Sad news out of West Virginia's Summit Point Motorsports Park this weekend: A driving instructor was killed at a track day while riding passenger in a car when its driver lost control and went off the roadway.
Herald Mail Media reports that on Saturday afternoon at the HyperFest NASA track event, a driver in a 2006 Pontiac GTO lost control in a sharp left corner and careened into a tree.
The driver suffered non-life threatening injuries, but the driving instructor in the passenger seat was killed. Their names have not been released. The newspaper reports local authorities do not plan on pressing charges against the driver, calling it an unfortunate speed-related accident.
Track days are great for exploring your car's limits and expanding your driving skills, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. That can go double for instructors, who despite their skill aren't the ones in control of the cars. I think every driving instructor has at least a few near-miss stories — it's an absolute shame this one ended the way it did.
Our condolences go to the family and friends of the instructor. This post will be updated if we get any additional information.
Photo credit Flickr/Joey Mink
Hat tip to Matt