Tragedy at Indy: 13-Year-Old Motorcycle Rider Killed

By Steve Ballard
Indianapolis Star

 

A 13-year-old rider in one of the support races for Sunday's MotoGP race was killed on a warmup lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Peter Lenz, Vancouver, Wash., suffered what Speedway medical director Dr. Geoffrey Bellows described as "traumatic injuries" in a crash before the start of the U.S. Grand Prix Riders Union race.

Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew confirmed Lenz died at Methodist Hospital. Deputy coroners were interviewing witnesses and viewing images from the Speedway's video system.

The death wasn't confirmed by race officials until nearly five hours after the accident. Stewart Aitken-Cade, chief steward of USGPRU, said that was at the request of the Lenz family.

Although he had not yet seen video of the accident, Aitken-Cade confirmed in a late-afternoon news conference at the Speedway that it was the result of Lenz falling and being hit by another rider. The other rider, Xavier Zayat, was not injured.

Aitken-Cade said it was the first fatal accident in the nine-year history of the series.

"It's a reality of any form of motor sports," he said. "Anytime a racer loses his life this way, it's tough."

He described Lenz as being a "heckuva racer, very accomplished. He was a great kid, very fast, very talented."

Aitken-Cade praised the IMS safety crew for its quick response and said he didn't believe the young riders in the USGPRU series were in over their heads. Racing on a MotoGP weekend, he said, is the realization of a dream.

"Almost all of them want to be the next MotoGP champion," he said.

Lenz's father, Michael, was at the race. The family issued a statement that read: "On behalf of the Lenz family, we would like to thank Peter's friends and supporters for all their help throughout the years. We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss but know that Peter is racing even faster in the sky. Our thoughts and prayers are now with the other racer and his family, who were also involved in this tragedy."

Lenz was an up-and-coming star in a series that showcases young talent. He got his first motorcycle at age 5 and began racing it shortly thereafter. At 11, he became the youngest licensed expert racer in American Federation of Motorcyclists history as well as the youngest to win an AFM race.

He missed most of the 2009 season recovering from injuries sustained when he crashed into a tire wall at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway. He required several surgeries to repair a severed radial nerve and several broken bones: tibia, femur, fibula just above the boot line and humerus just above the elbow.

He returned this season and notched four wins in his first 12 races. He led the USGPRA points standings.

This is the first fatality at the Speedway since Oct. 22, 2003, when IndyCar Series driver Tony Renna was killed in a crash during testing.