Driver, 80, strayed off route of Brighton run

A VINTAGE car rally driver aged 80 was killed in a collision with a lorry on a motorway.

And a female passenger, believed to be his wife, was rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

The pair had been taking part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

Police said their 1903 Knox Runabout Old Porcupine, which has a top speed of 35mph, veered off the rally route and onto the M23 motorway.

A spokesman for the event said: “We can confirm that the car involved in this tragic incident on the M23 had been entered in the

Veteran Car Run.

“The car had left the route, which does not include the M23, where the collision took place.

“We are doing all we can to support the family concerned and are working with the police.” The incident happened

London to

Brighton close to Junction 7 on the southbound carriageway of the M23 near Gatwick.

Officers had to close the motorway in both directions.

A statement from Surrey Police said: “The driver of the car, an 80-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after the collision, and a female passenger has been hospital with serious injuries.

“The road has been closed in both directions and will remain so while we investigate the incident and enable the motorway to reopen.”

The accident comes two years after 68-year-old David Corry was killed in the same event when his 1902 Benz was involved in a four-car smash.

The run calls itself the world’s oldest and longest-running motoring event.

It is held to commemorate the Emancipation Run of 1896, which celebrated the rise in the speed limit from 4mph to 14mph. taken to