Former IMSA racer Walt Bohren was found dead on Tuesday after an apparent accidental drowning near Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. Bohren, 63, who had retired to Tortola on his catamaran, was last seen alive by his girlfriend when he left their boat and took a small dinghy to go ashore.

He was found floating in the water Tuesday evening and an autopsy will be performed by the BVI medical examiner to determine his cause of death.

Bohren was a staple in IMSA's early years, competing during its formative stages in the Baby Grand division. Known for his association with Mazda, Bohren drove Mazda RX-2s and RX-3s before graduating to RX-7s, which dominated the GTU category for nearly a decade.

Driving for the Racing Beat team, Bohren won five GTU races en route to the 1980 championship. Another notable win came in the GTU class at the 1981 12 Hours of Sebring at the wheel of an RX-7. <Quotes from auto-racing.speedtv.com>

For those who know Mazda'a history in the US, Walt Bohren was the 2nd person to win a professional road race event, using the same RX2 that the 1st person (Patrick Bedard) had built and won with. The Car & Driver RX2 now has a current life on the show circuit for Mazda.