This is the terrifying moment when a driver crashes his Range Rover into a Tesla carrying a retired helicopter pilot and his two grandchildren on the M1 – forcing him to crash into a concrete barrier.
Footage shows Oliver Webb, a former Le Mans champion, losing his composure when he stopped behind businessman Martin Varley, 60, who was on the northbound highway.
The 32-year-old Webb, who has 214,000 followers on Instagram and has worked as a movie stunt driver, chased down the Tesla before swinging off to illegally “undertake” it in the middle lane.
In a suspected fit of rage or impatience on the road, he then appeared to attempt to slice up the father-of-three by driving directly in front of his gray Tesla Model 3 at nearly 70 mph.
The professional driver’s black Range Rover struck the side wing of Mr Varley’s electric car and rammed into the barrier on the M1’s median strip near Flore, Northamptonshire.
Oliver Webb, a former Le Mans champion, was convicted of careless driving on February 27 this year by Wellingborough magistrates
Oliver Webb’s black Range Rover (left) hit the side wing of Martin Varley’s electric car
Mr. Varley, who has two grandchildren, crashed into the barrier three times before coming to a stop with his car badly damaged as Webb sped ahead of him.
The horrific incident was filmed by the hi-tech cameras on the Tesla, enabling Mr Varley to capture the number plate of the 4 x 4 on July 31 last year.
As a result, Webb’s insurers were forced to pay the £23,000 bill for repairs to the Tesla’s damaged wings, panels and wheels.
The racing driver, known as Oli Webb, was convicted of careless driving by Wellingborough magistrates on February 27 this year.
Court records viewed by MailOnline show that he was fined £1,920, given six penalty points on his driving license and ordered to pay court costs of £110 and a £768 victim surcharge.
Mr Varley, founder of a helicopter pilot training company, described Webb’s actions as a ‘diabolical display of aggressive driving’.
He was on his way to his office in Manchester with his Tesla’s cruise control set to 67 mph when he saw Webb speeding up the highway behind him.
Webb’s Range Rover sped ahead of Mr Varley, who crashed into the barrier three times
Mr Varley said: ‘I was on the outside track behind another car when I saw this Range Rover approaching close to me in my rear view mirror.
“It was clear he wanted me to get out of the way, but I couldn’t accelerate because of a car in front of me and couldn’t pull over because a Volvo was following me.
“Suddenly the Range Rover driver put his foot down to follow me too, but he cut right in front of me.
“It was like a driver made a move and he cut off my side wing, left a dent and covered it with black paint from his car.
“I couldn’t do anything and was pushed against the barrier. My car swerved in and out and hit the barrier three times. It was absolutely terrifying.
Martin Varley, 60, who has two grandchildren, crashed into the barrier three times
The Tesla seemed to realize what was going on and kept trying to correct the steering before stopping itself.
“Fortunately, the drivers behind me saw what was happening and turned on their hazard lights as they slowed down, forming a sort of rolling roadblock.
“It allowed me to pull over on the left and slowly stagger off the highway to a gas station where I could have my car recovered.”
Mr. Varley said, “I think my life was saved because of my Tesla’s low center of gravity. If I had been in a Range Rover it could easily have flipped over the concrete barrier.
“Had I been in the middle lane, the impact could have caused my car to spin. The consequences could have been terrible.
“As far as I’m concerned, there was clear traffic aggression. It was clearly a very unsafe drive.’
Tire damage to Mr. Varley’s Tesla. Webb’s insurers were forced to pay the £23,000 bill for repairs to the car’s damaged wings, panels and wheels
Mr Varley, a certified helicopter pilot, said the incident happened shortly after he was hospitalized for spinal surgery, leading to concerns he had suffered hidden injuries.
He felt “quite sore and numb” when a driver sent by his insurance company took him back to his north London home.
The driver insisted on dropping him off at St Mary’s Hospital in the capital for a check-up, and it was later revealed he was believed to have a fractured vertebra.
Doctors ordered him to rest for four weeks and not to fly or drive his helicopter as a precaution.
Mr Varley said he initially notified Northamptonshire Police of the collision shortly after it happened and was told to complete a form.
He later sent police the video from his car’s camera and telematics information about how his Tesla was being driven at the time.
Mr Varley received a letter from Northamptonshire Police saying he had been fined and given six points
Mr Varley posted a screenshot of the Range Rover with its personalized number plate on his corporate LinkedIn social media account and asked if anyone recognized it.
A contact from the north of England told him it belonged to Webb, who lives in Knutsford, Cheshire.
He was provided with a photo from Webb’s Instagram page, which showed the Range Rover with its license plate visible alongside his two other cars in his driveway.
Mr Varley said he posted his own Instagram post about the crash, naming Webb as the other driver.
But instead of getting an apology, he claims Webb’s attorney sent him an eight-page legal letter threatening to sue him for libel and invasion of his privacy.
Mr. Varley said, “We politely told him to leave, and we haven’t heard from him since.
Mr. Varley is a certified helicopter pilot and founder of a helicopter pilot training company
“My insurers found out that he didn’t tell his own insurance company what happened right after he hit me. He had clearly damaged his own car in the collision, but he just drove off.
“I wasn’t very impressed with the police and I don’t think they took it as seriously as they could have.
“In the end they told me they wanted to take him to court, but that was only because he was driving carelessly and attentively, not dangerously.
“I got another letter a few days ago saying he had been fined and given six points.”
Manchester-born Webb began his karting career at the age of nine and moved on to T Cars and Formula BMW, Formula Renault and Formula 3.
He won the European Le Mans Series in 2014 and became the 2015 Dubai 24 Hours champion and the 2016 Asian Le Mans champion.
Webb has since won a string of other podium finishes in endurance races and other events around the world and has worked as a test driver.
His website reveals he has also had work as a presenter and commentator on ITV and BT Sport Live, and has done stunt work for a range of films including The Mummy, Men in Black and two Mission Impossible films.
He has also appeared at car shows and festivals, including Top Gear Live and the Goodwood Festival of Space.
Webb’s Instagram page is filled with photos of his glamorous lifestyle and fast cars.
He told followers in 2019 how he was instructed to attend a speed awareness course after a camera clocked him driving his £125,000 Aston Martin Vantage at 82mph in a temporary 80mph zone on the M6.
Webb did not respond to requests for comment after they were emailed by MailOnline.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: ‘The file and footage have been reviewed by an experienced decision-maker and the case was not covered by the CPS jurisdiction/dangerous driving guidelines therefore the less serious offense of driving without due care and attention to the court. ‘
