Filed under: Travel News
PA
British powerboat racer William Nocker has died after his boat flipped and rolled during the first race of the inaugural Gabon Grand Prix in west Africa.
The Daily Mail reports that Mr Nocker's boat hit two waves and turned over.
Mr Nocker was rushed to a military hospital in Gabon's capital city Libreville, but doctors were unable to resuscitate him.
His co-driver, Norwegian Kurt Olsen, was also badly hurt and is in a critical condition in intensive care.
Mr Nocker, 47, originally from Tiverton, Devon, was racing for the Welmax Offshore Racing team. He had just returned to the sport after a five-year ban for tampering with a competitor's fuel supply.
Friday's race, which was the second round of the Class 1 world offshore championship, was stopped following the accident.
The next day's second round was also postponed, before the event was cancelled completely as a mark of respect.
The sport's governing body, Union Internationale Motoautique (UIM) has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Today, racing teams returned to the crash site to pay tribute. They held a minute's silence and laid a wreath on the water, while competitors and team members scattered flowers.
Nicolo di San Germano, president of H20 Racing, said: "We are all extremely saddened by this tragic racing accident. There are very few suitable words at a time such as this but we all send out heartfelt condolences to William's family."
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