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Instructor's death at Disney racetrack 3rd in past year [w/video]

For his 24th birthday, TaVon Watson wanted a thrill ride, so he headed to the Exotic Driving Experience track at Walt Disney World. With instructor Gary Terry by his side, Watson raced a Lamborghini around the one-mile course until he lost control of the sports car and slammed into a guardrail. Terry, 36, was killed. "It's not the kid's fault. It's a freak thing that happened," said Timothy Horvath, a Terry family friend. As for Terry, "if he thought he was in any danger, he wouldn't have done it." It was at least the third death in the past year at speedways in the US that allow customers to get behind the wheel of a fast car. Last September, an Indiana man was killed in a crash at the Rusty Wallace Driving Experience at Kentucky Speedway, and a New Jersey woman died at the Wall Stadium Speedway in New Jersey. Watson had paid under $400 for the chance to drive the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, which sells for around $240,000. He failed to maneuver the high-powered vehicle through the course while driving about 100 miles per hour, and the passenger side struck the guardrail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Terry died at the scene. Watson was treated at a hospital and released. Both Watson and Terry were wearing helmets and lap and shoulder belts, said Sgt. Kim Montes, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol. Watson doesn't face any traffic charges since the accident took place on a closed track, and there are no indications he was doing anything criminal, authorities said. Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are looking into what happened. OSHA spokesman Lindsay Williams said the agency hadn't previously investigated Petty Holdings, the company that operates the track. Terry was a former racecar driver and was also senior operations manager at the tourist attraction. Working there was his "dream job," Horvath said. Watson, a hotel bellhop, didn't respond to emails or an inquiry via Facebook. He didn't have a phone listing. On his LinkedIn profile, he described himself as self-motivated, professionally mannered, humble and "a very quick learner." He told authorities he had been at the Exotic Driving Experience before. A spokeswoman for Petty Holdings wouldn't comment on whether the Lamborghini had any special safety devices like those provided in a driver's ed car, and Montes said investigators had yet to examine the Lamborghini.

Lamborghini Aventador bursts into flames in London traffic

Italian supercars have a well-deserved reputation for sexy styling, fiery souls, and eye-wateringly high performance. They also have a reputation for occasionally bursting into flames with little to no provocation. The latest example of this startling habit happened in London when a bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador caught fire in the middle of rush hour traffic. According to Express, six firefighters and one engine from the London Fire Brigade were dispatched to the intersection of Southwark Street and Blackfriars Bridge in central London on the evening of June 8. When they arrived, they found a bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador burning in the middle of the street surrounded by curious onlookers. Traffic at the busy intersection ground to a halt as police moved people away from the burning car and firefighters worked quickly extinguished it. "This chap was sitting in traffic and I heard the car revving then someone shouted, 'Your car is on fire'," Dan Jenkins, a passerby who filmed the incident, told the Evening Standard. "It started off as a small flame on the side and then it escalated very quickly getting close to the engine. At the start, it looked like the exhaust was flaming like some supercars do." Amanda Compton, another witness, told the Standard, "The driver was revving up the car at traffic lights in a queue, there was a loud bang and the engine caught fire." Thankfully, the driver escaped unhurt, but the Lambo is probably a total loss. This isn't the first Aventador that has burned to the ground after the driver got a little too spirited with the accelerator. In October 2015, another yellow Aventador burned down in Dubai after the driver redlined the big V12 a few too many times in traffic. Related Video: News Source: The Evening Standard, The Mirror, The Express Auto News Weird Car News Lamborghini Coupe Supercars car fire

VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.