The Upton 200, the longest National B-level race in Britain, was
cancelled after just three laps earlier today, following a serious
collision between two members of the public on the course, including what
the race organisers have described as a “heavily drunk driver”.
The 200km race, which takes place on the rolling roads south of
Pontefract in West Yorkshire, was called off early with just over 30km covered, after two motorists collided on a section of the route, causing serious damage to their vehicles and prompting the race’s marshals, first aid staff, and event staff to intervene to help those involved. According
to the Velo UK Twitter account (link is external), at least one of the vehicles ended up on its roof following the crash.
While the vehicles reportedly sustained serious damage in the collision,
no one involved, including a family with children in one of the cars, was injured. The organisers also noted that the riders were at a different section of the 10km lap at the time of the crash, and so were not involved in the incident.
Though no one was hurt, the organisers made the decision to not restart
the race and, in a statement published an hour after the event’s cancellation, claimed that one of the motorists involved in the crash was “heavily drunk”.
“It is with great sadness that we had to cancel the Upton 200 today,” the statement from organisers Yomp Bonk Crew said (link is external).
“Three laps into the 20-lap race, there was a collision between two
public vehicles on the course involving a heavily drunk driver in one
vehicle and a family with children in the other. Luckily, nobody involved sustained injuries.
“It is deeply upsetting to see the inconsiderate actions of one
individual endanger the lives of so many others.”
The organisers’ claim that one of the drivers involved was drunk was corroborated by Cameron Jeffers, who was racing today’s Upton 200 and
said on Twitter that “the fella was so pissed he couldn’t even stand up”.
Jeffers continued: “ There’s a special place in Hell for him. A couple minutes earlier we rode down this road. I hate to think of the outcome if
he collided with a peloton of riders at +100mph. The little rat.”
The Velo UK Twitter account also claimed that they witnessed several motorists driving “excessively fast” while standing on the circuit.
Announcing that they hope to reorganise the race in the future, the Upton 200’s organisers confirmed that “the race was not at all involved in the incident as it was at a different point of the course, but a huge thank
you to Julian Hall First Aid Services, our National Escort Group
motorbike marshals, and the event staff who were first on scene to the accident and did an outstanding job of helping those involved as well as keeping the scene clear and making sure the public and riders were kept safe.”
Today’s incident at the Upton 200 isn’t the first time this year that a British National B race has been stopped early due to a collision involving a vehicle.
In March, a racer was airlifted to hospital with a neck injury sustained
in a crash with a car stopped on the course of the Dulwich Paragon Wally Gimber Trophy, prompting teams and riders alike to call for safety improvements at races.
The race – one of the longest-running road races in the United Kingdom, having been held every year since 1960 except for 2020 – was called off after the incident on the second lap which saw “one rider hit the back of
a stationary car” and sustain “serious injuries”.
The race organisers said the event had been stopped following a “traffic incident”, with the Ride Revolution team confirming to road.cc that their rider had crashed through the vehicle’s rear windscreen, suffering a serious cut to the neck which saw him rushed by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital for emergency treatment.
https://road.cc/content/news/british-race-cancelled-after-drunk-driver-crashes-course-301957
The Upton 200, the longest National B-level race in Britain, was cancelled after just three laps earlier today, following a serious collision between two members of the public on the course, including what the race organisers have described as a “heavily drunk driver”.
The 200km race, which takes place on the rolling roads south of Pontefract in West Yorkshire, was called off early with just over 30km covered, after two motorists collided on a section of the route, causing serious damage to their vehicles andprompting the race’s marshals, first aid staff, and event staff to intervene to help those involved. According to the Velo UK Twitter account (link is external), at least one of the vehicles ended up on its roof following the crash.
While the vehicles reportedly sustained serious damage in the collision, no one involved, including a family with children in one of the cars, was injured. The organisers also noted that the riders were at a different section of the 10km lap at thetime of the crash, and so were not involved in the incident.
Though no one was hurt, the organisers made the decision to not restart the race and, in a statement published an hour after the event’s cancellation, claimed that one of the motorists involved in the crash was “heavily drunk”.
“It is with great sadness that we had to cancel the Upton 200 today,” the statement from organisers Yomp Bonk Crew said (link is external).
“Three laps into the 20-lap race, there was a collision between two public vehicles on the course involving a heavily drunk driver in one vehicle and a family with children in the other. Luckily, nobody involved sustained injuries.
“It is deeply upsetting to see the inconsiderate actions of one individual endanger the lives of so many others.”
The organisers’ claim that one of the drivers involved was drunk was corroborated by Cameron Jeffers, who was racing today’s Upton 200 and said on Twitter that “the fella was so pissed he couldn’t even stand up”.
Jeffers continued: “ There’s a special place in Hell for him. A couple minutes earlier we rode down this road. I hate to think of the outcome if he collided with a peloton of riders at +100mph. The little rat.”
The Velo UK Twitter account also claimed that they witnessed several motorists driving “excessively fast” while standing on the circuit.
Announcing that they hope to reorganise the race in the future, the Upton 200’s organisers confirmed that “the race was not at all involved in the incident as it was at a different point of the course, but a huge thank you to Julian Hall First AidServices, our National Escort Group motorbike marshals, and the event staff who were first on scene to the accident and did an outstanding job of helping those involved as well as keeping the scene clear and making sure the public and riders were kept
Today’s incident at the Upton 200 isn’t the first time this year that a British National B race has been stopped early due to a collision involving a vehicle.
