A volunteer marshal has died after a horrific accident during a race at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit.
Police, paramedics and an air ambulance rushed to the race track near Dartford in north Kent at 3pm on Saturday afternoon after a car spun off the track.
The governing body Motorsport UK said it was "deeply saddened" by the accident and that its thoughts were with the marshal's family, while the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) said it was "devastated."
The accident happened during a race meeting at Brands Hatch circuit during a British Automobile Racing Club Car Championship event, with BARC confirming that a volunteer marshal had tragically lost their life.
A spokesman for Kent Police said the force was called shortly before 3pm following a collision involving a car and two people on foot at Brands Hatch.
They said officers attended the scene and carried out inquiries, with no suspicious circumstances being reported.
Former Formula One driver Karun Chandhok wrote on Twitter: “Very sad news coming from Brands Hatch today.
“Marshalls are volunteers who give up their weekends to support the sport they love. Awful to hear that a member of this close knit community lost their life.
“My condolences to the family at this tragic time.”
BARC said in a statement that the rest of the day's racing was cancelled, and as with any major incident the BARC is now working with the national governing body, Motorsport UK and the local police.
"On behalf of everyone connected with the BARC, we are devastated by loss of one of the amazing volunteer marshal community who do so much to enable the sport to take place.
"Our thoughts and best wishes are with the family and friends of all those involved.
"It is anticipated that the event will resume on Sunday."
The thoughts of everyone at Motorsport UK are with the marshal’s family, the event organisers, and other members of the motorsport community present. Together with BARC we have begun a full investigation into the accident. https://t.co/aPfG7SwgQc
— Motorsport UK (@ourmotorsportuk) July 31, 2021
A spokesperson for Motorsport UK added: "The race meeting was immediately suspended and Motorsport UK, together with the event organiser, has begun a full investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
"The thoughts of everyone at Motorsport UK are with the marshal's family, the organisers of the event, and other members of the motorsport community who were present."
Last week British Superbike rider Brad Jones was placed in an induced coma after crashing at Brands Hatch during a race.
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