Becoming the fastest production SUV up the hill: that was the goal of the BMW XM Label Red when it was entered for the 101st edition of the Pikes Peak hill climb. It was a lot different. The XM never saw the finish line because it crashed during the climb. Now the American branch of BMW is sharing images of the day in question when the XM had a serious crash on Pikes Peak.
Driver Matt Mullins talks about his experience: ‘When I’m on the starting line and they’re getting ready to wave the green flag, that’s it for me. From that moment on it was just business as usual.’ Indeed, we see Mullins pushing the car to its limits. In the video below you can see how Mullins turns into a left turn, the SUV then suffers from understeer and slowly heads towards the trees next to the road.
The BMW XM crash on Pikes Peak
Mullins screams as he hits the grass and tries to get the SUV under control, but by then it’s too late. The BMW hits a tree with its right front, which cracks and falls over. In the meantime, the BMW XM makes a somersault after the crash before landing on four wheels next to the asphalt.
Below we see how the organization, the team members and the driver’s family react. Shortly after the crash, it is not yet clear whether the BMW XM is the victim or whether another participant is stranded on the Pikes Peak. After this, the remainder of the XM returns to the paddock and then it becomes clear to everyone: Mullins has crashed.
Fortunately, the driver appears to be unharmed and is able to walk to his family and team members on his own to reassure them. Wise lessons? 1) You shouldn’t drive an SUV. 2) A tree? Which tree? 3) Have courage. So kudos to BMW for taking on the Pikes Peak challenge with this thing.
