Porsche Supercup driver Sean Edwards has sadly been killed in an accident at Queensland Raceway in Australia. He was the son of former Grand Prix driver Guy Edwards.

The 26-year-old – currently the points leader in the Porsche Supercup – was a passenger instructing another driver in a Porsche 996 during a private session when the car left the road and hit the barriers, bursting into flames. He was killed instantly. It took three hours to extract the driver, a 20-year-old from Brisbane who is now in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.

A star in the Supercup, he sits 18 points ahead of nearest rival Nicki Thiim with only two races at Abu Dhabi left this season. He also won the Nürburgring and Dubai 24 hour races this year, as well as the Nürburgring round of the Carrera Cup Germany. Venturing stateside he won the GTC class of the ALMS at Long Beach. Motor sport has lost a prolific and talented sports car driver.

Fellow drivers took to Twitter to express their grief. James Calado spoke of the “devastating news this morning. RIP to my good friend Sean Edwards. Absolutely gutted.” David Coulthard called him a “top man and a super talented racer”, while two-time Carrera Cup GB champion Tim Harvey said he felt sick and that Edwards had “so much success to come”. Tiff Needell “raced against his dad and knew what a talented and delightful young man he was”.

From all of us at Motor Sport, our thoughts are with Sean’s family, friends and those he raced with.