Driver dies in the Targa Tasmania road race a year after horrific triple-fatality – calling the future of event into question
- A Brisbane man, 59, has died when competing in the Targa Tasmania car race
- It comes after a horrific triple fatality in the same race in the Apple Isle last year
- Police confirmed in a statement the man, 59, crashed over an embankment
The Targa Tasmania road race has once again been marred by the death of a driver – just a year after a horrific triple fatality in the same event.
On Wednesday night, Tasmania Police said emergency services were at the scene of a ‘serious incident on Olivers Road, Mount Roland’.
‘Around 3:30pm today, a vehicle participating in Targa Tasmania crashed over an embankment on a closed section of the event,’ police said in a statement.
No other vehicles were believed to be involved.
Police later confirmed a Brisbane man, 59, died in the crash.
A woman who was a front seat passenger has non-life-threatening injuries.
The Targa Tasmania car event has once again been marred by the death of a driver – just a year after a horrific triple fatality in the same race (pictured, a Porsche driver takin part in a recent race)
Police confirmed in a statement a Queensland man, 59, died when he crashed over an embankment (pictured, a testing section of the course)
A woman who was in the front passenger seat with the Queensland man was treated for non-life threatening injuries by paramedics (stock image)
In a statement, Targa Australia chief executive Mark Perry said the ‘thoughts of our the entire TARGA community are with our fellow competitor’s family and his loved ones at this extremely difficult time’.
‘We feel deeply for them all.
‘We will work with Tasmania Police and Motorsport Australia to understand the full circumstances of the accident.
‘For now, matters around TARGA Tasmania for this year are part of an ongoing discussion with our partners, Motorsport Australia, and we will announce more once our plans have been finalised.’
Last year, Shane Navin died when his car crashed on a wet road at Mount Arrowsmith near Strahan in April.
Much-loved racer and experienced car racer Shane Navin (pictured) died in a horror crash at the Targa Tasmania rally in 2021
The 68-year-old rally driver from NSW rolled his 1979 Mazda RX7 amid heavy rain and slippery conditions
The very next day, Leigh Mundy and his co-driver Dennis Neagle were killed when their car hit a dip in the road and crashed into trees at Cygnet, in southern Tasmania.
The most recent of the other previous deaths during the event came in 2013, when John Mansell, 71, crashed his 2009 Porsche Cayman sedan into a tree.
An inquest heard he was driving at speeds of about 200km/h prior to the crash in north Tasmania near Deloraine.
Mr Mansell died at the scene while his navigator suffered serious injuries.
In 1996, a Melbourne man who was a co-driver was also killed during the Riana stage in Tasmania’s north-west.
The 2022 event was in its second day of competition, with a record number of entrants taking part in the event’s 30th year.
Competitors race on public roads, travelling 2,000 kilometres across six days.
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