RIP Charles "Mask" Lewis

[BYU 14]

FOX Sports on MSN - MMA/Boxing - TapouT co-founder, MMA sponsor dies in car crash

The mixed martial arts community lost one of its biggest personalities early Wednesday morning in a car crash in Costa Mesa, Calif.

High-speed tragedy Photos: TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis died after his Ferrari hit a lamp post at a high speed and split in two on a California road. Witness the aftermath of the crash.
Video: Did racing cause the crash?
Charles "Mask" Lewis, the 45-year-old co-founder of the TapouT apparel company, died when he lost control of his Ferrari and hit a lamp pole. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement on its Web site, TapouT said, "It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we must regretfully confirm the passing of our beloved friend, brother and co-founder Charles 'Mask' Lewis following a car accident that occurred last night. ... Many thanks to all for the outpouring of blessings and well-wishes during this incredibly difficult time."

The Los Angeles Times reported that a Newport Beach Police Department officer witnessed the crash and saw Lewis' red Ferrari and a white Porsche spinning out of control just before 1 a.m. Wednesday. The Ferrari then hit the curb and collided into a pole.

"It was terrible," Newport Beach Lt. Craig Fox told the Times. "It was extensive damage to the vehicle."

A woman in the Ferrari was ejected from the vehicle and was in stable condition at a local hospital. Police haven't determined if she was the driver or passenger of the Ferrari, according to the Times.

Police later arrested the driver of the Porsche, Jeffrey David Kirby, and charged him with gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being held on $1 million bail.

There was a 50-mph limit on the road, but police believe both cars were traveling well above that limit, according to a report on KTLA.com.

The Newport Beach Police Department told FOXSports.com that Lewis' car was a 2004 Modena Ferrari. That Modena can reach speeds of more than 180 mph and retails for almost $200,000.

Lewis and Dan "Punkass" Caldwell founded TapouT in 1997 as a clothing and MMA gear retailer. In addition to retail, the private company also signed deals with fighters, including Kimbo Slice, and is a sponsor of fight events.

The guy definitely marched to a different drummer, but had a huge presence in MMA. Very sad but why do 45 year old men feel the need to street race?

[RainMaker]

Natural selection. Good riddance to a dickhead who obviously didn't give a shit about anyone else.

[JonInMiddleGA]

This one truly has me banging my head against the desktop.

Looks for all the world like another case where the cause of death should read: Stupidity.

And with the kind of money he seems to have had, I simply cannot fathom why you'd do anything that carried the slightest increased risk of dying & not being able to spend it. Just truly beyond my comprehension.

[Karlifornia]

Please have some respect for the mans family.

Or don't...Forgot that I didn't give a shit for a second there.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Natural selection. Good riddance to a dickhead who obviously didn't give a shit about anyone else.

That is one way of looking at it. However the actions of his company showed the exact opposite. His company has allowed many lower rung fighters to focus on MMA alone, something they would not have been able to do otherwise. His company sponsors lessor known fighters with alot of potential and basically makes it so they can train full time and not have to worry about a side job.

With that said he seemed to be a true jackass from his actions and there is no excuse for street racing. It just seems weird for a guy who helped so many to die in such a selfish way.

[heybrad]

Not too far from where I work.

[cartman]

Isn't this also close to where the Swedish dude split a Ferrari Enzo in half, and blamed it on an unknown "German" driver?

Kerfuffles :: Enzo Ferrari Mystery :: March :: 2006

[heybrad]

Originally Posted by cartman

Isn't this also close to where the Swedish dude split a Ferrari Enzo in half, and blamed it on an unknown "German" driver?

Kerfuffles :: Enzo Ferrari Mystery :: March :: 2006

Both in SoCal but not really close. Malibu is north of LA. Costa Mesa is starting into South Orange county.

[BYU 14]

The other Driver was 51, aren't you supposed to get smarter as you get older? Yet these two are our street racing trying to impress the young "hotties" in their Cars like 16 year olds, WTF???

I have to agree with Jon, why in the hell would anyone who was set for life do stupid shit like this?

[thesloppy]

Having watched at least 6 episodes of this dudes show, I consider myself some sort of 'Mask' expert. That dude, while he seemed like he had a genuinely good soul, also seemed like he had a few obvious issues (with that GI Joe make-up, ya think??) the biggest of which was that he was just plain starved for attention from just about anything or anybody, and likely would've agreed to eat ground-up glass if he thought it would make somebody think he was cool for ten seconds....it's a shame he had to go out like that.

[dervack]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/14271/driv...-seek-help.mma


Looks like the driver has been charged with a third DUI in regards to this accident, being convicted twice before.