Racing driver Juha Miettinen has died following a multi-car collision during the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers in Germany, an event also scheduled to feature four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen.

Miettinen, 66, was involved in a serious incident early on, which saw seven competitors collide.

According to organisers, race control immediately halted the competition, and emergency services swiftly attended the scene.

Despite rapid intervention, Miettinen could not be saved.

He was removed from his vehicle and later pronounced dead at the medical centre after resuscitation attempts proved unsuccessful.

“Shocked by what’s happened today,” Verstappen, who was not competing at the time of the incident, wrote in a post to his Instagram Stories.

“Motorsport is something we all love, but in times like this it is a reminder of how dangerous it can be.

“Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family and loved ones.”

The full statement from organisers of the race read: “During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers (18 April 2026), a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race.

“Following the collision between several vehicles, race control immediately halted the race to allow for extensive recovery and rescue operations.

“Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, £121), after he had been extracted from the vehicle; the driver died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.

“The other six drivers involved were taken to the Medical Centre and nearby hospitals for precautionary examinations. None of the injured are in a life-threatening condition.

“The race will not resume on Saturday evening. The thoughts of everyone involved in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring are with the bereaved family of Juha Miettinen.”

Organisers confirmed that competition would not resume on Saturday evening, and there will be a minute’s silence held in Miettinen’s honour during the grid formation when competition resumes at 1pm local time on Sunday.

PurplePTSD works in partnership with Vikings Territory, similarly doing their utmost to offer top-notch coverage of the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, we’re promoting five of their top articles of the past month in “The P/PTSD Perspective.” Take a peek at some of their best stuff.

The P/PTSD Perspective: April 18th, 2026

1) Delayed Position Change Could Save Former Vikings Draftee: The idea of shuffling Walter Rouse around has been in the chatter for a little while. He offers great size and does awesome off-field work. Choosing him in the 6th always meant taking a slow approach, but it’s getting to be time to see him get onto the field.

2) Promising Vikings Defender is Officially Back for Year 3: Not too bad, eh? Jalen Redmond is making close to nothing on the cap. He has eviscerated expectations. Seeing him continue to do so will mean that he becomes very rich soon enough.

3) Mel Kiper Goes Explosive Route in Latest Vikings Mock Draft: Everyone is getting the final mocks across the finish line with less than a week to go. The Vikings are likely to turn toward a defender to begin the event, but not everyone agrees. We’ll see what Rob Brzezinski does.

4) Vikings QB Room Draws Bad Review: Wait and see. Each of the passers within that room has flaws, but that’s true for the majority of QBs in the league. There aren’t too many players within the Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson range. Minnesota’s QB spot is likely to do just fine in 2026.

5) Vikings Reportedly Doing Homework on High-Speed Runner: Some combination of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are set to do the bulk of the work at running back. In 2026, that’s a decent pair. What happens, though, if there’s an injury? Even if they stay healthy, preparing for 2027 makes sense.

Enjoy the extra reading, Vikings fans.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Real American Freestyle (RAF) has made its biggest signing yet. Khamzat Chimaev has officially joined the freestyle wrestling league. The promotion has, however, yet to confirm a debut date and opponent for the UFC middleweight champion. Suffice it to say, fans are excited.

RAF recently confirmed the signing on their social media handles and also aired a short promo during RAF 08.

Check out Khamzat Chimaev’s signing announcement below:

Chimaev is one of the greatest wrestling-based grapplers the UFC has ever seen. The undefeated fighter holds a takedown average of 5.29, with an 80% takedown defense.

Furthermore, he is a three-time Swedish freestyle wrestling gold medalist, winning twice at 86 kg (190 pounds) in 2016 and 2017, before returning to claim the top spot again in 2018 at 92 kg (202 pounds).

At the Swedish national championships, Chimaev is 12-0 with seven technical falls and three pins.

With several MMA stars, including Colby Covington, Yoel Romero, and Bo Nickal, already signed to RAF, the possibilities are endless for Chimaev. True to form, as the news of the signing went viral, fans swarmed social media, sharing their reactions.

@jeetisnotunique wrote:

“Khamzat vs. Bo in RAF would be blockbuster.”

@Incognito_Guy07 chimed in:

“Will he be competing once every 18 months for RAF like he does with UFC, I wonder?”

@GuardyGuard440 exclaimed:

“Oh my god, the matchups. Bo, get your boots ready.”

@combatmoments wrote:

“Kyle Snyder vs. Khamzat would feed generations.”

Check out a few more comments below:

An Olympic gold medalist game to wrestle Khamzat Chimaev at RAF

Khamzat Chimaev’s RAF signing has certainly shaken things up. While the promotion has yet to find an opponent for ‘Borz’, an Olympic gold medalist said he’d be game to take on the UFC star.

During the post-event press conference for RAF 08, 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist and four-time world champion Kyle Snyder opined that it would be good for Chimaev to get a few RAF wrestling matches under his belt, before he faces him.

The reigning RAF light heavyweight champion added:

“Yeah, I mean, I think, give him a couple of matches first. Not that he’s got to earn the spot, but I think for his own benefit, just having a couple of wrestling matches underneath him will be good. And if he ever wants to compete against me, I mean, I’m always ready, so anytime.”