Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner was driving too fast in treacherous conditions in his high-performance VW Golf when he lost control and suffered fatal injuries, an inquest heard today.
The 24-year-old, who featured in the hit travel programme’s second series in 2020 with his mother Jo, lost control of the modified and unsafe vehicle after it hit the central reservation of a dual carriageway on May 26.
Described today as ‘one of life’s adventurers’, Mr Gardiner, who was working as a landscape gardener, died from a ‘devastating brain injury’ after the collision on the A34 in Stockport.
His mother listened along with Sam’s brother Charlie as a coroner told how he was ‘weaving in and out around traffic’ at a ‘significant estimated speed’ moments earlier.
Accident investigators concluded that the ‘manner of his driving’ plus standing water on the road due to heavy rain and a lack of tread on his tyres all contributed to the tragic crash.
The former reality TV contestant was driving a 300bhp VW Golf R 4Motion estate from which he had removed part of the exhaust to make it noisier, the inquest in Stockport heard.
Giving evidence, his mother told of his love of cars.
‘As soon as he got one he saw the next one he wanted,’ she said.
Race Across The World star Sam Gardiner (pictured with his mother Jo on the show) was driving too fast in treacherous conditions in his high-performance VW Golf when he lost control and suffered fatal injuries aged just 24
The reality TV contestant had been driving on the A34 near Manchester in appalling weather conditions on May 26 when his high performance car left the road
A VW Golf R 4Motion estate similar to the one owned by Sam Gardiner, powered by a 300bhp engine and capable of speeds as high as 155mph
Asked by area coroner Chris Morris whether he had modified the car, Mrs Gardiner said: ‘He chopped the exhaust off.’
‘To make it noisier?’ asked Mr Morris.
‘Really noisy,’ she answered.
Quizzed on whether he had taken the silencer off, Mrs Gardiner replied: ‘Yes, basically.’
She said a mechanic friend and a garage had both worked on the car.
In the weeks before the tragedy he had been helping care for her while she underwent chemotherapy, she said.
He then travelled back up to Scotland where he was working as a landscape gardener, she said.
Mr Gardiner had returned to the family home in Greater Manchester for a family birthday, meeting his mother for brunch on May 26.
Sam featured in the BBC show’s second series in 2020 and his mum and his family paid tribute in a moving statement following his tragic death on May 29 aged just 24
He was driving along the A34 near his home in Gatley in wet weather at around 10pm that day when the Golf struck the central reservation of the dual carriageway and lost control, ploughing into a row of trees.
An unconscious Mr Gardiner was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital with a ‘devastating’ head injury and placed in an induced coma.
Tragically doctors concluded there was ‘no realistic prospect of any kind of meaningful recovery’ and he died on May 29.
His cause of death was given as a devastating brain injury due to a road traffic crash.
His car – a 2016 four-wheel-drive model – had tread below the legal minimum on two of its four tyres which may have contributed to the tragedy, the inquest heard.
‘It was quite bad weather, it was raining heavily, the road surface itself would have been very wet,’ forensic collision investigator PC Adam Dixon of Greater Manchester Police said.
‘I can’t say the exact cause of the loss of control.’
The officer said he could not say whether Mr Gardiner was driving ‘significantly’ in excess of the 50mph limit, but that the ‘manner of his driving’ plus the standing water had contributed to the crash.
During their time on Race Across The World, Sam and Jo failed to complete the challenge as they ran out of money
Witnesses told police Mr Gardiner had been driving too quickly for the conditions and swerving past vehicles which had slowed down in the rain.
‘Leading up to the collision several witnesses have said Sam was undertaking and overtaking slow-moving vehicles,’ DC Simon Venguedasalon of GMP’s serious collision investigation unit said.
‘Due to the weather as well, a lot have said his driving was not consistent with the conditions of the road at the time.
‘A lot of the witnesses have slowed down due to the lack of visibility and the standing water on the road.
‘It was consistent that Sam was not driving to the conditions at the time, unfortunately.’
Blocked grids had worsened the standing water hazard, he said, but no other vehicles were involved and there were no defects in the road surface.
There was no CCTV or dashcam footage and no witnesses saw the actual accident.
DC Venguedasalon said his conclusion had been that Mr Gardiner ‘unfortunately wasn’t driving to the conditions of the road’ and lost control due to the lack of tyre tread.
During filming, Sam said: ‘Mum and I are very close – we often think or say the same things’
Giving evidence earlier, her voice shaking with emotion, his mother Jo agreed that her adopted son had been ‘generous, big-hearted and caring’.
