Kieth Ódor's Fatal Crash @ AVUS 1995

Kieth Ódor won the first 25-lap heat of the 1995 AVUS Rennen, giving Nissan its first win in the series, from the two BMW 318is' of Joachim Winkelhock, second and Peter Kox, third. It was the 13th round of the ADAC Super-Tourenwagen-Cup held on Sunday, 10 September 1995 at the AVUS (Automobil-Verkehrs-und-Übungs-Straße), Berlin, Germany. While battling for the lead of the 38-lap second heat of the event, on 23rd lap his Nissan Primera was pitched against the left concrete wall by a front left suspension failure (or front left tyre explosion), which was probably triggered by the way Ódor was riding the high kerbs of the chicanes installed in the temporary track. The Nissan spun twice and stopped sideways in the middle of the track, in the fast approach to Nordkurve. Roberto Ravaglia's and Alexander Burgstaller's BMW 318is who closely followed him, managed to avoid the stricken Nissan, but it was then hit square in the driver's door by Frank Biela's Audi A4. Biela, who braked heavily but couldn't do nothing to avoid Ódor's car, suffered slight internal injuries in the impact.

Unlike most other competitors in the German series, Kieth Ódor was driving a right hand drive Nissan Primera entered by the Scuderia Italia, this caused the serious injuries that he suffered in the collision, when Frank Biela's Audi inflicted massive damage to the door on that side. It required 30 minutes to extract Kieth Ódor from the wreckage. He was airlifted to Benjamin Franklin hospital at Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Berlin, but passed away in the early hours of the following day.

R.I.P