Motorsport: Burst tyre blamed for fatality

Investigators say a burst tyre may have caused the fatal crash of ex-Formula One motor racing driver Michele Alboreto while testing on a circuit in Germany.

The 44-year-old Italian died on Thursday after losing control of his Audi R8 during a testing session for the Le Mans 24-hour race on the Lausitzring track, 145km south of Berlin.

Alboreto was on a straight section when his car went off the track at an estimated speed of more than 300 km/h, hit a fence and flipped. He was killed instantly.