ATCUAE completes preliminary inquiry into Autodrome incident

Racing driver, Christophe Hissette lost consciousness before his car came to a halt at the Dubai Autodrome on Friday, April 23rd, according to preliminary conclusions of an official, independent inquiry initiated by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) into the fatal incident during qualifying for the Radical Cup race.
The ATCUAE, the governing body of motor sport in the UAE, is in the process of examining the official reports, all the available data, eye witness reports, the technical report on the race car and CCTV footage.
The inquiry has reached the following preliminary conclusions which are summarized thus:
- Car 42 was about to complete its third lap of the circuit;
- Car 42 left the track on approaching the 50m warning board for Turn 16 for no reason that can be attributed to mechanical failure;
-  The car braked, veered left and then right, before impacting with the boundary wall. The impact is not considered to have been serious;
-  On impact, the differential casing cracked and caused oil to be sprayed over the engine compartment which resulted in the primary, relatively minor fire. This in turn ignited a second major fire from a ruptured fuel tank, which immediately engulfed the car in flames.
-  The driver lost consciousness between the time when the car left the track and came to a halt;
-  The response of the officials in stopping the race (Red Flag) and attending to the incident, was in full conformity with international motorsport standard procedures and dealt with under the prevailing circumstances;
-  All emergency utilities were rapidly pressed into service. The fire marshals deployed 16 hand-held fire extinguishers and the 3 fire tenders used 500 litres of water and foam to douse the fire.
ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement: “My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr. Christophe Hissette. He was truly a champion, both on and off the track, and will be missed by all.
“The incident was beyond anyone’s control, and it is very sad that a life has been lost.
Meanwhile, the funeral for Christophe Hissette will take place at 3.30pm on Thursday (April 29) at St. Francis Catholic Church in Jebel Ali.