Auto Racer Bob Copeman Killed

Bob Copeman, 48, of Aptos, Calif., was killed today when his Porsche 911 crashed during qualifying for Saturday’s 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA Camel GT race at Sebring International Raceway. He spun out of control after hitting a concrete retaining wall hard on the driver’s side at more than 100 m.p.h.

Copeman, an infrequent competitor in professional sports car racing, was trying to qualify for only his 17th IMSA Camel GT start since he started his professional career in 1980. He worked as a quality control engineer and consultant at United Technology Corp., chemical systems division, in San Jose, Calif.