A police officer was flung to his death after crashing on the first bend of a karting race, an inquest heard yesterday.
Mervyn Campbell (46) was thrown at least 40 feet in the air in the incident at the Kirkistown track in Co Down, one witness said.
His 250cc kart hit speeds of 100mph before spinning out of control in April last year, Belfast Coroners' Court heard.
Maurice Keogh, one of the marshals on the day of the tragedy, told how he rushed to the scene after seeing the crash.
"Both the car and driver bounced a number of times before coming to rest." He also claimed it was safer for the drivers not to be wearing seatbelts, explaining that there is no roll cage if they are strapped in.
The crash happened as the karts went into Debtors' Dip directly after two warm-up laps.
Mr Campbell, of Beechwood Grove, south Belfast, had been involved in a motorcycle crash on the same stretch six years earlier.
"They come through so quickly, so fast, in excess of 100mph," Mr Keogh recalled. "It's not unusual for them to touch each other and bump around a little bit. But on the day, Mr Campbell's car got a bit sideways, started to slide and went on the grass."
Several witnesses described the grass just off the track as bumpy and uneven, an issue explored by a lawyer representing Mr Campbell's widow, Sharon.
Ex-soldier Eric Wightman, a spectator on the day, recalled seeing Mr Campbell's kart spin off the track. "It struck the grass and started to cartwheel. The driver catapulted out of the vehicle and was thrown into the air, at least 40 feet."
He used knowledge of telegraph poll heights, learned during service with the Royal Corps of Signals, to give his estimate, the inquest was told. That height was disputed, however, by Mr Keogh, who claimed it was not much more than 12 feet.
The marshal, who claimed contact caused Mr Campbell to spin off, also stressed that any debris on the course is normally cleared after every race.
Robin Hammill, a competitor, told how he felt a slight glancing touch as Mr Campbell tried to overtake him on the bend. After the race was stopped he noticed a small black tyre mark on his kart.
Although he had never crashed on that stretch, he added: "Other racers say it's bumpy there and the grass is quite tall."
Following the crash Mr Campbell was taken to the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald but later died of spinal and rib injuries. - (PA)