Veteran Australian drag racer Sam Fenech tragically lost his life in a high speed crash at the Willowbank Raceway on Saturday as he took part in the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, part of the Australian Drag Racing Championship (ADRC).
Fenech, 55, was driving Maurice Fabietti’s Chevrolet Racing Camaro when he lost control near the end of an elimination-round run, leaving the racing surface and striking a trackside camera tower. Fenech reportedly received medical treatment at the scene for a period of time before it was announced he had succumbed to his injuries, and the remainder of the day’s racing was canceled.
“It is with great sadness that Top Fuel Racing Australia announces that Sam Fenech, driver of the Fabietti Racing Doorslammer, has succumbed to injuries suffered in a racing accident at Willowbank Raceway and passed away this evening,” Top Fuel Australia said in a prepared statement.
It’s with deep sadness, we acknowledge that Sam Fenech has passed away as a result of a racing accident this evening at Willowbank,” said the Fabietti Racing team as it confirmed the loss. “Sam was and always will be a part of the Fabietti Racing family and was an icon of the drag racing community. He will be incredibly missed. Our thoughts are with Sam’s family at this time.
Fenech had clocked a 3.83 at over 200 mph to half track on the fateful run, which occurred around 6.45 p.m. AEST and was aired live on 7News Australia.
Warning: News report contains graphic footage
Video: 7News Australia
The camera operator was taken by ambulance to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital , where reportedly remains in stable condition with non-life-threatening leg and arm injuries.
Fenech, from New South Wales, is survived by his wife Natalie and three children.
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