2 Spanish riders killed in California motorcycle race

In this Sunday, July 19, 2015, photo, a race official looks at Spanish rider Bernat Martinez after a chain reaction crash on the first lap of a World Superbike race at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Two Spanish racers were killed in the crash. Race organizers MotoAmerica identified the dead as 35-year-old Bernat Martinez and 27-year-old Daniel Rivas Fernandez. Both were taken to hospitals, where they later died. (Nic Coury/Monterey County Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PAPER AND PHOTOGRAPHER. MONTEREY HERALD OUT , SALINAS CALIFORNIAN OUT , SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL OUT , SAN JOSE MERCURY OUT , LOCAL TV OUT In this Sunday, July 19, 2015, photo, a race official looks at Spanish rider Bernat Martinez after a chain reaction crash on the first lap of a World Superbike race at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Two Spanish racers were killed in the crash. Race organizers MotoAmerica identified the dead as 35-year-old Bernat Martinez and 27-year-old Daniel Rivas Fernandez. Both were taken to hospitals, where they later died. (Nic Coury/Monterey County Weekly via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PAPER AND PHOTOGRAPHER. MONTEREY HERALD OUT , SALINAS CALIFORNIAN OUT , SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL OUT , SAN JOSE MERCURY OUT , LOCAL TV OUT

By Associated Press July 21, 2015 2 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Two Spanish racers were killed in a chain-reaction crash on the first lap of a World Superbike race.

The deaths occurred Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey County sheriff’s spokesman Cmdr. John Thornburg said.

MotoAmerica spokesman Paul Carruthers said there were 28 riders in the race and thousands of spectators in the stands when five competitors collided on the first lap. Riders were tossed into the dirt to the side of the track.

The sheriff’s office is not investigating the crash at the MotoAmerica Superbike/Superstock 1000 race, which appeared to be an accident, he said.

The track was dry during the race, Carruthers said.