13-year-old racer killed at Indy MotoGP

INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County coroner says a 13-year-old motorcycle racer has died after crashing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The coroner says that Peter Lenz sustained “traumatic injuries” on Sunday and was pronounced dead several hours after he fell off his bike and was run over by another motorcycle.

The teen from Vancouver, Wash., and 12-year-old Xavier Zayat both crashed on a warmup lap for the MD250H race, a precursor to the annual MotoGP race.

Medical workers placed Lenz in a neck brace, put him on a stretcher and started chest compressions before taking him to the hospital. Speedway officials said Zayat, from Flushing, N.Y., was not injured.

It’s the first death at the track since 2003, when IndyCar driver Tony Renna was killed in practice.

The crash briefly delayed the start of the USGPRU race. The two MotoGP races, in the 125cc and Moto2 divisions, both started on time.

The USGPRU, established in 2002, sanctions races around the country to help prepare riders ages 12 to 18 for motorcycle racing at higher levels.

But their races are not typically held in conjunction with MotoGP events, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials declined to comment about holding this event at one of the world’s most historic tracks.

Indy’s slick, bumpy 2.621-mile course has been tricky this weekend — even for the world’s best riders.

Reigning world champ Valentino Rossi has fallen four times since practice opened Friday, including a spill Sunday morning during a 20-minute warmup session. Pole winner Ben Spies and points leader Jorge Lorenzo also acknowledged Saturday that the track was difficult to drive.

According to Lenz’s entry on the USGPRU website, he has been racing for six years and has won nine national championships and nine regional championships. He lists his profession as kid.