In March, a racer was airlifted to hospital with a neck injury sustained in a crash with a car stopped on the course of the Dulwich Paragon Wally Gimber Trophy, prompting teams and riders alike to call for safety improvements at races.
The race – one of the longest-running road races in the United Kingdom, having been held every year since 1960 except for 2020 – was called off after the incident on the second lap which saw “one rider hit the back of a stationary car” andsustain “serious injuries”.
The race organisers said the event had been stopped following a “traffic incident”, with the Ride Revolution team confirming to road.cc that their rider had crashed through the vehicle’s rear windscreen, suffering a serious cut to the neck whichsaw him rushed by air ambulance to King’s College Hospital for emergency treatment.
https://road.cc/content/news/british-race-cancelled-after-drunk-driver-crashes-course-301957
Could have been worse:
QUOTE: The Isle of Man TT is widely regarded as the most dangerous
motorsport event on the planet.
Need to know what happened to the drunk driver.
Arrested?
Did police attend? IIRC West Yorkshire police are not the worst in the country.
They most probably took him to the nearest pub for a brandy to get over the shock.
A rider and two spectators were killed today on the final day of the centenary Isle of Man TT races.
The rider, competing in the Senior TT motorcycle race, and one of the spectators died at the scene. A second spectator died after being
admitted to Nobles hospital.
The accident occurred at the 26th milestone on the 2,036ft Snaefell
mountain, which is the highest point of the course.
Neither the rider nor the spectators who died have been named. Two other spectators were injured.
A statement from the event organisers said: “The coroner of inquest has been informed, and an investigation into the circumstances of the
accident is under way. The organisers of the event express their sympathy
to the families and friends of those involved.”
That the race, the longest and oldest motorcycle course in the world, is dangerous is indisputable: there have been 223 deaths over the 100-year history of the TT and its sister event the Manx Grand Prix.
The race, around a 37.7-mile circuit, involves high-performance bikes reaching speeds of more than 200mph on the straights, and taking about 200 bends.
For one fortnight once a year, the world’s best road racers come to the Isle of Man to take part. The margin of triumph or disaster can be fine.
Last year police were forced to warn competitors to take greater care as
the death toll during the race weeks rose to eight.
Fatal accidents involving spectators are more rare. However it is not uncommon for fans to be killed while driving their bikes around the island.
Up to 40,000 extra motorcycles are on the island during the TT festival.
Four race fans were killed on the roads last year, while three people
were killed in competitions or practices, and one person died after a
bike accident at a disused airfield.
The future of the event is always in doubt because of safety fears, especially on so-called “Mad Sunday”, when any member of the public can ride the mountain section of the course.
Today’s accident cast a shadow over what had been a memorable centenary event.
Yesterday’s race by Senior TT winner John McGuinness, from Morecambe, Lancashire, on a Honda Fireblade, was timed at one hour 46 minutes and 44 seconds, at an average speed of 127.25 mph. His fastest single lap had an average speed of 130.35 mph.
The races originally began on the island - a self-governing British dependency - because of restrictions on holding such an event in the UK.
The Isle of Man allowed roads to close in 1904 for the Gordon Bennett car trials, and the first races then took place in 1907, organised by the Auto Cycle Club.
er…
Where in this report does it say the race was cancelled?
And who is this Dr Iver? Is he alright after the collision?
swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
A rider and two spectators were killed today on the final day of the
centenary Isle of Man TT races.
The rider, competing in the Senior TT motorcycle race, and one of the
spectators died at the scene. A second spectator died after being
admitted to Nobles hospital.
The accident occurred at the 26th milestone on the 2,036ft Snaefell
mountain, which is the highest point of the course.
Neither the rider nor the spectators who died have been named. Two other
spectators were injured.
A statement from the event organisers said: “The coroner of inquest has
been informed, and an investigation into the circumstances of the
accident is under way. The organisers of the event express their sympathy
to the families and friends of those involved.”
That the race, the longest and oldest motorcycle course in the world, is
dangerous is indisputable: there have been 223 deaths over the 100-year
history of the TT and its sister event the Manx Grand Prix.
The race, around a 37.7-mile circuit, involves high-performance bikes
reaching speeds of more than 200mph on the straights, and taking about 200 bends.
For one fortnight once a year, the world’s best road racers come to the
Isle of Man to take part. The margin of triumph or disaster can be fine.
Last year police were forced to warn competitors to take greater care as
the death toll during the race weeks rose to eight.
Fatal accidents involving spectators are more rare. However it is not
uncommon for fans to be killed while driving their bikes around the island.
Up to 40,000 extra motorcycles are on the island during the TT festival.
Four race fans were killed on the roads last year, while three people
were killed in competitions or practices, and one person died after a
bike accident at a disused airfield.
The future of the event is always in doubt because of safety fears,
especially on so-called “Mad Sunday”, when any member of the public can >> ride the mountain section of the course.
Today’s accident cast a shadow over what had been a memorable centenary event.
Yesterday’s race by Senior TT winner John McGuinness, from Morecambe,
Lancashire, on a Honda Fireblade, was timed at one hour 46 minutes and 44
seconds, at an average speed of 127.25 mph. His fastest single lap had an
average speed of 130.35 mph.
The races originally began on the island - a self-governing British
dependency - because of restrictions on holding such an event in the UK.
The Isle of Man allowed roads to close in 1904 for the Gordon Bennett car
trials, and the first races then took place in 1907, organised by the Auto Cycle Club.
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