- Drivers blame negligent race officials for Foxhill tragedy
Following the tragic accident at the ‘Foxhill SuperCross 2024’ the Sri Lanka Racing Drivers Association (SLRDA) has issued a statement blaming race directors for the accident which claimed seven lives.
SLRDA said that the gross negligence of the Race Director and steward on multiple occasions during the race caused several collisions and hazards prior to the fatal accident at the end of the race. According to SLRDA, despite communications from drivers during the race, the stewards and officials had refused to call for a red flag, or any other safety precautions to prevent the accident.
“It is the usual practice or the protocol to water the track at least once in 03 events and this was not followed despite multiple requests from competitors to do so. This was one of the main reasons for the fatal accident,” the statement said. Race officials ignored repeated pleas from their members to ensure the track was watered to prevent dust and to ensure that visibility was not affected, the association alleged.
The Race Director and other key race officials appointed by the governing body of the sport – Sri Lanka Automobile Sports (SLAS) must therefore accept full responsibility for the fatal accident, the SLRDA said, alleging that the senior race officials didn’t have the required experience and expertise to conduct an event of this magnitude.
“We the drivers have stayed quiet while this gross misconduct has occurred before by SLAS the governing body,” the statement said, urging all profits from this year’s event to be utilized in paying damages to the families of the victims.
“SLAS office bearers should accept the full responsibility for this negligence by the Race Officials appointed by them to conduct this race meet and should step down from their positions at SLAS with immediate effect. This is the first step to correcting this sad loss of lives that we can never pay back. And steps must be taken to make racing safer for Spectators, Marshalls, and Racing Drivers alike,” SLRDA said.
