Photographer Simon Mitchell Killed at FoxHill in England

Photographer Simon Mitchell Killed at FoxHill in England

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of a member of the World Motocross family, photographer Simon Mitchell.

From BBC.com:

British Motocross Championships: Photographer hit and killed by bike

By Emma Hallett

BBC News

A photographer has been hit and killed by a bike at the British Motocross Championships.

Simon Mitchell, who was in his 50s, died when a rider came off his bike during a jump and the machine crashed through a barrier made of bales.

A marshal, a man in his 60s, also suffered a serious injury at Sunday’s event, attended by 10,000 people.

Mr Mitchell’s sister, Nikki Dancey, said: “He was photographing, which was his passion, in a place he adored.”

She added: “That and motocross came before everything else in life.”

His family was “devastated”, she said.

The event was abandoned after the crash at about 14:50 BST.

It happened at the end of the Premier Class Race, a spokesperson for the event said.

Both men were behind a specific marshal point and not with spectators.

The event, organised by Langrish MCC, was stopped immediately. The rider was not hurt in the crash.

The spokesperson, who has worked in motocross for 25 years, said it was “very rare in motocross” for a non-rider to be killed and that he could “not remember a fatality that wasn’t a rider”.

In a statement on its website, the series promoter said: “RHL Activities are saddened to announce that this weekend’s meeting at Foxhill in Wiltshire has been cancelled.

“At this moment in time we ask that everyone bears with us and any further updates will be made if required.”

Gareth Hockey, the event’s promoter, added: “It is a massive tragedy. Simon was a popular guy around here.”

Mr Hockey said his thoughts were with Mr Mitchell and his family.

“He had a very strong character,” Mr Hockey said.

“He was very happy. This venue seemed to be Simon’s happy place.

“He loved taking pictures, he loved the sport, like we all do.”

The weekend’s event was the third round of the Revo ACU British Motocross Championship.

Foxhill, home to the Langrish MCC, is considered one of the best motocross tracks in the UK and has played host to several events.

The 1.5-mile (2.4km) long track is known for its challenging terrain, steep hills, and technical sections and features a variety of jumps, berms, and obstacles.