Irish rider's fatal crash at Manx Grand Prix likely to have been caused by wet patch on road, inquest hears
An inquest into a fatal accident at the Manx Grand Prix in 2024 that claimed the life of an Irish rider is likely to have been caused by a water patch believed to have been contaminated with peat.
Louis O’Regan from Waterford crashed during qualifying at the event on August 18 on the Kate’s Cottage section of the course. The inquest at Douglas Courthouse on the Isle of Man heard the 43-year-old died from multiple injuries.
Fellow competitor Jamie Williams was also involved in a crash in the same area around two hours before Mr O’Regan’s accident.
Crash investigator Steffan Hoy said it was his understanding that O’Regan came off his machine after riding over a wet patch on the racing line, with peat contamination rendering the patch of water “very slippery underfoot”. Hoy added that there was “less adhesion” than would typically be expected from a damp road surface.
He also acknowledged that the patch of water in question had not been tested.
No mechanical defects were found to have contributed to the cause of the fatal crash, following an examination of O’Regan’s machine.
A marshal at the scene said he saw the rear of O’Regan’s bike “twitch” before striking a bank and flying into the air.
The inquest also heard from Chief Sector Marshal Mark Johnson, who said more machines than normal appeared to be “twitching” at the part of the course on the day of the fatal crash, and said water on the road was always an issue there. He said no other bikes were allowed through following O’Regan’s accident.
In a statement, Gary Saunders from the Department of Infrastructure said that prior to Manx Grand Prix and Isle of Man TT, the Auto Cycle Union (ACU) carried out course inspections and raised any concerns.
He added that no concerns relating to that part of the course were raised and revealed that roadworks carried out afterwards to address water seepage were undertaken because of public safety concerns and were unrelated to Mr O’Regan’s accident.
The coroner of inquests’ judgement is due on Friday when the inquest reconvenes.