Hong Kong - A Hong Kong businessman died when his Ferrari with the "lucky" number plate 888 crashed and burst into flames in a suspected road race, news reports said Monday. Chan Ki-wo, a textiles business owner, is believed to have been racing at over 100 km per hour when he lost control of his Ferrari 360 Modena and crashed along a highway in Hong Kong's rural New Territories Sunday.
Friends allegedly involved in the race used fire extinguishers to try to put out the ferocious blaze which left the Italian sports car a charred and unrecognisable wreck, according to the Hong Kong Standard newspaper.
Chan bought the Ferrari in 2000 and one of the few things to survive the blaze was its "lucky" number plate LE888. Eight is considered the luckiest number by Chinese people.
The businessman survived an accident in the same car in May last year when he clipped a kerb as he tried to avoid a taxi. He was unhurt in that accident.
Road races are common in Hong Kong's New Territories. Police say they received 70 complaints about illegal races in 2005 and 42 complaints last year.
