Driver killed in car acceleration race in Lappeenranta
Published : 18 Aug 2019, 18:57
A driver died in a car acceleration race in Lappeenranta, southeastern Finland, on Sunday, local media reported.
The race was arranged at the Lappeenranta airport by the local aeronautical club.
The driver lost the control of his car at a speed of over 300 km/h on the 2.5 km runway, news agency STT reported.
The victim was identified by local media as a man from the Helsinki area. The driver's nationality was not specified.
Normal services from the airport were not affected as there are no commercial flights from or to the airport on Sunday.
The motor car speed trial was part of a weekend air show event at the airport. The event was closed after the accident.
Acceleration races open to private individuals using their own cars have become increasingly popular in Finland. They are being arranged at low-usage commercial airports and in abandoned military airfields.