Steffen Korbach

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In the early hours of the morning of Thursday 17th February 2011, PRESTIGE CARS Editor and Gemballa co-owner, Steffen Korbach (28), was involved in an accident with his Pagani Zonda Roadster F ClubSport.

The accident occurred at 0030hrs on the Italian Autostrada A10, near Spotorno, in very bad weather conditions. Fortunately, both Korbach and his passenger escaped virtually unhurt, with just minor bruising.

A speculative and sensationalist report in Bild.de that says the Zonda crashed at 320km/h, but that is patently untrue. Apart from anything else, no one would have walked away from a crash at that speed.

The accident actually occurred at a relative sedate 100km/h, and was caused by the car aquaplaning on a deep puddle of standing water that could not be seen on the poorly lit road until it was too late.

Steffen Korbach, who has motorsport experience, and a record as a safe road driver, explained that the accident occurred 500 metres after the end of the 60km/h limit for a construction site.

“I began to accelerate after the 60km/h zone ended, and had reached about 100km/h when I suddenly saw a huge puddle of standing water on the road ahead,” he explained.

Pagani Zonda Roadster F Clubsport of Steffen Korbach

“I felt the controls go light as the car aquaplaned on the puddle, and although I reduced power, the rear end stepped out. I instinctively corrected the slide, but just as I felt the car coming back under control, I ran out of room, and the rear hit the Armco barrier.”

The impact snapped the car round the other way, and the major damage was caused by it hitting the barrier again. “The accident looks much worse in the photos that it was in reality, but I am really happy that we walked away from it,” he said.

There is however, one mystery from the accident that might never be solved. The watch that was torn from Steffen Korbach’s wrist by the initial impact has not been found, nor has the iPhone that was in the car.

Editor’s Note: The quotes, text and images in this article are free for use by all journalists and media outlets.

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Photos: PRESTIGE CARS