American road racer Tommy Aquino was killed today in a two-rider crash at Piru Ranch MX, a motocross track located about 10 miles west of Santa Clarita, California, not far from Aquino’s home in Saugus.
Ventura County Fire Department responded to reports of the crash at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time, according to a report at www.vcstar.com, the website of the Ventura County Star newspaper.
One rider was reported dead at the scene, and a second rider was airlifted to a local hospital, according to the report.
Representatives from the Ventura County Fire Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department would not confirm the identity of the deceased rider to Roadracingworld.com, but former Pro road racer Michael Beck was present at the track and confirmed that his close friend Aquino was the deceased.
“I normally park with him, but he wasn’t in our normal spot,” a clearly shaken Beck told Roadracingworld.com in a telephone interview from his home. “So I just rode by myself. I had a good four or five 20-minutes motos, so I was done and heading home.
“I was parked along the front straight and changing in the back of my truck, and I heard it from there. I had my back to the track and heard a big crash, like a big metal-to-metal sound, and I saw two guys flying.
“I walked over there. At first I didn’t recognize it was him, because he was riding a Honda and he normally rides a [Yamaha] YZ. I got to a good eight-feet away and saw it was him. That’s when I heard the paramedics say there was no pulse and they pulled out the yellow tarp and put it over him.”
Aquino started his AMA Pro Road Racing career at the age of 16 in 2008. He raced five AMA Pro seasons. He achieved one win in the Daytona SportBike class in 2011, when he finished third in the Championship, the highlights of his AMA Pro career. He also earned four Daytona SportBike pole positions during his career and led many races.
In 2013, Aquino rode for Team WD-40 in the 1000cc Superstock class of the British Superbike Championship series, and he won a race, finished on the podium three times and placed seventh in the Championship.
Tommy Aquino is survived by his father Tom, his mother Carrie and his younger brother Michael.
Updated article from VCStar.com: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/feb/03/authorities-identity-man-killed-after-crash-at/