You’ve got to give it to the Aussies. When they do something, it’s usually a big deal. Case in point: this extreme Nissan Skyline GT-R crash. A participant in the 2022 GT-R Challenge in southeastern Australia, the driver got out of shape before barrel-rolling his 1500-hp Skyline GT-R 11 times. And when the dust cleared, he walked away from the wreck. 

What is the GT-R Challenge?

The GT-R Challenge is one of those runway quarter-mile drag races. It attracts extremely modified Nissan GT-Rs, with the main emphasis on engine performance. Mick Mansour brought his own GT-R to challenge the other GT-Rs and chase a seven-second time. With a manual transmission, no less. 

The car is unique enough to have been captured in videos from quarter-mile runs before the Challenge. They give you an idea of how radical 1500 hp is in a small, lightweight GT-R. Other GT-Rs built by Mansour have had the manual transmission record for the quarter mile over different periods of this race. 

Having won the event in 2021, with an 8.227 run at 183 mph, he was anxious to run his latest customer-built Skyline. He says in all of the years he has run the airstrip, he figures he’s been down the stretch over 100 times. So he, and his customer cars, are no strangers to the GT-R Challenge. 

Mansour was an experienced driver, especially at the GT-R Challenge

Mansour had made passes with this GT-R before and experienced its squirliness. Unlike other builds, this one got spooky mid-track, swaying to and fro, but never getting completely out of shape. You can see in this Motive Video that for his first pass, which was successful, he crossed the traps at 8.70 seconds, in spite of it getting wiggly mid-track.

The second pass saw an 8.40-second run. Still not near the sevens, but getting there. But in each of these passes, you can see it wants to get out of shape. It wasn’t like the rest of his builds, which would come up to bite him in the next run. 

How did the GT-R crash happen?

Adding 10 lbs of boost, he went out for his third run. He was hoping for that elusive seven-second magic. But you can see in the video that as he hits the quarter track, and he’s shifting gears, that passenger side front tire gets a little air. But it seems to be a gentile launch and acceleration. 

Right after that, the GT-R starts to kiss the grass lining the asphalt. Monsour corrects the car to ease it back onto the track, and then all hell breaks loose. The GT-R darts left, lifting the left side of the car. Now it’s on two wheels and heading dead left off of the track. 

Why did Mansour survive the GT-R crash with only bruises?

The front right tire then blows off of the rim, and there’s nothing Mansour can do but hang on. When the crashing and rolling is over, he was taken to the hospital. After two brain scans and other proddings, his doctors said it was a miracle he survived. He left the hospital with some bruises and wanted to see his family.

So what can we learn from all of this? Well, it’s all about safety equipment and inspections. If you fail a local inspection, then thank the inspectors. It means you need to correct whatever the issue is so you have a chance of being like Mick Mansour. Barrel rolling through the traps 11 times with only minor bruises. You can brush off all of the safety measures involved in sanctioned racing, but this result is why it is so important. Now, let’s go racing!