Bermuda was last night mourning the death of a bright young motor mechanic who died in a go-karting accident yesterday afternoon.

Jason Christopher Matthew, 30, died in only his second day of racing after he lost control of his go-kart at the Clearwater track in St. David's.

The Bermuda Motors worker is believed to have crashed into the barricade of the track at about 12.50 p.m., suffering serious wounds to his chest.

He had only recently taken up the motorsport and was racing in the first heat of the 125cc Shifter Class in kart number 79 when his machine ran away from him on a tight bend.

He was tended to at the scene by St. John Ambulance and passing physician Dr. Kathy Michelmore, who then transported him to hospital by ambulance.

However, he was officially pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 2.30 p.m.

Mr. Matthew is believed to be only the second motorsports enthusiast to have died during a race on the Island in the last 20 years. Powerboat racer Ken Dear died during an event in the early 80s.

Last night Mr. Matthew's family said they were too upset to talk about the tragedy at the home they shared with him in Cherry Hill Park, Paget.

Donna Lindo, secretary of the Bermuda Karting Club, sent the club's sincere condolences to Mr. Matthew's family and his girlfriend LeeAnn Fox-Moreno.

He said Mr. Matthew was a new member to the club, after joining in February this year, and he said that yesterday was only his second official race day in his go-karting career - the first day being at the end of March.

A statement from the club said: "He was travelling along the straightaway in a northerly direction at the back of the pack when he lost control of his vehicle.

"None of the other drivers in the Shifter Division were involved.

"Routine safety procedure at the karting track had been observed prior to racing and no other participants or spectators were injured."

Last night, Mr. Matthew's boss, general manager of Bermuda Motors Anthony Steede, said both he and co-workers had been shocked and saddened by the news.

He described Mr. Matthew as an "intelligent, pleasant and personable" young man, who was ambitious and proving to be a valuable member of the Bermuda Motors team.

He said: "Jason started off as a junior apprentice about seven years ago and worked his way up to become a front office service advisor.

"He was a very unique and integral part of our service management team. He brought a whole new perspective to where we were heading in that department. He took great pride in getting the job done first time and he was eager to learn.

"He was very likeable and pleasant - always trying to be accommodating, both to customers and the staff. Jason was very intelligent, and I say that without hesitation. He grasped things very quickly and had a great sense of humour."

Mr. Steede said Mr. Matthew, who had previously been a member of the Bermuda Motors Sunday League soccer team and a member of the Devonshire Colts Junior team, had been working on his go-kart for about six months.

He added: "Staff have taken the news quite hard. The team were playing today and had had heard the news, so it was difficult for them.

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"We have decided that the second game we play today will be in honour of him. We are going to miss him."

Mr. Matthew's motor mechanics tutor at Bermuda College Malcolm Simons said he only saw the former Warwick Secondary School pupil on Saturday.

He said: "I saw him on Saturday when he came to my job to buy some spark plugs for his kart.

"I didn't know he was go-karting until he told me on Friday. I think he was looking forward to today's race.

"The news has really come as a big shock. I only taught him part-time when he was getting ready for certifications but he was a very good mechanic. He had had some very good endeavours and was very ambitious. I think he was going to make a lot of progress.

"He was a very likeable person. He got along with a lot of people. I'm baffled by what has happened."

And fellow mechanics tutor at the college Elsworth Lovell said: "He was a very up-beat kind of person. He was very sincere and I think he was really looking forward to going further in the trade. This is terrible news."

Police yesterday appealed for witnesses to the accident to call them with information.

Spokesman Dwayne Caines said: "Bermuda Police Service would like to thank the go-karting community and the spectators for their help thus far. However, we are appealing to any other witnesses or individuals that might have videotaped the event to contact P.c. Franklyn Foggo or P.c. Edward Peach at the Traffic office.

"The Bermuda Police Service extends our deepest sympathies to Mr. Matthew's family."

People with information should call Police on 295-0011.