In a tragic accident at the Interlagos racing circuit in Brazil's Sao Paolo on Sunday after a 23-year-old SuperBike racer Matheus Barbosa died during a race when he lost control of his Kawasaki Superbike.
It is believed that Barbosa's bike suffered a brake failure which caused it to smashed it into a nearby metal barrier. The 23-year-old racer was in the fourth position when he lost control of his bike. The incident happened when Barbosa was navigating a steep left corner. The medics reached the crash site within a minute but they failed to save Barbosa's life.
It may be recalled that in 2019 Mauricio Paludete died while racing and this incident also took place in Interlagos. In the same year, racer Danilo Berto died during a warm-up session at Interlagos. In 2017 and 2018, Sergio dos Santos and Rogerio Munuera were the other two racers who lost their lives. It is to be noted that all these incidents have taken place at Interlagos. The circuit at Interlagos has an anti-clockwise racing line which makes it unique.
#SBK | Very sad news. #MatheusBarbosa , a 23-year-old rider died after horror crash at the #Interlagos Circuit in a Brazilian SuperBike race. The young man lost control of his #Kawasaki and crashed into a metal structure that was behind the safety barriers.#RIP pic.twitter.com/lHkKJnia2L
— MatraX Lubricants (@MatraxRacing) November 9, 2020
According to Brazilian journalist Claudio Legnani, the circuit at Interlagos had sub-standard safety protocols. "Today Matheus Barbosa lost his life in the Brazilian SBK on the 5th round of the year, at the Interlagos circuit. It hit a containment and died. In 2019 two other pilots died in the same scenario and then the authorities approved the security measures," Legnani tweeted.
Hoy perdió la vida Matheus Barbosa en el SBK Brasileño en la 5ta fecha del año, en el circuito de Interlagos. Impactó contra una contención y falleció. En 2019 fallecieron otros dos pilotos en el mismo escenario y luego las autoridades dieron como aptas las medidas de seguridad pic.twitter.com/AMixpBYux3
— Claudio D. Legnani (@claulegnani) November 8, 2020
A SuperBike spokesman said that medical aid was provided to Matheus in less than 60 seconds and their tried their best to save him but Barbosa succumbed to his critical injuries. The spokesman added that an investigation will be launched into the incident.
The Superbike authorities also released a statement which said the competition was being held with all the necessary security conditions established by the appropriate authorities.
