Tributes flow for Sean Edwards

Tributes have begun for Sean Edwards, killed on Tuesday at the Queensland Raceway at Willowbank, as a Brisbane driver remains critically ill in hospital.

sean_edwards_131016_AAP.JPG

British professional racer Sean Edwards was killed at Queensland Raceway after a Porsche crashed into a wall and burst into flames at Willowbank in Ipswich on Tuesday.

Tributes have begun for Sean Edwards, killed on Tuesday at the Queensland Raceway at Willowbank, as a Brisbane driver remains critically ill in hospital.

British racing driver Sean Edwards was instructing a young driver when he was killed in a horror crash at the Queensland Raceway on Tuesday.

Tributes have poured in for Porsche Supercup Championship leader Mr Edwards, 26, who was in Australia for the first time on a two-day break and had tweeted about his excitement ahead of the visit.

He was tutoring the 20-year-old driver from Brisbane in a Porsche on Tuesday morning when it smashed into a tyre wall before bursting into flames, according to the British Racing Drivers' Club, which is assisting his father, ex-Formula One driver Guy Edwards, and mother Daphne.

In a statement it said: "Details of the accident are currently unclear, but it is believed that Sean was instructing in a Porsche when the driver lost control."

The driver was trapped in the car for two hours before emergency services freed him at the track near Ipswich and airlifted him to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

A spokesman said on Wednesday he remains in a critical condition.

Australian Formula One star Mark Webber was amongst scores of fellow drivers and racing fans who paid tribute to Edwards, tweeting: "Way way too early...What a talent. Always enjoyed watching him drive at the F1 weekends #RIPSeanEdwards."

Edwards was due to race again in Abu Dhabi next month and with only two races left in the Porsche Supercup Championship series, some have called for Edwards to be awarded the title as a mark of respect.

The young Englishman had starred as his father in the 2013 film Rush, which is about the 1976 Formula One season and the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.




Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world