Veteran competitor Peter Hall, 71, of Lobethal, South Australia, died at Melbourne hospital on Wednesday, 30 October 2013. He succumbed to injuries sustained three days before, in a start line crash during a classic cars event at Phillip Island racing circuit, state of Victoria, Australia.
The accident happened around 12h00 on Sunday, 27 October 2013, moments after the start of the race. It was the final round of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championship. While traveling at about 100 km/h (62 mi/h), at the wheel of his white Datsun 260Z #24, Peter Hall failed to avoid the stalled Lamborghini Gallardo of former Victorian sportscar champion Ted Huglin, and crashed hard into it.
Slightly injured, Ted Huglin was taken to hospital for observation. Peter Hall suffered a fractured pelvis, neck and chest injuries in the crash and went into cardiac arrest on the track. He was treated at the medical center of the circuit before being rushed to the Phillip Island hospital. Later he was transferred by air ambulance to the intensive care unit of Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where he passed away after three days, without regaining consciousness.
An experienced driver and an accomplished mechanic and engine builder, Peter Hall was involved in South Australian motorsport since the early 1970s and had also raced across the nation. A Datsun specialist, he competed in circuit races, hillclimbs and tarmac rallies. A former CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport) Chairman for South Australia and the Northern Territory between 2004 and 2010, he was the President of the Datsun Car Club of South Australia, the Chairman of the Collingrove Hillclimb and also acted as Clerk of Course in many racing events. Nicknamed as "Bubbles" by his parents Dulcie and Gordon Hall, who managed the family soft drinks business. Peter Hall was born in 1942 and was raised with his brother Jeffery in Adelaide, South Australia, where he studied Chemical Engineering.
Peter Hall was survived by his wife Margaret, whom he married in 1965, their children Deborah and David, and grandchildren Tara and Luke. David Hall followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a rallyman.
R.I.P
