Henry Surtees killed in Formula two accident

[netfree]

LONDON: Surtees, 18, was struck on the head during the second of the weekend’s two races by a tyre from the car of rival competitor Jack Clarke, who had spun into the wall exiting Westfield.

He was knocked unconscious by the impact and failed to negotiate the following Sheene Curve, his car running off the track and into the barrier. When medics reached him, his rear right tyre was still spinning furiously, his foot apparently still on the accelerator.

Having been rushed to the circuit’s medical centre, where his condition was stabilised, Surtees was transferred to the Royal London hospital, the regional trauma centre, by helicopter.

A spokeswoman for the Royal London hospital confirmed on Sunday night that he had died from his injuries, which were almost certainly caused by the collision with the tyre rather than the resulting crash into the barriers. It is highly likely there will be an investigation into how the wheel of Clarke’s car ended up flying across the Kent track. The chassis used in the FIA’s Formula Two championship, a new series this season, are all built by Williams.

Angry posters on the internet site YouTube, where footage of the accident was immediately available to the public, called the car’s safety into question.

Formula Two chief executive Jonathan Palmer said in a statement that his “thoughts were with the Surtees family”. Both Henry’s father John and mother Jane were watching the race in which their son was killed.

The Formula Two championship has achieved a relatively high profile in its short existence due to the famous names competing in it. Palmer’s son, Jolyon, also competes together with Alex Brundle, the son of another former Formula One driver, BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle.

Brundle, who was trackside at the time of the incident, was visibly shaken by the accident, which caused the race to be red flagged immediately. It later restarted amid much confusion with Spaniard Andy Soucek eventually winning.

Surtees graduated to F2 this season from Formula Renault and had taken his first podium finish in the series with third place in Saturday’s race at Brands Hatch.

His step up to the category came after several seasons in karts, which included victory in the Junior Gearbox Championship in 2005, before a switch to single seaters in 2007. John Surtees, 75, who won his F1 championship with Ferrari in 1964, remains the only man to have won world titles on two wheels and four.

[Stealth09]

Hay i saw that i was there when that happened.