Concluding that Mr Gardiner had died in a road traffic collision hearing, Mr Morris said he had been ‘weaving in and out around traffic’ at a ‘significant estimated speed’.
He said the condition of his tyres and ‘the manner in which he was driving given the poor weather conditions’ were factors in his loss of control.
The coroner said conditions that night had been ‘appalling’.
Expressing his condolences, he told Mr Gardiner’s family there were ‘countless others wishing you well’.
‘Sam was a truly remarkable person who lit up the lives of many,’ Mr Morris added.
Afterwards his family said: ‘Following the inquest, we want to thank all the witnesses who stopped to help Sam and all the emergency services involved.
‘Whilst we are heartbroken over the loss of Sam, the generosity of people towards helping others with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is inspiring.’
Following his death, his parents, Jo and Andrew Gardiner, said they had been ‘overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of messages of love and support’ from fans.
Jo said: ‘We would like to thank the BBC, Studio Lambert and everyone at Race Across The World production, fellow contestants and fans of the show for all their support at this terrible time. It has been very comforting to know that Sam touched so many people.’
The devastated parents have set up a Just Giving page to raise money in Sam’s memory for National FASD, a charity that supports those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – which Sam suffered from.
Sam has previously described appearing on Race Across The World as a ‘life-changing’ experience
The charity worked to promote awareness about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and is close to the family’s heart, as it helped Jo and Andrew understand how best to raise Sam.
After smashing Sam’s parents’ initial £500 target it has so far raised a staggering £28,500 for the charity.
Jo explained: ‘I have been particularly moved by all the messages that Sam was an inspiration to many who have been impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
‘We adopted Sam and he was diagnosed with FASD. As viewers of Season 2 will recall, this was a big challenge both for Sam and for us as his parents.
‘National FASD helped us on that journey. If some good comes of this tragedy, it will be that FASD is better understood.
Andrew added: ‘When the news broke last week, friends asked how they could help. After some thought, I decided to set up a Just Giving page to raise money for National FASD in memory of Sam.
‘The page is called ‘Sam Gardiner; Super Human’. I set the target at £500 thinking a few friends might be generous enough to make a donation.
‘So far its raised 20 times that. It’s very humbling to see the RATW Family rally to this worthy cause’.
Announcing their son’s death in May, dad Andrew joined Jo in delivering the message, saying: ‘We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Sam in a terrible accident.
‘Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special.
Sam was rushed to hospital after his crash but died there three days later
The car had suddenly left the road, rolling before it eventually landed on its side, Greater Manchester Police previously said
Following a recent instalment of the latest series of Race Across The World , the show left fans moved with an emotional tribute to Sam (pictured)
‘Sam was adored by his family. As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.
‘He did Race Across The World in 2019, which opened his eyes to the wonder of adventure and travel.
‘He was willing to go wherever the trail might lead and he touched everyone he met on the road.
‘He found great happiness working as a landscape gardener on the west coast of Scotland.
‘Sam brought warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went. He leaves behind a huge hole in our hearts.
‘We will miss him endlessly, but we’ll also remember him with smiles, tall tales, and a depth of love that will never fade.’
Following his death a spokesperson for the makers of Race Across The World said: ‘We are all deeply saddened to hear the tragic news about Sam.
‘Everyone who worked with him and indeed everyone who watched Sam could see just how precious and transformative the trip was for both him and his mum, Jo.
‘Sam embraced the seven-week trip with an energy, love and a determination that saw the pair enjoy adventures across Mexico to Argentina making audiences fall in love with them and their special bond as a result.
‘Since filming, both Sam and Jo have been an integral part of the Race Across The World cast family, and on behalf of us all from the BBC, production and the rest of the cast, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to his parents, Andrew and Jo; his brothers, William and Charlie; his step mum Justine; his family and friends.’
Sam had been working in Scotland as a landscape gardener but travelled down to Stockport, Greater Manchester to go to a family birthday, according to his uncle Jonny Gray.
During their time on Race Across The World, Sam and Jo aimed to get across South America quicker than their fellow contestants, with a strict budget and no mobile phone.
The pair failed to complete the challenge as they ran out of money, but he described it as a ‘life-changing’ experience.
During filming, Sam said: ‘Mum and I are very close – we often think or say the same things.
‘She has travelled a lot in her life, so I think it would be fun to do it with her.’
Following a recent instalment of the latest series of Race Across The World, the show left fans moved with an emotional tribute to Sam.
At the end of the episode, a photograph of Sam was shown, alongside the caption, ‘In loving memory of Sam Gardiner 2000 – 2025’.
