First
published on
Monday 03 February 2003:
Inquest
date over Goodwood crash
by
Aidan Radnedge
Coroner's
officials have set aside three days for an inquest into the deaths of two men at
a motor racing festival near Chichester. Andrew Carpenter, 40, from Polegate,
and Lionel Dawson-Damer, 59, from New South Wales, Australia, were killed at the
Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2000.
The
inquest is due to open in Chichester on Wednesday at the County Hall building,
and may not end until Friday due to the volume of evidence. A West Sussex
Coroner's Office spokeswoman said: "It is very unusual for an inquest to go
on this long. In the past six years I have only known two that have lasted more
than a day."
Mr
Dawson-Damer was killed when the Lotus 63 he was driving hit the finishing post
on June 24, 2000. Spectators watched the vehicle strike two marshals and flip
over into a hedge. Mr Carpenter, of Shepham Lane, was one of the marshals and
later died at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.
Goodwood
officials considered calling off the final Sunday but went ahead because of the
huge crowds. They also promised to hold a full investigation into the tragedy.
The festival is an annual celebration of cars which made the Goodwood circuit
famous during the Fifties and Sixties.
_________________________________________________________________________
First
published on
Friday 07 February 2003:
'Errors
of judgement' in death crash race
A racing driver who died after his car spun off a
wet track at 100mph crashed into a finishing post which had not been approved by
the sport's ruling officials. An inquest jury at County Hall, Chichester, was
told the fact the post was not checked by the Motoring Sports Association (MSA)
was among a number of errors of judgement on the day.
Driver John Dawson-Damer, 59, of New South Wales,
Australia, was killed when his Lotus 63 careered off the track at Goodwood
Festival of Speed on June 24 2000.
The jury heard how a marshal, Andrew Carpenter,
40, from Polegate, was standing behind the finishing post when the car smashed
into it. He was seriously injured and later died at St Richard's Hospital in
Chichester. A second marshal, Steve Tarrant from Poole, Dorset, who was standing
by the post holding a chequered flag, lost his right leg in the crash.
The jury heard the finishing post, or gantry,
should have been checked by MSA officials before a track license was issued.
John Symes, a mechanical engineer in charge of track safety, issued a license on
June 22, two days before the fatal crash but admitted he did not recall seeing
the gantry.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Fellingham, of
Sussex Police, said: "There were errors of judgement but no gross
negligence. Motor racing is a dangerous sport with inherent risks."
The inquest was told Mr Dawson-Damer had not been
wearing an MSA-approved helmet but pathologist Dr James Simpson said even the
latest in helmet designs could not have saved him.
The jury is due to consider its verdict today.
_________________________________________________________________________
First
published on Saturday 08 February 2003:
Race
track deaths were an accident
Marshals:
Andrew Carpenter, left, and Steve Tarrant
The widow of a racing driver killed in a horrific
finishing-post smash told how her husband had been euphoric in the run-up to his
final race. Ashley Dawson-Damer, 58, fought back tears as she told how her
husband had been full of pride and excitement as he prepared for the Goodwood
Festival of Speed on June 24, 2000.
John Dawson-Damer's Lotus 63 spun out of control
as he rounded the last corner of the famous hill climb at the Goodwood circuit
at about 4pm. The vintage Formula One car careered off the track and smashed
into the steel finishing post, which broke into pieces. Mr Dawson-Damer and
marshal Andrew Carpenter, of Polegate, who had been standing behind the post,
were both killed. A second marshal, Steve Tarrant, of Poole, who was holding the
chequered flag beside Mr Carpenter, suffered horrific injuries when he was flung
into the air in the crash and later lost half his right leg as a result.
However, after a three-day inquest into the
tragedy, a jury found that despite a number of errors and breaches of duty in
the run-up to the smash, there was little to suggest it was anything more than
an accident.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of
accidental death for Mr Dawson-Damer and a six-to-two majority verdict of
accidental death in the case of Mr Carpenter.
Mrs Dawson-Damer, 58, of Sydney, Australia, told
the jury of her husband's passion for motor racing. She told the jury: "He
has been racing historic motor cars for about 15 years." Mrs Dawson-Damer,
who had been married for 18 years, said it was the third time he had taken part
in the festival. She told the jury he was not driven by a thrill of speed as
much as showing off his classic cars. She said: "He was euphoric before the
race. He didn't like feeling his cars had to go fast to be appreciated."
Police have spent more than two years
investigating the tragic accident, which was over in less than two seconds, but
it is still impossible to say what went wrong. The only clues are those given by
racing driver Marshal Christopher Andrews, who was standing near the finish line
at the time, who said: "There was fine rain and the track was damp. I saw
the car appear on the brow of the hill. "It came on to the grass verge on
the right and looked like the driver tried to get control. The car then crossed
on to the other verge. "At that point I didn't wait to see what happened, I
ran into the woods."
Mr Dawson-Damer, the Eton-educated brother of the
Earl of Portarlington, moved to Australia in the Sixties where he built up a
collection of eight perfectly restored Lotus Formula One racing cars at his home
in Sydney.
Andrew Carpenter, 40, a buyer from Polegate, also
lived for cars and had been marshaling races for more than 20 years. His sister,
Wendy Marshall, 40, from Worcestershire, said: "He loved racing for as long
as I can remember. "When he first passed his driving license he would drive
me to races near our house. Marshalling was such an important part of his
life."
Mr Tarrant, who survived the crash but does not
remember anything from two days before the race, is still devoted to the sport
and marshals, along with his wife Jackie, when he can.
The jury heard there were flaws in the safety
procedures at the festival but that police felt they did not amount to gross
negligence. John Symes, safety officer for the Motoring
Sports Association (MSA), admitted the finishing post, or gantry, which Mr
Dawson-Damer smashed into had not been approved before the race. The jury also heard that Mr Carpenter and Mr
Tarrant's positions behind the left-hand side of the gantry had not been drawn
up on the map of the course and track wardens did not know they were there.
After the crash it was discovered Mr
Dawson-Damer's helmet had also not been MSA approved. However, pathologist Dr
James Simpson told the jury that even the latest of helmets could not have saved
him.
Coroner Roger Stone said there may have been
errors and breaches of duty but there was no evidence that they caused the
deaths of the men. He said he was satisfied the marshals were there as
volunteers, were experienced and had good safety training and that Mr
Dawson-Damer had not driven recklessly. He said: "My heartfelt sympathy
goes out to every person involved."
Mr Carpenter's family declined to comment.
