On the first anniversary of Porsche Supercup star Sean Edwards’ death, a foundation bearing his name is making a bid to implement safety initiatives.
The Sean Edwards Foundation is moving to lobby decision makers about development more safety measures in motorsport following the terrible accident which claimed his life at Queensland Raceway.
Three initiatives have been sought to educate and improve drivers competing at all levels with an initial focus on the Sean Edwards Test (SET), Fast Track and Accident Support.
According to a statement from the foundation, these involve:
SET: No standardised safety awareness course or test currently exists within motorsport training. SEF aims to address this by educating youngsters, amateurs and gentleman drivers about the importance of upholding personal safety when racing.
Only once a driver has passed the SET, which will feature a simulator session, professional racing driver coaches, real case histories, track time and genuine onboard video situations, should their race license be awarded. It’s also hoped that passing SET will automatically lower insurance premiums.
Fast Track: One of Sean’s passions was mentoring aspiring, talented drivers. Fast Track will exist as a direct extension of that, continuing his legacy of combining speed with safety in pursuit of success.
SEF will seek to identify young talented drivers who may not normally come to the attention of existing mentorship programmes. Research conducted amongst the motorsport community will help identify the key attributes SEF is seeking. It’s upon these that its drivers will be selected.
A driver who exhibits the desired attitude, talent and attributes will be awarded the Sean Edwards Memorial Trophy.
Accident Support: SEF will link up with key sports universities to develop rehabilitation centres dedicated to assisting injured racing drivers post-accident. The foundation will act as a coordinator and facilitator in helping drivers manage physical injuries, psychological implications and financial issues.
Future initiatives will also include the banning of open-faced helmets and non-compliant passenger seats, a safety cell campaign and insurance lobbying.
Edwards’ mother, Daphne McKinley who is the founder and chairman of the SEF said: “For obvious reasons this is an incredibly important day for the foundation, but simply marking the anniversary of Sean’s passing isn’t what we’re trying to achieve.
“From personal experience, and subsequently speaking to a number of people within the industry, it’s become clear that much more should be done to educate drivers about the risks they face and also make positive changes to the industry as a whole.
“Sean was as critical as anyone on the subject of safety when coaching, but he still paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“I know that a lot of drivers feel the same way but it will take all stakeholders – circuits, promoters, organisers, manufacturers and governing bodies – pulling in the same direction if we’re to achieve real change.
“Hopefully SEF’s work will be the catalyst.”
Edwards was just 26 when he died while instructing from the passenger seat of a Porsche GT3 Cup car driven by 20-year-old Will Holzheimer, who suffered horrific injuries in the crash.
At the time of his death, Edwards was leading the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup standings with just one round remaining.
The tragedy came soon after he became the third Briton to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours outright.
Full details of SEF’s safety initiatives, as well as more information about the foundation, can be found at www.seanedwardsfoundation.com.
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