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Toto Wolff says his 180mph car crash resulted in him meeting his current wife Susie, and reveals who is the better driver of the two.
Back in 2009, Toto Wolff attempted to break the lap record on the dangerous Nürburgring Nordschleife track.
In a test lap, Wolff successfully broke the record for a GT car, but during his official attempt, he had a tyre puncture which caused him to crash.
Now, the Austrian reveals the consequences of this massive accident.
“I did not have motorsport on my radar, but then I visited the Nürburgring,” he said.
“I took the lap record with a 7:03 or something like that, but I wanted another go. I got a puncture at 180mph. I went off into the barriers and slid 250 metres on the roof.
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“I got out of the car by myself, but the paramedics found me unconscious behind the barrier, lying down with my helmet and safety equipment on. I have no recollection of this.
“The doctor said I had compression fractures in my vertebrae and one of my eyes was looking inside, it was a concussion.
“I could not sleep on my back for two months because of the nerve damage, and I lost my sense of taste and smell – everything tasted like cardboard!”
However, he also revealed that the crash led to him meeting his current wife Susie.
“The accident is how I met Susie. She was on a fitness camp with the Mercedes DTM team. They decided they would ring me to check in, and that Susie would be the one to call.
“We chatted for about half an hour, and that is how we met. So, the accident was good!”
Toto then admitted that Susie, a professional racing driver, is definitely the better driver of the two.
“Susie is quicker than me and I am proud of that! We were karting once, and she was always two seconds faster, so I decided to play a little trick.
“I am heavier, so I put 25kg of ballast in her kart, the gap was still two seconds. So, I got some proper qualifying tyres, really grippy and sticky.
“Susie was STILL two seconds faster than me,” Wolff concluded.