Upwell racing driver Angela Lucas died at Snetterton Race Track when her safety harness accidentally became unbuckled, inquest hears

A racing driver from Upwell died when her safety harness accidentally became unbuckled before her car hit into safety barriers, Norfolk Coroners' Court heard last week.

Angela Lucas, 42, was taking part in the Citroen C1 Endurance Race at Snetterton Race Track on July 4, 2021 when the incident happened.

The inquest, held in Norwich, was told that at around 5.40pm, while approaching a turn, her car was hit from behind.

Mrs Lucas' safety harness had been securely fastened until shortly after contact was made with her vehicle.

After this, Mrs Lucas had sought to correct her position by steering "very hard" to the right, but her car left the track and hit into the safety barrier.

At this time, Mrs Lucas' harness was not buckled and she was unrestrained. She was thrown to the left and partly through the side window.

Mrs Lucas, who was also a business consultant, sustained a severe head injury and died at the scene.

On Wednesday of last week, a jury found that the buckle was not in the correct position on Mrs Lucas.

If the buckle had been in the correct position, as specified by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Regulations, it would not be possible for the safety release lever to be accidentally activated, they said.

Mrs Lucas died as a result of an accident, the jury concluded.