. You never know when you might need it.