Dubai: Friends and acquaintances turned up in numbers at the crash site at Dubai Autodrome to pay their respects through the day to the late driver Christophe Hissette.
People laid flowers and left condolence messages at the fence around the amphitheatre just above Turn 16 which Hissette's car hit before going up in flames during Friday morning's qualifying in the eighth and final round of the 2010 Gulfsport Radical Cup Championship.
The mood was solemn as friends, well-wishers and people who knew the 29-year-old Belgian driver came and paid silent tribute to his memory.
"This only shows how Christophe touched the lives of people in his own subtle way. Off the track he was such a laid-back person, and on it he was one of the most fierce competitors," Paul Velasco, Communications Manager, Dubai Autodrome, told Gulf News.
"The grief is immense at losing someone so dear. He was such a likeable man," Velasco added.
Carl Rolaston, Team Principal, AUH Motorsport for whom the late Hissette was a driver, said that he and members of the team visited the incident site to pay their respects. "We just needed to be there and spend a few quiet minutes at the spot," Rolaston said.
Dubai Autodrome has suspended all further racing activity as a mark of respect to the late driver.
"With respect for the tragic passing of Christophe Hissette, Dubai Autodrome has suspended activities at the main circuit for today [Saturday]. The Amphitheatre area of the circuit, close to the scene of the accident, is open and accessible for those wishing to pay their respects. The entrance to the area is a right-hand slip road 200 metres after the entrance to the Dubai Autodrome management building, across the road from Spinneys in Motorcity," said the statement from Dubai Autodrome.
