Armaan Ebrahim could not believe what he heard on Sunday night. Henry Surtees, one of the drivers in the Formula Two championship, had died after getting involved in a racing accident at Brands Hatch earlier in the day.
The Indian driver who was participating in the same race told DNA he could have never imagined such a thing happening on a race track. “It is shocking. Though we drivers know motorsports has its own risks, no one can imagine such a tragedy taking place,” said the 19-year-old, who himself was involved in a high speed crash couple of weeks ago in Belgium.
Armaan was just ahead of the 18-year-old Briton when the tragedy occurred. According to a statement by the organizers, Henry Surtees, son of John Surtees who is the only racer to win both 500 cc and Formula One championships, was struck on the head by a wheel and tyre from another car which had hit the tyre wall ahead of him.
Henry was immediately knocked unconscious and his car failed to negotiate the following corner and collided with the barriers. Henry was removed from the car, stabilised and taken to the medical centre and transferred to the Royal London hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Though no death had occurred on track since Ayrton Senna died at Imola in 1994, the accident has once again raised the safety concerns in Formula racing. In fact, the world governing body had taken drastic measures to improve safety of the track and the cars.
Armaan said that this was a freak accident, something which one cannot predict or be prepared for. However, Armaan feels if there’s any scope for improvement, it should be explored. Armaan said that the tragedy on Sunday will play on his mind in the future races.
“Though you are always pushing to the limit during a race, you never think such a tragedy can take place. I guess from now on, this incident will always be on the back of my mind,” he said.
Meanwhile, the world governing body, FIA, is waiting for a report about this incident. “Following the accident, the FIA extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Henry Surtees,” the FIA statement read.
