TWO riders have tragically passed away after a horror crash in the opening round of the British Superbikes Championship.
Owen Jenner and Shane Richardson have both died as a result of their injuries.
A statement from the British Superbike Championship confirmed the sad news and it read: “At the start of this afternoon’s Quattro Group British Supersport Championship race at Oulton Park, exiting turn one, Old Hall corner on the first lap, there was a chain reaction incident involving 11 riders falling.
“The race was immediately stopped and trackside medical services deployed.
“Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled.
“This catastrophic accident has tragically resulted in two riders being fatally injured, and another sustaining significant injuries.
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“Owen Jenner (21) was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre, where despite further resuscitation treatment, he died from a catastrophic head injury.
“Shane Richardson (29) was initially treated trackside and then taken to the circuit medical centre before being transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital with severe chest injuries. He died prior to arrival.
“Tom Tunstall (47) was initially treated on the track and was taken to the circuit medical centre, he was later transferred to Royal Stoke University Hospital with significant back and abdominal injuries.
“A further five riders were transferred to the circuit medical centre with minor injuries, which did not require transfer to hospital. These riders were #9 Carl Harris, #39 Max Morgan, #48 Cameron Hall, #78 Freddie Barnes, #95 Morgan McLaren-Wood.
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“Three further riders were also involved but were uninjured. These riders were #25 Lewis Jones, #37 Corey Tinker and #90 George Edwards.”
The Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing have launched an investigation.
Worried British Superbikes chief Stuart Higgs called the crash a “severe and catastrophic incident” before the fatalities were confirmed.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
