TT organisers wrongly identified competitor involved in fatal crash

Organisers of the Isle of Man TT have confirmed they wrongly identified a competitor following a fatal accident at the weekend.

On Saturday it was announced French passenger Olivier Lavorel had been killed in a crash during a sidecar race with teammate César Chanal having been taken to hospital.

Four days later, a new statement has been issued clarifying that it was Chanal who died. Lavorel remains in a critical condition in hospital in Liverpool. The families of both competitors have been informed.

The statement read: “On Saturday, June 4 during the opening lap of the first Sidecar Race of the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races, an accident at Ago’s Leap involving outfit number 21 of Cesar Chanal and Olivier Lavorel resulted in the death of one of the competitors.

“The race was stopped with the deployment of full-course red flags and medical personnel, a travelling marshal and the emergency services were immediately dispatched to the scene. One of the competitors sustained injuries that would not support life and was sadly declared dead at the scene. The second competitor was unconscious with severe injuries.

“The injured competitor was treated at the roadside before being transferred to Noble’s Hospital, and then airlifted to a specialist hospital in Liverpool to receive treatment. An initial identification procedure was conducted using established procedures and would appear to have resulted in a mistaken identification.

“We now believe it was Cesar Chanal who died at the scene of the accident on Saturday, June 4. Olivier remains in a critical condition and continues to receive treatment. Both competitors’ families have been informed.

“A thorough review of the processes relating to the identification of competitors will take