KEY POINTS:
The 20-year-old passenger in a sidecar which crashed at Pukekohe on Sunday has died.
Jack Thompson was riding in the sidecar of the motorcycle driven by his father, John, when it lost control and crashed into a safety barrier at the Pukekohe Park raceway during the final round of the national championships.
He was taken to Middlemore Hospital with critical head injuries but died yesterday after his life support was turned off.
Sergeant John Yearbury of Pukekohe said police were still investigating the cause of the accident but early signs indicated a mechanical fault, possibly with the front wheel, may be to blame.
John Thompson walked away without any major injuries.
He indicated to police that he thought the front wheel had come off, while witnesses also saw something go wrong mechanically.
Mr Yearbury said an inspection had revealed the wheel was still attached but further investigations by the Serious Crash Team were under way into what might have gone wrong with it.
NZ Road Racing Sidecar Association president Chris Lawrance said the association's thoughts were with the Thompson family following Jack's tragic death.
Mr Lawrance said the death was the first road racing fatality associated with the sport in about 15 years. Other sidecar deaths were on speedways and involved different types of sidecars.
Mr Lawrance said an investigation into the fatal crash would be carried out by Motorcycling New Zealand, the association's governing body.
Motorcycling chief executive Paul Pavletich was not available for comment but said on Sunday that safety was the "number one priority".
Mr Thompson senior is understood to have been involved in sidecar racing a few years ago and only recently returned to the sport. His son was new to sidecar racing but had been involved in other motorsports. The family are from Waipu, south of Whangarei.
