Goodwood team not to blame for accident

The deaths of driver John Dawson-Damer and marshal Andrew Carpenter at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2000 have been judged as accidental by a jury at Chichester.

The tragedy occurred when Dawson-Damer’s Lotus 63 crashed into the finish-line gantry. Another marshal, Steve Tarrant, suffered serious leg injuries.

Although a lengthy police investigation identified several flaws in the operation of the event and the set-up of the finish gantry, it was not considered that the matter amounted to gross negligence.

An MSA statement confirmed that further improvements to safety at the Festival of Speed had been made by the organisers following the accident.