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Crashes occur again and again in motorcycle races (symbolic image)
Photo: Antonio Calanni/dpa
A 21-year-old motorcyclist fell during a motorcycle race at the Hockenheimring and later died from his serious injuries. A police spokesman said it was still unclear why the accident occurred on Saturday afternoon. The race was stopped after the crash. All other events on Saturday were also canceled.
The Mannheim traffic service has started the investigation. According to the announcement, a large number of rescue services and police were deployed, and a rescue helicopter was also on site.
The program included the long-distance race “RACEFOXX” over 1000 kilometers. It traditionally marks the start of the German Endurance Cup on the Saturday before Easter. This is followed by a four-hour race at the Nürburgring and a six-hour race in Oschersleben.
The teams each consist of three riders who are semi-professionals or amateurs. You start in three classes. On average, the drivers drive two hours in the race, but there is no maximum time or minimum stops.
In motorsport there are always serious accidents, some with fatal outcomes:
Most recently, at a rally in Hungary, a rally car left the road and drove into the spectators. The collision left at least four people dead and seven injured, police said. The reason for the accident is still unknown.
Rally driver Craig Breen from the Hyundai factory team died during a test drive in Croatia. Breen was only 33 years old.
During a race in the European Formula 1 junior series, 18-year-old Dutchman Dilano van't Hoff died after a pile-up in Spa, Belgium. Live images of the race showed how an accident occurred on a wet track with poor visibility and lots of spray because a driver lost control of his car.
At the MotoGP race in Barcelona last year, world champion Francesco Bagnaia was run over by a competitor. He suffered severe bruises on his legs.
ast/dpa