French motorcyclist Bruno Bonhuil died from chest injuries after his bike skidded sideways across the track, throwing him from the vehicle during a practice round at the Macau Grand Prix on Saturday, race organizers and a member of his team said.
The 45-year-old's accident near the Mandarin Bend Exit came just hours before the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix.
He lost control of his bike five minutes into a half-hour morning practice session. Video footage showed Bonhuil and bike sliding sideways toward a side barrier. He was thrown off before the collision and tumbled.
James Dawson, a mechanic on Bonhuil's team, the nearly formed Team of Paris, said Bonhuil went too fast and race conditions weren't to blame.
"He had to push the bike a bit harder to make a turn and the bike slipped and he hit the side," he said. "It wasn't a mechanical errorÂ… . He was doing what he does. He was trying to go fast. That's what this whole thing is about," Dawson said.
Dawson said Bonhuil, whom he called a "very, very experienced rider," was still conscious after the accident but was pronounced dead within an hour.
Bonhuil, a native of Champagne, France, finished ninth in Macau in 2000 and was supposed to start 20th in today's race. He was third in the World Championship of Endurance in 1999. His death overshadowed Briton Michael Rutter's record-tying sixth win in the Motorcycle Grand Prix today. He is survived by his wife and daughter.