Development Series driver succumbs to injuries.

Ashley Cooper, who was critically injured when his car hit the barriers at more than 120mph during the second of the weekend's two Clipsal 500 support races in Adelaide, has died after two nights in hospital.

The 27-year old V8 Development Series driver passed away in the early hours of Monday, two days after he made heavy side-on contact with barrier at the exit of the quick turn eight section of the former Australian Grand Prix circuit. The initial contact was to the driver's side before the car veered across the track and hit the opposite wall with its rear-end.

Cooper was attended to by senior medical personnel and then taken by ambulance to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he remained in a coma and on life support until his death. Race officials said that the driver had suffered severe head trauma, with swelling of the brain and other internal injuries. He was married and had two young children.

"It was sad to learn that Fujitsu V8 Supercar driver Ashley Cooper has passed away," series CEO Wayne Cattach said in an official statement, "Ashley fought a strong battle but, sadly, his injuries were too great.

"Our greatest sympathies and all of our wishes are with Ashley's family, in particular his partner Casey and their two children Ella and Bailey. As a group, we will do absolutely everything we can to support them at this time. I visited Ashley's parents and his partner Casey in hospital yesterday, along with Clipsal 500 chief executive Andrew Daniels, and we will continue support them along the rocky road ahead. We ask that all members of the media respect the privacy of the family and do not contact them at this time."

Cooper's crash was the Development Series' second fatal accident in less than two years, following Mark Porter's crash at Bathurst in 2006.

"A full and thorough inquiry into the accident will be conducted and led by CAMS," Cattach continued, "We have had a preliminary look at the footage of the accident and, from what it appears, his car may have clipped the guard rail on entry to the corner. There is nothing that we can find that would indicate any failure of the seat, his HANS device, the straps or the roll cage.

"Our sport over-complies with the highest FIA rules for closed cockpit racing and most of our teams extend even beyond our own high standards with their own safety measures. Certainly, there have been accidents that would appear far more severe than was the case here when drivers have walked away unscathed. Such is the nature of motorsport.

We will not be making any further comment at this time."

There were other close escapes during the Adelaide weekend, with V8 Ute Racing Series driver Matt Kingsley emerging unscathed from a major three-car incident.

He was immediately taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where, despite residing in the intensive care unit, he is reported as having no broken bones or organ damage

The 23-year old was given a full head-to-toe CT scan which showed that he escaped the crash with only ligament injuries. He is currently suffering back, neck and shoulder pain, and has bruising to his left knee, but his family remain hopeful that he could be released in as few as three days Although he has not yet eaten or attempted mobility, hospital staff are also confident that he will make a full recovery, as he is being treated with a mild dose of drip-fed panadol to ease his pain. He is on no sedative what so ever.

Craig Dontas was also involved in the accident, and has a chipped vertebrate but is otherwise fine. He returned to the circuit following his release from hospital yesterday to spend the afternoon with sponsors and will only need to recover from muscle ache. The third driver involved, New Zealander Colin Corkery, has already made a full recovery and reports that his hospital visit was only for safety precautions.

Crash.net would like to join the V8 Supercar community in extending its thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Ashley Cooper.