Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup driver Sean Edwards lost his life on Tuesday morning in a horrific accident during a private driving training session on the Queensland Raceway in Australia.
Son of the ex-Formula One pilot Guy Edwards, the 26-year-old British racing driver was sitting in the passenger seat as an instructor when the accident happened. According to reports from Australian media, the Porsche car crashed into a wall and burst into flames while being driven by a 20-year-old man from Brisbane.
The driver is in critical condition in hospital after suffering severe burns, organ damage and broken bones. Reports say it took emergency services for more than two hours to free him from the wreckage and take him to hospital.
Porsche issued a press release expressing “immense regret” for the tragic event. “Edwards has for many years been one of the most popular and successful pilots in the Porsche one-make race series,” read its statement. “Our thoughts are with his family and we want to express our deepest condolences to his relatives,” said Hartmut Kristen, Head of Motorsport at Porsche.
Edwards was a FIA GT3 European Championship winner in 2006. He has competed in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup from 2008 and in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland since 2010. He had a very successful 2013 season so far, with victories in the Nurburgring and Dubai 24 Hours, wins in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland and in the GTC Class of the American Le Mans Series.
May he rest in peace.
VIDEO