Despite his love for motor sports and his club's use of the Clearwater location, David Jones was the first to condemn the area as "unsafe".

The president of Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club was among those reacting to the death of go-karter Jason Matthew who was thrown from his 125cc Shifter vehicle during a race yesterday.

"As an enthusiast I will tell you these guys shouldn't have been racing down there," said Jones, lamenting the fact that it would probably take this tragedy to underline a concern he has been repeatedly raising.

He recalled that his organisation was banned by former Minister of Sport Dennis Lister for refusing to use Clearwater which they deemed dangerous and shifting their programme to Southside. However, he noted they had had no option but to use Clearwater since January when new Sports Minister Randy Horton rescinded their ban.

"There was nothing else. They took the other area away at Southside though it was a lot safer for the racers and spectators alike," said Jones.

"I feel very sad that it had to come to this. I can only think that this will speed up the process (to get the purpose-built track) but still somebody has already died. It shouldn't have happened," he added, referring to ongoing plans to build a proper motor sports track and facility at Clearwater.

Spokesman for the umbrella motor sports group, the Bermuda United Motorsports Federation (BUMF), Chris Roque, termed Matthew's demise "a very unfortunate accident" and stated "the entire motor sporting community is in mourning".

"The sports we race in are dangerous," he noted, "and we know that going into racing. I know all safety precautions are taken on any given race day."

He said BUMF, which represents the Island's five motor sports entities (the Bermuda Motorcross Club, the Bermuda Power Boat Association, the Personal Watercraft Association of Bermuda, the Bermuda Karting Club and the Motorcycle Club) will comment further once it ascertains all the facts regarding the fatal incident.

However, when asked if he thought this would stall moves towards getting the purpose-built track at Clearwater, Roque responded: "It shouldn't hinder that. It should speed it up because that facility will be safer than the one we're at now."

Meanwhile, Jones could not say if motorcycling competitors would consider suspending activities with three meets remaining this season. He said he would have to consult with members but noted that Government may step in and take such a decision anyway.