Chandhok got off easy when his car caught fire

Among the motorsport experts taking part in the historic car races at Goodwood this weekend was Karun Chandhok, a former Formula 1 driver and now one of the staff experts for British TV channel Sky Sports.

In one of the races he drove a fantastically expensive Ferrari 250 GTO and was involved in a dangerous incident, which fortunately ended without any particular consequences, although it looked very impressive from the outside.

When Karun was braking for one of the corners of the Goodwood circuit, the wheels locked and the car suddenly caught fire and spun 360 degrees. Rivals were already approaching from behind, but Karun managed to regain control of the unique Ferrari and stop it on the side of the road.

Fortunately for him and for the owner of the car, the auction price of which could reach several tens of millions, the flames quickly went out, Chandhok managed to jump out, but the sole of one of his racing boots managed to melt.

“Lucky to escape with only a melted shoe!” – he shared on his pages on social networks. “While I was driving something rattled in the back of the car, the rear wheels locked and I started spinning around. It’s a shame that the race behind the wheel of my dream car ended like this, but I’m glad I wasn’t injured!”

In an interview with the Goodwood Festival press office, he gave further details: “The Ferrari 250 GTO is one of those cars that I dream about the most. Her owner happily gave me the opportunity to race her, and it was all fun, even if I didn’t get a chance to catch up with the leaders.

But when I came out of the Lavant straight I heard a crash and the rear wheels locked. I turned around and saw the flames, so I tried to drive safely off the road to minimize the amount of oil on the asphalt.

Of course, I was somewhat shocked, but the marshals and the owner of the car calmed me down. The most important thing for him was that I didn’t get hurt. He turned out to be a very understanding person.

In general, the owners of this equipment should get their comeuppance: they let us race in their cars that were made 60 years ago and are very expensive. They understand that accidents happen, that problems happen, but the owner of this Ferrari told me he wants to get it repaired and then return to Goodwood.”

In 2018, a perfectly preserved example of a Ferrari 250 GTO sold for a record $70 million. The car competed in races in the first half of the 1960s, including fourth place at Le Mans in 1963, but was never in an accident.

This model was produced in Maranello from 1962 to 1964 and only 36 of these cars were built. The 250 GTO is considered one of the most beautiful cars of all time, and only people with large fortunes can afford the luxury of owning one.

For example, Lawrence Stroll, co-owner of Aston Martin and the Formula 1 team of the same name, Nick Mason, drummer of the legendary band Pink Floyd, and the famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren have such a car.