A SIDECAR rider from Ellesmere Port and his passenger killed during the 2011 TT races died as a result of misadventure, a coroner has ruled.
Bill Currie, 67, from Great Sutton, and passenger Kevin Morgan, 59, from Shrewsbury, died during qualifying on May 31 at Ballacrye in the north of the island.
Coroner John Needham said: "Competitors know the risks and they take the risk of death by competing in the event.”
He hoped the families could take consolation from the fact Mr Currie and Mr Morgan died doing something they loved.
Mr Needham accepted oil, found to have leaked onto the road from a another team’s vehicle, could have been a contributing factor. It had leaked after a piece of machinery came loose, although the driver was unaware of any problems until later.
The event was allowed to continue as the oil had gone unnoticed by marshals.
The sidecar raced by Mr Currie and Mr Morgan lost control at a section of the TT circuit near Ballaugh Bridge.
An emergency air ambulance arrived minutes later but both riders were pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Currie began racing in 1967, notching up third place on his TT debut two years later.
In 1976 he gave up racing due to health reasons and didn’t compete again for 25 years.
A year after giving up, Bill lost the sight in one of his eyes in a welding accident but that did not prevent the divorced father-of-two from returning and achieving top-10 finishes.
Mr Needham stressed the need for TT organisers to make it clear to competitors they must ensure caps do not come loose during racing.
Although he found no major failings with the marshalling, Mr Needham recommended race officials need to be aware of the evidence of oil on the circuit.
