Sean Edwards (racing driver)

Sean Lawrence Guy Edwards (6 December 1986 − 15 October 2013) was an English professional racing driver, whose career highlight was winning as co-driver the 2013 Nurburgring 24 Hours.[1] He died as a passenger in a private testing incident in October 2013, at Queensland Raceway in Australia.[1][2]

Sean Edwards
Edwards at the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany on the Nürburgring in 2013.
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born(1986-12-06)6 December 1986
London, England
Died15 October 2013(2013-10-15) (aged 26)
Willowbank, Queensland, Australia
Related toGuy Edwards (father)
Porsche Supercup
Years active2008, 201013
TeamsKonrad Motorsport
Tolimit Motorsport
Starts50
Wins8
Poles6
Fastest laps7
Best finish2nd in 2013
Previous series
200609
200709
2010–12
201112
201213
FIA GT3 European Championship
FIA GT Championship
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
American Le Mans Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
Championship titles
2006FIA GT3 European Championship
Edwards at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup on the Hockenheimring in 2010.

Early and personal life

edit

Edwards was born in London on 6 December 1986, the son of racing driver Guy Edwards. He was educated at Wellington College and Cherwell College in Oxford. He lived and was based in Monaco.[3]

Career

edit

Edwards started racing at the age of eleven taking part in karting competitions.[3]

After gaining fourth place in the 2003 British Formula Ford Championship, he gained 5th in the 2004 Formula Renault UK, and fifth in the 2005 British GT Championship.[1]

Moving to Monaco, he then undertook drives in various years of the FIA GT3 European Championship, the Porsche Supercup (latterly with Team Allyouneed) and the American Le Mans Series (with MOMO NGT Motorsport).[4] In 2006 he won the FIA European GT3 championship driving a Tech9 Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup Car. In May 2013 he won the Nurburgring 24 Hours, his first major victory in endurance racing, driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 alongside Bernd Schneider, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Nicki Thiim.[1]

One of the first professional racing drivers to embrace Sim racing as a means of development and training, in 2012 he assisted with the racing scenes in Ron Howard's film Rush, about the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1976 Formula One season. The younger Edwards also portrayed his father in several scenes of the film, the latter being among the drivers who pulled Lauda from the burning wreckage of his formula one racing car during the 1976 German Grand Prix.[2]

Death

edit

On 15 October 2013, Edwards was killed in a crash during a private session at Queensland Raceway in Willowbank, Queensland, Australia as a passenger whilst instructing Will Holzheimer of Dellow Racing in a Porsche 996 Supercup car.[1][2][5] Holzheimer was treated at Royal Brisbane Hospital for injuries and burns.[5]

Racing record

edit

Career summary

edit
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2003 BRDC Single Seater Championship 12 1 0 0 4 ? 4th
Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series Team JVA 5 0 0 0 0 3 23rd
2004 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship Team JVA 18 0 0 0 0 60 24th
2005 British GT Championship - GT3 3 1 1 1 2 ? 5th
2006 FIA GT3 European Championship Tech9 Motorsport 10 3 1 0 7 54 1st
2007 FIA GT Championship - GT2 Tech9 Motorsport 10 0 0 0 1 24.5 15th
2008 Porsche Supercup Konrad Motorsport 11 2 0 1 4 96 5th
FIA GT Championship - Citation Cup ARC Bratislava 2 0 1 0 0 ? ?
International GT Open - GTS Konrad Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 4 30th
2009 FIA GT3 European Championship Mühlner Motorsport/Trackspeed Racing 4 0 0 ? 0 1 56th
Le Mans Series - GT1 ARC Bratislava 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Hermes Attempto Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2010 Porsche Supercup Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit 10 1 1 2 3 95 6th
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Team Deutsche Post by tolimit 7 0 0 1 1 68 8th
ADAC GT Masters Attempto Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2011 Porsche Supercup Team Abu Dhabi by tolimit 11 1 1 1 4 140 4th
Porsche Carrera World Cup 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Team Deutsche Post by tolimit 9 2 1 0 6 130 2nd
American Le Mans Series - GTC NGT Motorsport 2 0 1 1 2 41 13th
ADAC GT Masters Mühlner Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2012 Porsche Supercup Konrad Motorsport 10 1 1 0 5 107 5th
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Team Deutsche Post by tolimit 17 5 8 6 11 233 2nd
American Le Mans Series - GTC MOMO NGT Motorsport 1 0 1 1 0 6 31st
Rolex Sports Car Series - GT NGT Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 16 68th
ADAC GT Masters Schütz Motorsport 4 0 1 0 1 27 24th
Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am Black Falcon 3 1 0 0 2 40 12th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A ?
City Challenge Baku Mühlner Motorsport 1 0 0 1 0 N/A 5th
24 Hours of Le Mans - GTE Am Prospeed Competition 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2013 Porsche Supercup Team Allyouneed by Project 1 7 3 3 3 4 118 2nd
Porsche Carrera Cup Germany Team Deutsche Post by Project 1 15 1 0 2 6 162 6th
ADAC GT Masters Farnbacher Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
American Le Mans Series - GTC NGT Motorsport 7 1 0 0 5 93 5th
Rolex Sports Car Series - GT MOMO/NGT Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 16 62nd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Black Falcon 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st

