Racing driver Juha Miettinen has passed away after sustaining fatal injuries at the Nordschleife during the 24 Hours of Nurburgring Qualifiers Race 1.
25 minutes into the four-hour race, at 17:55 local time, the event was red-flagged. Whilst it was not immediately known what caused the stoppage, it soon became clear that a multi-car crash had taken place at the Karussell.
During the suspension, the broadcast was taken off air, with a press conference held at 20:00 local time.
A race control bulletin confirmed: "During the first race of the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers (18 April 2026), a serious accident involving seven competitors occurred in the early stages of the race.
"Following the collision involving several vehicles, race control immediately halted the race to allow for extensive recovery and rescue operations.
"Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the paramedics were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen (BMW 325i, #121); the driver died in the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.
"The other six drivers involved were taken to the Medical Centre and nearby hospitals for precautionary examinations. None of the injured are in a life-threatening condition.
"The race will not resume on Saturday evening. The thoughts of everyone involved in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring are with the bereaved family of Juha Miettinen.
"A minute's silence will be held in memory of the late motorsport competitor during the grid formation for Sunday's race at 13:00."
It is the first fatality during a race at the Nordschleife since June 2013, when Wolf Silvester lost his life.
Miettinen was 66 years of age.
RacingNews365 sends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Juha Miettinen at this sad time.
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