Sean Edwards, the current Porsche Supercup championship leader, has been killed in a testing accident in Australia. He was a passenger in a 996-gen 911 at Queensland Raceway in Willowbank.
The car left the track at Turn 6, hitting a tyre wall and killing Edwards instantly. The 20 year-old driver that Edwards was tutoring at the time is currently in hospital with life-threatening injuries after the car erupted into flames on impact. Emergency services spent three hours getting the driver from the car.
2013 had been a hugely successful year for Edwards. As well as topping the Supercup championship with just a single round left, he had also taken victories in the Nurburgring and Dubai 24 Hours, the Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany plus the GTC class of the American Le Mans Series.
Prior to the Supercup, the 26 year-old had competed in British GTs, Formula Ford and European GT3s, having started his career in karting and Formula Ford.
This year has served as a particularly explicit reminder of motorsport's inherent dangers and the risks still taken by drivers. PistonHeads would like to extend profound condolences to the friends, family and colleagues of Sean Edwards for their tragic loss.
PHers are already remembering Sean. Add your comments to the thread here.
[Sources: Autosport, LAT]
