Walter Malcolm Mitchell, "Wally" Mitchell as he was known, died in consequence of an accident that happened at Symmons Plains, Tasmania, during the first laps of the Tasmanian Sportscar Championship race, held on Sunday, 12 March 1967. His car burst into huge flames after the impact against the barrier at Bessant Hump that ripped the fuel tanks apart.
The driver managed to open his seat belt and to go out, but unfortunately the fire extinguisher of the first marshal who arrived to the scene failed to work and he had to run to another point for another extinguisher. Mitchell received severe burns to 80% of his body and legs, it was reported that his chances of recovery were very slight. The chemicals of the plastic on his burning helmet had severely damaged his lungs and the fire extinguishers which contained a poisonous chemical contaminated his wounds retarding the healing process. Wally Mitchell was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, state of Victoria, Australia, where he stayed until he succumbed several weeks later, on Tuesday, 18 April 1967, of pneumonia as a result of the burns he suffered.
He was at the wheel of his self-built RM1 fitted with a 2.5-litre Climax V8 Tasman engine. It was reported that the bits from which Mitchell and his partner Bill Reynolds built the car came from the wreckages of the Brabham BT4 and the Cooper T62 in which Lex Davison and Rocky Tresise lost their lives during the fateful 1965 Tasman series, just two years earlier.
R.I.P
The driver managed to open his seat belt and to go out, but unfortunately the fire extinguisher of the first marshal who arrived to the scene failed to work and he had to run to another point for another extinguisher. Mitchell received severe burns to 80% of his body and legs, it was reported that his chances of recovery were very slight. The chemicals of the plastic on his burning helmet had severely damaged his lungs and the fire extinguishers which contained a poisonous chemical contaminated his wounds retarding the healing process. Wally Mitchell was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, state of Victoria, Australia, where he stayed until he succumbed several weeks later, on Tuesday, 18 April 1967, of pneumonia as a result of the burns he suffered.
He was at the wheel of his self-built RM1 fitted with a 2.5-litre Climax V8 Tasman engine. It was reported that the bits from which Mitchell and his partner Bill Reynolds built the car came from the wreckages of the Brabham BT4 and the Cooper T62 in which Lex Davison and Rocky Tresise lost their lives during the fateful 1965 Tasman series, just two years earlier.
R.I.P
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Motor