A sidecar racer and father-of-three from Ruyton-XI-Towns has died in a crash during a practice session at the Isle of Man TT.
Passenger Kevin Morgan, 59, was killed along with driver Bill Currie, 67, from Ellesmere Port, in an accident on Tuesday night. Organisers brought the sidecar qualifying session to an end following the incident at Ballacrye on the north of the island.
In a statement, the sport’s governing body, the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU), said: “Bill was an experienced racer who first competed at the TT Races in 1969 when he recorded a third place finish. He finished eighth in last year’s TT sidecar race in his fastest ever race time.
“Kevin made his TT debut in 1984. This was the first year that the pair had competed together.
“The ACU wishes to pass on their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of both competitors.”
Jim Parker, ACU Events managing director, said: “I have known both Bill and Kevin for many years and am deeply saddened by their untimely death. They were a huge part of the sidecar paddock and will be sorely missed by everyone involved in the event.”
The ACU added that the coroner had been informed and an investigation into the accident was under way.
Motorcycle enthusiast Brian Curran expressed his shock at news of Mr Morgan’s death and said the former garage owner was well known as an experienced passenger.
“Kev was one of those guys who has been around the block and was known as a good passenger. He was a motor engineer and used to own Sarn garage going back quite a few years,” he said.
Tributes have also been paid to the racers on the iomtt.com forum.