F1 fan dies after go-kart crash

Singapore- A Formula One fan seeking a thrill died after the go-kart she was driving overturned and crashed into a track
divider, news reports said Monday. Singaporean Chen Shu Li, 32, lost control of the vehicle while negotiating the final bend at the USJ Go-Kart Track Saturday in Sepang, Malaysia, The Straits Times said.

She had traveled to Sepang with her husband and three friends to watch Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur contacted Chen's family in the city-state, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was the mother of two children.

Industry sources told the newspaper that Chen may have blacked out because of high G-forces. Referring to gravity's effect on the body, the G-force is multiplied when one accelerates to high speeds.

The four-wheel drive go-kart Chen was using can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour and is usually reserved for professional racers, said Lee Nian Tjoe, editor of Torque motoring magazine. Novices usually drive "benign" vehicles with a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour, making the sport "quite safe," he was quoted as saying. dpa German Press Agency