The Isle of Man TT returned this year after a two-year hiatus forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The motorcycle racing event is an iconic part of the global racing calendar, but it’s also one of the most dangerous motorsport events. Unfortunately, this year’s edition served as a cruel reminder of this with three racers losing their lives.
- 2022 was Purslow’s second TT outing
- Morgan raced in the TT for 20 years
- First Sidecar race cancelled after Chanal's death
Mark Purslow was killed in an accident during a qualifying session on June 1. The 29-year-old was an experienced classic racer, having competed in the Classic TT in 2016, 2018 and 2019. He had made his first appearance on the TT Mountain Course at the 2015 Manx Grand Prix where he won the Lightweight Race on his debut. He graduated to the Isle of Man TT Races in 2017, competing in the Supersport and Lightweight classes, and 2022 was his second TT outing.
Following that, the first Sidecar race on Saturday (June 4) was red-flagged and subsequently cancelled due to a serious incident at Ago’s Leap involving French outfit Shock Factory’s driver Cesar Chanal and passenger Olivier Lavorel.
Organisers initially released a statement saying Lavorel was killed in the incident, however, a subsequent clarification was issued nearly four days later stating that it was actually Chanal who lost his life, while Lavorel remains critical in hospital. “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,” the statement read.
Davy Morgan, 52, was the third fatality of this year’s event. He was killed in an incident on the final lap of the first Supersport race. Morgan was a highly experienced TT racer and had competed in every single edition since his debut in 2002. The race where he tragically lost his life was his 80th TT start. He’d participated in hundreds of races across the Manx Grand Prix, Classic TT, Southern 100, North West 200, Macau Grand Prix and Irish national races, with numerous podiums and race victories along the way.
Autocar India extends its heartfelt condolences to all three riders’ family, friends and teams.