BERLIN: Racing driver Juha Miettinen died and six others were injured following a crash during the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on Saturday, organisers said.
The accident occurred early in the race, which was stopped after around 30 minutes of the scheduled four-hour event. Officials said Miettinen, 66, died at the circuit’s medical centre after being extracted from his car, while the other injured drivers were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers, a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages,” organisers said in a statement.
“Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics were unable to save the driver involved.”
Four-times Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, who was due to compete in the event, was not on track at the time of the crash. He had been sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with Lucas Auer.
Verstappen said on Instagram he was shocked by the incident.
“Motorsport is something we all love but in times like this it is a reminder of how dangerous it can be,” he wrote, offering condolences to Miettinen’s family.
Organisers said the race would not resume on Saturday, with a minute’s silence planned before Sunday’s grid formation.
The crash occurred at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a 20.8-kilometre circuit in Germany’s Eifel region, long regarded as one of the most demanding tracks in motorsport and historically known as the “Green Hell.”
