Tragedy at Nemuno Ring: Spectator killed, family member injured in racing accident

A tragic accident at Lithuania's Nemuno Ring racetrack has claimed the life of a spectator and injured another, reopening long-standing concerns about the venue's safety. The incident occurred during a Baltic touring car championship race when a car driven by Aivaras Remeika veered off the track in a braking zone, struck a fence, and fatally injured a 35-year-old man. The victim's son was also injured and hospitalized with a head trauma.

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We have talked about the safety problems at Nemuno Ring more than once, that they need to be solved, and we have asked many times to solve them.

Commentators on the live broadcast noted the car's sudden departure from the track just as it was about to lap a competitor. Eyewitnesses and officials pointed to the track's condition as a contributing factor. Karolis Ramoška, president of the Lithuanian Technical Sports Federations Association, stated that the track's safety issues, particularly the asphalt surface, had been raised multiple times. He described the specific area where the accident happened as having an uneven surface with a slope, which, combined with a slippery track due to heavy rain, caused the car to lose control.

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It has a rise, the asphalt is poured in one place, there is a slope to one side, to the other, precisely in that place there is braking, the car jumped, of course, the track surface is slippery, heavy rain, so the car ended up where it ended up.

However, Linas Tubelis, head of the Lithuanian Sports Center which manages the Nemuno Ring, dismissed the relevance of the track's condition, asserting that the accident had nothing to do with track safety. He argued that the incident occurred in an area where spectators should not have been present. Ramoška countered that given the visibility at that spot, which attracts spectators, enhanced safety measures were necessary.

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About the quality of the track's condition is not being discussed at the moment, because the incident, supposedly, has nothing to do with the track's safety, and the scene of the incident is where spectators should not be at all.

Following the incident, police have launched a pre-trial investigation into negligent homicide. The Lithuanian Penal Code stipulates penalties of up to seven years imprisonment if the offense involves violating safety regulations. This tragedy echoes a previous incident at the track in late May.

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Should there have been a safety zone there? I think that wherever there are spectators, there should be a safety zone in front of them.