Jalopnik Writer Slightly Unapologetic About Crashing 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Test Mule

It looks like the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro has just earned it’s first public victim and there’s plenty of video evidence to go along with it. Patrick George, Jalopnik journalist, is the first person in history outside of General Motors to crash a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. Shortly after the crash, he was booted out.

It was the unveiling of the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro at Detroit’s Belle Isle. Jalopnik Journalist was already in hot water with General Motors over leaking information on several Chevrolet cars in previous articles, yet they graciously invited him anyway. So what does a journalist do whose job was to theoretically “mend fences” with Chevrolet by playing nice for a weekend? George stuffs it into a wall after losing traction thanks to generous amounts of understeer.

Check out his piece on the crash here!

In his more than 15 paragraph long explanation of why he crashed, not only was George slightly unapologetic about the whole situation, he dismisses how distracted driving was no big deal for him. Driving a car on a racetrack while at speed, talking to a camera man and simultaneously trying to organize your thoughts on the driving dynamics of a car you’ve never driven proved to be just too much for George.

It’s a skill that must be honed through countless hours of driving and talking at the same time. Those presenters that we know and love such as Tiff Needell, Chris Harris and Jeremey Clarkson are masters of this auto journalist craft because either they are already top notch drivers OR have spent years behind the driver’s seat with a camera pointed at their face. Patrick George possessed neither of those two.

George easily could’ve captured his impressions on an MP3 recording device after the drive then voiced over his driving footage post-test drive. This would’ve enabled George to focus 100 percent of his driving faculties into…driving?

Test mules crash all the time. That, by definition, is what test mules are made for. It’s not the crash that matters at this point, it’s the sense of self-entitlement that journalists have these days between car manufacturers and themselves. “I’m going to leak all your information before you reveal it, crash your car on its unveiling and not even feel all that bad about the situation.” Respect is shown where respect is given and GM was more than right to kick him off the track.