Death at MoSport

This is very, very sad and takes so much luster off of going to MoSport with the FCA International meet in July. I was just at the Walter Mitty at Road Atlanta, and seeing the speeds in these cars, you have to wonder when this type of thing may happen- while praying that it will not.

http://thegarageblog.com/garage/tragedy-mars-2008-varac-festival-at-mosport/




Norris McDonald
Motorsport writer

A racecar driver and former Olympic athlete was killed this morning in a dramatic high-speed crash at Mosport International Raceway near Bowmanville. Police would not identify the victim until next-of-kin had been notified but sources told the Star this afternoon that the deceased is Dino Crescentini of Rochester Hills, Mich.

Sources said Crescentini was in his early 60s. He was driving a Wolf-Dallara sports car in a race that was part of the 29th International Vintage Racing Festival at the track.

It was the first vintage racing fatality ever recorded at Mosport. Organizers cancelled the rest of the day’s racing following the accident.

Insp. Paul Hamilton of Durham Regional Police said that "(the driver) was heading northbound from corner six at Mosport. After this corner is a long straightaway and at some point his vehicle became airborne at an extremely high rate of speed and rolled end-over-end.

"The driver was transported to Bowmanville hospital where he succumbed to his injuries."

Crescentini had been involved in vintage racing for more than 10 years. The car in which he died was a centre-seat, closed-wheel vehicle that had been owned by Canadian industrialist and Formula One team owner Walter Wolf and driven in the 1977 Can-Am Series by the legendary Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve.

Crescentini was an all-round sportsman. He was a member of the San Marino (Italy) bobsled team that competed at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

Vintage racing is made up of 10 classes ranging from pre-World War II racers to cars that were entered in races as recently as the late 1980s. The headline group this weekend featured cars that raced in the original Can-Am Series (McLarens, Lolas) from 1966 to 1974.

Hamilton said he believes this is the first major crash at Mosport in several years.

Durham’s traffic management unit was investigating.

 

Thank you for the correction, it shows my ignorance-twice. For the improper display and once for posting it. I'm so sorry Peter, I wish I had not put this on the board, just was not thinking that someone may be notified in this way.