500MRCIAn investigation is underway after Northern Irish driver
Paul Conn died in an accident at Kirkistown last Saturday.
Conn, 61, was contesting the second Roadsports race
of the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland meeting at the
Northern Irish circuit at the time of the crash.
He had earlier won the opening Roadsports race
of the day in his Crossle 47S. The one-day meeting
was abandoned following the accident.
Conn was a popular figure at the Northern Irish
venue and was a family doctor away from the track.
He was occasionally part of the medical team at
Kirkistown when not racing himself.
In a statement the club said: “It is with regret that we
at the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland have to confirm
that the competitor who tragically lost his life in the
second Roadsports race at our meeting was our member
and friend for over 20 years, Doctor Paul Conn.
“Paul was from Lisburn. He joined our club in 1996INVESTIGATION OPENS AFTER
DRIVER KILLED AT MEETING
Conn had
won the first
Roadsports race
earlier that dayDEMPST
ERand during the intervening years he campaigned his
Crossle 47S with increasing success.
“In 2018 he seemed to reach a new level of skill
and he began to trouble the established top echelon
of drivers in Roadsports, winning in the second
race of the May meeting.
“Yesterday he had already won the first Roadsports
race, against top opposition, and was on course for
a repeat in the second race when he had an accident
opposite the control tower, on the front straight.
“Because of the location of the incident, our
doctors and the Order of Malta personnel were in
attendance almost immediately but, unfortunately,
Paul succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
“Once again, we offer our sincere condolences
to Paul’s family, friends, colleagues and team.
He will be sorely missed.”
Conn is the first circuit racing driver to suffer
a fatal accident in the UK since Denis Welch
was killed at the Silverstone Classic in 2014.N
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