The fifth and final round of the 2014 Russian Drag Racing Cup (RDRC) was held at the Yevpatoria Airfield in Crimea on Saturday, 20 September. One of the drivers that entered that event - which counted with competitors from Russia, Ukraine and Estonia - was forty-four-year-old Russian racer Evgeniy Germanovich Kern.

n the Yevpatoria meeting Kern raced a Nissan GT-R Mk2 Turbo Drive SV700 number 56, manufactured in 2011 - a vehicle different from the one he had used in Minsk. The Nissan was entered under the FSB Class. The program of the event included standing start races over two different track configurations - 1/4-mile and 1000-meter strips.

In one of those 1000-meter races Kern competed against Nikolaj Garnakov who drove an Audi RS7. Kern won with ease and established a new record for the FSB Class with a time of 17.8 seconds, crossing the finish line at a speed of 292 km/h. However, after crossing the finish line Kern failed to slow down; instead, his car appeared to continue to gain speed over the 700-meter long deceleration zone. It then crossed a 300-meter wide dirt area - always without no signs of slowing down - before crashing into a concrete block. The Nissan then rolled several times ending on a field. It was completely destroyed in the accident.

Kern was quickly reached by the emergency crews. The rescuers had to pry the driver's door with tools to reach him. The chassis was severely bent, and the roof caved in. Curiously, the Nissan air bags did not deploy in the crash. The doctors who examined Kern inside of the car did not find a pulse or other signs of life.

Kern was reported to be from Moscow, but it is unclear whether this refers to his place of birth or residence.

R.I.P