Motorsport is a dangerous activity.  And, unfortunately, every now and then we get a stark reminder of that. Today, one of those reminders came as Toyota’s chief test driver, 67-year-old Hiromu Naruse, died while behind the wheel of a prototype Nürburgring LFA following a head on crash with a BMW test car. Coincidentally,  the wreck occurred on a highway just outside of Germany’s famed Nürburgring.

According to reports, Naruse was said to have veered into oncoming traffic and colliding with a test car belonging to BMW. He was pronounced dead on the scene, with the two BMW test drivers receiving life threatening injuries.

Referred to as “The Godfather of the LFA“, Naruse was heavily involved in the production of the LFA, including the special Nürburgring edition he was driving. It’s always tragic to lose such an influential and a creative individual, however, it does seem fitting that he went out while doing something he was passionate about. Our deepest condolences go out to Naruse’s family and Toyota.

See the video below for footage of the crash scene:

[Chad Waite]

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