A 55-year-old company director died after losing control of his Ferrari 430 GTC at about 100mph during a race at Thruxton in May last year.

An inquest in Winchester heard that Jeffrey John Leadley, from Southwells in Nottinghamshire, was competing in the amateur GTC Championship on 8 May when he collided with a white BMW he was attempting to overtake going into a chicane.

The inquest was shown footage and photographs of the incident which showed the vehicle being driven by Mr Leadley heading backwards at speed before hitting a barrier and flipping over onto its roof behind the barrier.

Chief medical officer at Thruxton circuit, Dr John Whelen, told the inquest how he had found Mr Leadley in the vehicle upside down.

“I was in no doubt that he had gone into cardiac arrest and we needed to get him out of the vehicle as soon as possible,” he said.

Dr Whelan said medics on the scene started Mr Leadley’s heart but he later went into arrest, before being revived again.

The inquest was told that he was taken to Southampton General Hospital where he was kept on life support until 11 May, when his family agreed nothing more that could be done.

Collision inspector PC Michael Gunby said Mr Leadley had tried to overtake the BMW, which was in a close race with two other vehicles, when he hit the rear of the BMW, puncturing tyres on both vehicles and causing the Ferrari to mount the grass.

“Applying the brakes had little effect,” he said.

“What is certain is the Ferrari was unable to take action post impact.”

Pathologist Balvinder Shoker said: “In my opinion his death was a result of multiple injuries as a result of a motor vehicle collision.”

Coroner Grahame Short said: “In this incident the findings in no way reflect on the way in which this particular race was organised, and I can reach no conclusion that there are any particular recommendations that I will make as a result of this death.

“It is not my role to apportion blame, but I think no-one involved should feel responsible for an incident like this.”