The Middle East is a hotbed of anti-American rhetoric, except when it comes to cars, of course. Indeed, nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have fully embraced American car culture, buying up the fastest and most expensive muscle cars they can. Indeed, racing has become very popular in places like Abu Dhabi, where drag strips and race tracks are popping up seemingly overnight.
But with fast cars come big problems. This video making it’s way around the web shows the brand new, Jerry Bickel Race Cars-built fifth-gen Camaro, driven by Kuwait native Turki Al Humaidi, staging for a pass down the YAS Marina Circuit quarter mile during the tracks’ Pro Series event when a massive nitrous explosion engulfs the car and those surrounding it. Miraculously, nobody was killed.
Half a world away, details are short on just what happened. The car is staged and as tree drops, a fireball belches out of the hoodscoop. The car shuts down, and about 10 crew members and officials flock over to the car…most of them just standing there, waiting to become casualties.
As any experienced track operator will tell you, if a car backfires nitrous through the scoop, the last thing you want to do is gather around it. and as any experience racer will tell you, it’s best not to try re-firing it Unfortunately, nobody told these guys that. Just as the driver attempts to crank the engine, it exploded in a massive wall of flame; the force shattering the composite front end and sending shrapnel flying. Amazingly, nobody is hurt, and even the driver walks away unscathed. Something tells me though that these guys won’t get so close next time.