Two men from Brent and a third from Harrow died instantly in a head-on smash while racing at speeds of up to 80 miles-per-hour, an inquest heard today.

Passengers Haider Qureshi, of Westfield Close, Kingsbury, and Toheed Robani, 34, of Litchfield Gardens, Willesden, and Jawad Qureshi, 28, who was Haider’s nephew and the driver of the Subaru Impreza, were all killed on December 23, 2013.

Barnet Coroner’s Court heard witnesses claimed to have seen at least four vehicles – a Vauxhall Astra, two VW Golfs and the Subaru – travelling at high speeds and weaving in and out of traffic as if ‘racing or chasing each other’ moments before the accident on the central reservation of the North Circular near Arnos Grove.

The car was launched over the central reservation before colliding head on with a Warburton’s bread lorry and bursting into flames.

Their injuries were so severe investigators initially had to identify the three men via their bank cards.

A toxicology report found the presence of THC acid in the blood stream of both Jawad Qureshi and Mr Robani, indicating they ‘may have been experiencing the effects of cannabis or cannabis resin at the time of the incident.’

Ali Hassan, the driver of the Vauxhall, insisted he had been travelling at around 35mph when the Subaru clipped his car.

He later admitted that he did know the driver of one of the VW Golfs, Bader Nokhas.

Three other witnesses said they had seen a Vauxhall Astra and a black and a grey Volkswagen Golf as well as the Subaru racing and undercutting traffic to get into the third lane.

No one has faced criminal prosecution in the wake of the accident.

The inquest into their deaths continues and is due to conclude on Wednesday.

Related link: Two men from Brent killed in North Circular Road car crash