I Can't Stop Watching These Rally Cars Crash Into Buildings

Rallying is hard. Driving flat out on unpredictable road surfaces with people, other cars, and buildings as occasional obstacles is hectic, and even with a co-driver giving you directions as you progress through a hot stage, mistakes can be made, and often with far more dire consequences than racing a closed circuit or hillclimb. Things and cars can get wrecked in a hurry. Cars can break, causing a cascade of wreckage. The old rallyists motto of "Go fast, don't hit shit" doesn't always pan out.

Today, thanks to the RacingFail! channel on YouTube, I learned that, at least in the case of the WRC, each rally carries an insurance policy against damaged property along the stage route. When a car hits some permanent structure, the organizers call upon that policy to pay for the damages. That insurance policy covers only third-party damage, and is not required to pay for damage to the cars caused by the crash.

If you've got a spare 9 minutes on your Sunday afternoon, click the play button and watch a few occasionally chuckle-worthy rally mishaps.

Hat Tip: Stef Schrader