Zondagmiddag heeft er een ernstig eenzijdig ongeval plaatsgevonden in de tweede race van de Northern Sidecar Cup. Het Franse duo Franck Bajus en Christophe Darras raakte om onbekende reden van de baan en kwamen in het naastgelegen weiland tot stilstand. De coureur en bakkenist zijn na snelle en adequate medische hulpverlening overbracht naar het Radboud in Nijmegen en het MST in Enschede.
Vandaag bereikte ons het droevige bericht dat beide heren maandagavond aan de gevolgen van deze crash zijn overleden. Het bestuur van de HAMOVE wil namens de vereniging op deze manier haar diepste medeleven betuigen aan de familie, vrienden en motorsportcollega's. We wensen hen veel sterkte toe in deze moeilijke tijd.
Zie onderstaand de officiele verklaring vanuit de Northern Sidecar Cup (Engels):
With heavy hearts and completely devastated we bring you the sad news that due to the terrible crash in the second race of the Northern Sidecar Cup in Hengelo in the Netherlands, our dear sidecar friends Franck Bajus and Christophe 'Pimpon' Darras both lost their lives. They passed away in the hospital yesterday as a result of that crash. It is hard to grasp the tremendous loss their families and friends are now facing and our hearts and thoughts are with them. The MEFIE - TE team has been part of our really close sidecar family since the first year of the NSC and was at the heart of a large group of regular French participants. It was always a pleasure to greet the two cheerful faces of Franck and Christophe on the paddock at every event. With a lot of humor and a mixture of French and English we experienced many wonderful moments together, the deep shared passion for racing transcending all language barriers. These moments, we know, are shared by many as Franck and Christophe were very loved by all fellow racers and the larger sidecar community. We will cherish those memories and hold both friends in our hearts forever. They will be remembered always. We will take time in Assen to commemorate Franck and Christophe. Their starting number 162 will forever symbolize our friends Franck and Christophe.
