One driver was killed and another injured at the Daytona International Speedway last Saturday after a crash in practice during an Audi Club track rental session. The accident occurred during an event managed by International GT, a series that races contemporary GT cars on tracks such as Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca and other famous road courses.
According to the Daytona Beach News Journal, the accident occurred on the apron of the racetrack to the very inside of the exit of the tri-oval entering the infield road course. 62-year-old Mark Mathys, who suffered a flat tire, pulled his Porsche 711 off track and toward the inside wall when a two-car incident occurred past the start/finish line, sending 24-year-old Marcel Fayen's car into the wall and into the passenger's side of Mathys' car.
Mathys, an Ohio businessman and an accomplished sports car racer, had to be cut from his car and reportedly died either instantly or en route to Halifax Health Medical Center. The accident also seriously injured Fayen, who faces a "long, long road to recovery" according to International GT's website.
"We confirm the death of a driver who was transported to a local hospital after an incident during International GT's practice session at Daytona International Speedway. A second driver involved in the incident was also transported to a local hospital," read a statement by International GT to WFTV. "Our deepest sympathies go to the family of the driver who has passed. We would like to give our well wishes to the second driver during their recovery."
Mathys' death marks the 41st on-track fatality at the Daytona International Speedway since the track opened in 1959. It marks Daytona's first fatality in 10 years, when instructor Rick Shaw and student Eric Desy were killed as a result of a bike racing school accident.
