Stomping on the brakes as you approach a corner in a racing car and realizing it’s doing nothing to stop the car must be a pretty scary moment.
It could even be fatal, depending on the type of racing and the course layout (distance from black top to wall; think Senna at Imola…).
Luckily, or rather skillfully, this Porsche 996 racer driver, Luke Oxner, turned one of these unfortunate complete braking loss situations into a personal win. He not only avoided bumping into the car he was tailing around the COTA track, but he also used the gravel trap to his advantage and stopped the car before the wall.
According to Jalopnik, the driver reported the problem as having stemmed from a faulty rear caliper that let out all the brake fluid, thus leaving no pressure in the system and no stopping power; you can kind of see why some modern fast car builders still prefer mechanical, unassisted brakes, not only for the feel but also improved reliability too…