Tuesday 15 October 2013

British racing driver, 26, killed after Porsche smashes into race track wall and bursts into flames



Sean Edwards, 26, was sitting in the passenger seat when Porsche crashed
He died instantly after the car hit a wall and burst into flames
Mr Edwards was the son of F1 race car driver Guy Edwards
According to his Twitter page he became engaged this summer
He was the 2013 Porsche supercup championship leader




Accident: British racing driver Sean Edwards was killed in a horror crash on an Australian racing circuit

A young British racing car driver who starred in the hit film Rush has died in a car crash on an Australian race track.


Sean Edwards, 26, was a passenger in a Porsche when it reportedly hit the side of the race track at Queensland Raceway in Willowbank, west of Brisbane, during a private test session this morning.


The driver, a 20-year-old man from Brisbane, was pulled from the burning wreckage and is in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.


Mr Edwards, who was born in London, but lived in Monaco, is the son of 1970s F1 race car driver Guy Edwards.

Inspector Dave Preston, from Queensland Police, said it had been a difficult operation to get Mr Edwards and the driver out of the smashed up super-car.


He told local media: 'The fire and rescue had to do extensive work in relation to extracting and opening the vehicle up sufficiently to remove him, he was trapped for some time.


'When I last went down there and he was being removed he [the driver] was awake and aware of what was going on around him.


Porsche said the Supercup Championship leader was sitting in the passenger seat as an instructor in a private driver training session when he was killed.

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Rescue: Local emergency services spent two hours extracting the driver - a 20-year-old man from Brisbane - from the burning wreckage, but Mr Edwards is thought to have died instantly





Tragic: The incident occurred on Champions Way just after 11:30am local time




The rising star had a role in the Formula 1 film Rush, playing his father who is renowned for pulling Niki Lauda from the wreckage of his burning Ferrari following the Austrian's crash at the Nurburgring in 1976.


Mr Edwards' family and his girlfriend Laura have not yet commented on his death.

Mr Edwards' Twitter page suggests he became engaged in the summer - Laura posted a photo of a diamond ring on the social networking site next to the words: 'Thank you #diamonds #areagirls #bestfriend.'




Devastated: Mr Edwards and his girlfriend Laura in a photo posted on Twitter. It is believed the couple became engaged in the summer








Film appearance: Mr Edwards recently coached drivers on the film set of Rush as well as playing his father F1 driver Guy Edwards





Earlier this month Mr Edwards wrote on his Twitter page next to this photo: 'Saw @rushthemovie last night, really great movie well done @RealRonHoward you did an amazing job. Dad says the same!'

Only a few days ago she tweeted Mr Edwards asking if he missed being at home.

On October 8, Mr Edwards told his Twitter fans he would soon be arriving in Brisbane for two days of coaching and a few days later he wrote: 'Time to hit Queensland Raceway today, should be fun, hope there aren't too many kangaroos like at Bathurst!'

Edwards is currently leading this year's Porsche Supercup standings, a series which supports Formula One at a number of grands prix, with a double header looming in Abu Dhabi next month to conclude the campaign.



Onboard the Porsche supercar with Sean Edwards in recent race




Horror smash: The 26-year-old was in the passenger seat when the Porsche 966 crashed at Willowbank's Queensland Raceway, just west of Brisbane



Celebrations: Sean Edwards at the Porsche Supercup earlier this year





Success: Mr Edwards had enjoyed a successful season, featuring victories in the Nurburgring and Dubai 24 Hours

He started his racing career back in 2003 in Formula Ford, going on to compete in Formula Renault UK, British GT, the FIA GT3 Championship - which he won in 2006 - before embarking on his Porsche Supercup career from 2008.

British former Formula One driver David Coulthard has expressed his condolences over the crash on Twitter writing: 'Shocking news about Sean Edwards passing, top man and super talented racer, condolences to his nearest and dearest.'

Three-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Allan McNish told Press Association Sport: 'I knew his father initially from his sponsorship days, so I have followed Sean's career a wee bit closer than you would normally do.



Family: The 26-year-old's father Guy Edwards, left on the track and right, with his wife Daphne and their son Sean who died today






World famous: Mr Edwards' father is renowned for pulling Niki Lauda from the wreckage of his burning Ferrari following the Austrian's crash at the Nurburgring in 1976 pictured here

'The tragedy of it is he was leading the Supercup championship after such strong performances through the middle of the year. It looked like he was going to win.

'Also, having won the Nurburgring 24 Hours this year (with Mercedes), I would say this was probably his strongest year in racing.'

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) said today it is 'shocked and saddened' by the death of Mr Edwards.

A statement said: 'Sean was a hugely promising young racer who came through the junior formulas in Britain, before making a career in international sportscar racing.

'He is leading the 2013 Porsche Supercup championship and had won both the N|rburgring and Dubai 24 Hours this year.

'The MSA extends its deepest sympathies to Sean's family, friends and fans at this difficult time.'





Porsche driver Sean Edwards overtakes in recent German race



Source: Dailymail



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