“It was sad to learn that Fujitsu V8 Supercar driver Ashley Cooper has passed away.

Ashley fought a strong battle but sadly his injuries were too great.

Our greatest sympathies and all of our wishes are with Ashley’s family, in particular his partner Casey and their two children Ella and Bailey.

As a group we will do absolutely everything we can to support them at this time. I visited Ashley’s parents and his partner Casey in hospital yesterday along with Clipsal 500 Chief Executive Andrew Daniels and we will continue support them along the rocky road ahead.

We ask that all members of the media respect the privacy of the family and do not contact them at this time.

A full and thorough inquiry into the accident will be conducted and led by CAMS.

We have had a preliminary look at the footage of the accident and from what it appears his car may have clipped the guard rail on entry to the corner. There is nothing that we can find that would indicate any failure of the seat, his HANS device, the straps or the roll cage.

Our sport over-complies with the highest FIA rules for closed cockpit racing and most of our teams extend even beyond our own high standards with their own safety measures.

Certainly there have been accidents that would appear far more severe than was the case here when drivers have walked away unscathed. Such is the nature of motorsport.

We will not be making any further comment at this time.”