IOM sidecar deaths deemed ‘a misadventure’

A verdict of misadventure was returned at an inquest into the deaths of sidecar racers Roger and Bradley Stockton at last year’s IOM TT.

The Coroner Mrs Jane Hughes said the exact cause of the accident remained unknown but noted that evidence suggesting the sidecar had sustained distortion to its fairing may have caused the bodywork to make contact with the front wheel or handlebars.

The accident near Ago’s leap on Quarterbridge Road was witnessed by a number of spectators describing hearing a mighty explosion as the sidecar went out of control and collided with a garden wall showering onlookers with pieces of debris. Coroner Hughes said it was fortunate no spectators or marshals had been seriously hurt or killed but ruled out the new road surface having any influence on the crash. She added that the deaths of French sidecar team Cesar Chanel and Olivier Lavorel at the same part of the course in the first race was a ‘tragic coincidence.’

The father and son team of Roger and Bradley Stockton had been black-flagged in the first sidecar race earlier in the week but in scrutineering prior to race two, no defects came to light. A number of changes have been introduced for this year’s TT by organisers ACU Events Ltd with much closer scrutiny of the sidecars prior to the event including ‘MOT - style’ checks.