Vintage Car Event : El Cajon Driver Killed at Del Mar Grand Prix

An El Cajon man died in a fiery crash Sunday while driving in the first weekend of the Camel Grand Prix of Southern California, the much-debated return of auto racing to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Alan T. Lloyd, 48, was racing his 1965 Ford Cobra roadster in the Vintage Grand Prix event when the accident occurred shortly after noon, authorities said.

During a warm-up lap, Lloyd was approaching the main straightaway when his brakes locked up, he lost control and plowed into a concrete-block retaining wall that separates the track from a pit area, race officials said.

“His car hit the retaining wall at pit entry, and was immediately engulfed in flames,” race spokesman Glenn Howell said.

“The fire was put out almost immediately . . . he wasn’t even burned. He must have died from the impact,” said Suzanne Hatcher, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Lloyd was pronounced dead at the scene, Deputy Coroner Charles Kelly said.

The race’s promoter, Del Mar Race Management, and the 22nd District Agricultural Assn., the formal name for the Del Mar Fair Board, issued a joint statement saying they “deeply regret the accident.”

According to his official race entry form, Lloyd worked as a truck mechanic. A neighbor, Lori Nelson, 19, said Lloyd often spent time working on cars in the garage of his El Cajon home, where he lived with his two teen-age children.

“He spent a lot of time working on that particular car,” Nelson said. “I didn’t know if he raced them or not, but he spent so much time on them that it made me kind of curious.”

An estimated 7,500 to 8,000 spectators were at the fairgrounds to watch the vintage car race, according to Howell.

Howell declined to speculate on whether a drizzle made the raceway damp enough to contribute to the accident.

“The cause of the accident is presently being investigated,” Howell said. “When the investigation is completed, we will issue a full report of our findings.”

Racing was suspended for about two hours after the crash, according to Howell.

This is the first fatality in a vintage auto race since a July, 1986, crash in Wisconsin, according to Howell.

The Camel Grand Prix of Southern California began Friday and will continue next weekend. It marks the first time since 1964 that auto races have been held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Some local residents and city officials have opposed the racing, citing excessive noise, traffic and crowd rowdiness.