Spectator dies at race after driver loses control of his vehicle, and the story grabs headlines. During the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, a young spectator died, and many were injured after British racing driver Jann Mardenborough’s car flipped and landed in the crowd.
Spectator dies at race and the horrific incident is caught on film. On Saturday, March 28th, the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany came to a halting stop, just 90 minutes into the four-hour race, driver Jann Mardenborough lost control of his car, which became airborne and crashed into the crowd.
A video showed the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 being driven by Jann Mardenborough, rising over 90 feet, spinning numerous times and striking the tyre wall. The car slammed into the catch fence and injured numerous spectators and killed one person on the Flugplatz corner.
The 23-year-old British driver Jann Mardenborough walked away from the crash uninjured. The driver, who is the son of English soccer player Steve Mardenborough, was taken to a nearby hospital and is said to be doing well.
Several other spectators were also taken to a local hospital for further treatment. According to a statement issued by the Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring/VLN organisation, the race was canceled immediately after the accident.
The organizers of the VLN1 event said the young German spectator died despite great efforts from their medical staff to save him. Mardenborough has not commented on the tragic incident, but his bosses at Nissan did present their condolences to the family of the spectator. The company said:
“Today’s events have been a tragedy. We are all deeply shocked and saddened by these events and our immediate thoughts go to the deceased, those injured and their families and friends. The team is fully co-operating with the race organizers to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into this incident.”
A statement from Veranstaltergemeinschaft Langstreckenpokal Nürburgring read:
“Today’s events have been a tragedy. We are all deeply shocked and saddened by these events and our immediate thoughts go to the deceased, those injured and their families and friends.The opening round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring was marred by an accident on Saturday which injured several spectators.”
The motorsport club went on to say:
“One of the spectators died, despite the immediate actions of the rescue crew in the medical centre at the circuit. The other injured spectators have been taken to hospital for ongoing medical care.The race was stopped to give emergency crew quick access to the circuit, and wasn’t restarted.The accident occurred in the Flugplatz part of the circuit, with a competitor leaving the circuit for a yet unspecified reason and finishing up behind the safety fencing.”
Some say the accident could have been prevented with more safety fences, others believe racing is a dangerous sport, and people should stay away from those events. Spectator dies at race, and a family is now mourning.
What are your thoughts on the racing world?
