Motorcycle racer dies in crash near Edmonton

A man described as an incredible motorcycle racer with a true passion for the sport is dead after crashing during a weekend race near Edmonton.

The Edmonton Motorcycle Roadracing Association has identified the 29-year-old Calgary resident as Sean Henderson, who was injured early Sunday afternoon at the Castrol Raceway in Leduc County.

Henderson was racing in an open sportbike event when he crashed on the first lap.

“He was just doing his afternoon race, and during the race there was just an accident and he ended up pretty much running into a wall,” Henderson’s friend, Julien Camanini, said.

“It’s a big shock ... Nobody would ever wish anything like that to anybody, but especially not him. He was the cool guy that everybody liked.”

At around 12:40 p.m. Sunday, emergency medical services personnel transported Henderson from the Nisku-area racetrack to hospital in critical condition, an Alberta Health Services spokesperson said. RCMP were called to the scene at around 2:30 p.m. Henderson was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police are still investigating the accident and say an autopsy will be done in Edmonton.

Camanini said he was in the pit at the time of the crash. The incident happened the day after Henderson’s birthday and Camanini said they had been out for dinner the previous evening, but took it easy to be in shape for Sunday’s race.

The crash took place during a year-end competition hosted by the Edmonton Motorcycle Roadracing Association, which had rented out the track for Sunday, according to Castrol Raceway general manager Colin Huggins.

“(Sean) lived his life to the absolute fullest, travelling the world with friends and family,” association president Jon Bullee said in a statement. “His charm, smile and sense of humour will be remembered by everyone in the racing community.”

Henderson was an avid racer, having gotten into motorcycling more than five years ago by riding on the streets, before moving onto the track. He was also a “big car guy” and loved playing the drums and guitar, according to Camanini, who met Henderson through a riding group and described his friend as a “very well-rounded guy that was very, very driven.”

Henderson had also recently been promoted to the position of health and safety manager at the power line construction company he worked for.

“Sean as a person was simply the good guy, the person that was always happy and he was always smiling, working hard all the time, trying to achieve his goals, regardless of whether it was in his private or professional life,” Camanini said.

It was the track’s first fatality, according to Huggins.