Complete Porsche Supercup results

edit

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DC Points
2008 Konrad Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 BHR
1
BHR
1
ESP
1
TUR
Ret
MON
1
FRA
13
GBR
1
GER
10
HUN
Ret
ESP
12
BEL
1
ITA
6
5th 96
2010 Team Abu Dhabi by Tolimit Porsche 997 GT3 BHR
8
BHR
15
ESP
12
MON
10
TUR
5
GBR
12
GER
19
HUN
2
BEL
1
ITA
2
6th 95
2011 Team Abu Dhabi by Tolimit Porsche 997 GT3 TUR
4
ESP
1
MON
3
NNS
4
GBR
10
NÜR
3
HUN
3
BEL
6
ITA
Ret
UAE
6
UAE
4
4th 140
2012 Konrad Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 BHR
2
BHR
14
MON
1
VAL
2
GBR
3
GER
Ret
HUN
3
HUN
DSQ
BEL
5
ITA
DSQ
5th 107
2013 Team Allyouneed by Project Porsche 991 ESP
1
MON
1
GBR
4
GER
4
HUN
1
BEL
2
ITA
5
UAE UAE 2nd 118

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results

edit
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2007   Tech9 Motorsport   Sascha Maassen
  Leo Machitski
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR GT2 501 11th 3rd

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

edit
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2012   Prospeed Competition   Abdulaziz al Faisal
  Bret Curtis
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR GTE
Am
180 DNF DNF

Complete 24 Hours of Dubai results

edit
Year Class No Car Team Co-Drivers Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2010 A6 4 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR
Porsche 4.0L Flat-6
  ARC Bratislava   Miro Konôpka
  Oliver Morley
  Richard Cvörnjek
87 DNF DNF
2011 A6 18 Porsche 997 GT3 R
Porsche 4.0L Flat-6
  tolimit Arabia   Khaled Al Qubaisi
  Jeroen Bleekemolen
  Sascha Maassen
583 4th 4th
2012 A6 3 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG 6.3L V8
  Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon   Khaled Al Qubaisi
  Jeroen Bleekemolen
  Thomas Jäger
628 1st 1st
2013 A6-Pro 1 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG 6.3L V8
  Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon   Khaled Al Qubaisi
  Jeroen Bleekemolen
  Bernd Schneider
600 1st 1st

Complete Nürburgring 24 Hours results

edit
Year Class No Tyres Car Team Co-Drivers Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2012 SP9 15 D Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG 6.3L V8
  Black Falcon   Jeroen Bleekemolen
  Manuel Metzger
  Ralf Schall
4 DNF DNF
2013 SP9 9 D Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG 6.3L V8
  Black Falcon   Bernd Schneider
  Jeroen Bleekemolen
  Nicki Thiim
88 1st 1st

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e "British racing driver Sean Edwards killed in crash in Australia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "English race driver Sean Edwards killed in Queensland Raceway crash at Willowbank". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Biography". Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  4. ^ "Edwards Takes Lights-To-Flag Win at Barcelona". 22 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Race car driver Sean Edwards on coaching trip in fatal crash at Queensland Raceway". Brisbane Times. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
edit