Fatal Supersport Crash - What Happened And What Next?

Two riders died aft an 11-bike crash during nan British Supersport Championship title astatine Oulton Park connected Monday.

Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29, were fatally injured successful a "major concatenation reaction" incident connected nan first thigh of nan title and a 3rd rider Tom Tunstall, 47, sustained "significant injuries".

The title was halted connected nan first thigh aft what bid head Stuart Higgs later called a "severe and catastrophic" incident arsenic he announced nan arena was cancelled.

BBC Sport looks astatine what happened and what is adjacent for nan sport.

Just moments aft nan commencement of nan race, 1 motorcycle wobbled earlier going down and skidding towards nan mediate of way arsenic nan riders exited nan first corner.

That led to a collision that yet became an 11-bike clang pinch oncoming riders incapable to debar nan fallen bikes.

The title was being broadcast unrecorded connected TNT Sports but cameras trim distant from nan way pursuing nan crash.

Motorsport Vision Racing (MSVR), who are responsible for circuit operations astatine Oulton Park successful Cheshire, said Jenner was treated astatine nan way but died from "a catastrophic caput injury."

Richardson was besides treated astatine nan way and taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital pinch terrible thorax injuries but he died anterior to arrival.

Tunstall, 47, is successful infirmary pinch "significant backmost and abdominal injuries" while 5 riders suffered insignificant injuries and nan different 3 were not injured.

Simon Patterson, a MotoGP journalist, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It conscionable seems there's been a chain-reaction connected nan exit of move 1 of Oulton Park, which isn't a peculiarly scary aliases fierce corner.

"But unfortunately, arsenic we've seen aggregate times each astir nan world, arsenic motorcycle racing has go safer, arsenic organisers person done much to trim nan consequence of injuries successful motorcycle racing, nan 1 point that is very, very difficult to protect against is erstwhile you get aggregate riders falling together and nan consequence of group getting struck by oncoming machinery.

"I deliberation that's precisely what's happened successful this situation. It's ace different to spot truthful galore riders autumn together."

Former rider and MLav Racing proprietor Michael Laverty told BBC Sport: "Where nan incident happened everyone's accelerating truthful you're astir apt astir 90 to 100mph astatine that point, which honestly doesn't consciousness that accelerated erstwhile you're connected a motorbike.

"But because it's a wide start, truthful everyone starts together, 30 aliases 32 riders connected a grid, immoderate nan people numbers dictate.

"So arsenic they travel retired of move one, nan rider who collapsed was astir about eighth aliases ninth spot I deliberation exiting move 1 and unluckily they've sewage 20 much riders down and they're somewhat blindsided by nan rider successful front.

"We've had it successful MotoGP wherever it's been different rider hits a stricken rider connected nan ground.

"There's nary measurement imaginable successful our athletics to mitigate for that circumstance. So unluckily nan 2 riders were prone successful nan way and sewage collected by nan oncoming traffic."

British rider Jenner, from Crowborough successful East Sussex, began his racing profession successful Junior Motorcross.

He past progressed to nan tarmac, winning nan 2018 Team Green, 2020 Junior Supersport and 2023 Junior Superstock titles. He joined nan Kramer Team for nan 2024 British GP2 season, winning nan title pinch 18 wins retired of 20 title finishes.

Jenner signed for Rapid Honda successful November 2024 and successful announcing his death, nan squad said it felt "sadness beyond words".

Astro-JJR Hippo Suzuki rider Richardson grew up successful nan municipality of Lower Hutt, conscionable northbound of Wellington connected New Zealand's northbound Island, earlier moving to nan UK.

He has been a joiner since nan property of 16 and ran a joinery business alongside his racing career.

He began racing successful 2013 and wrong 4 years was competing astatine world events specified arsenic nan MotoAmerica title successful nan United States.

In 2019, he joined his woman Hannah James successful nan UK, wherever his 2 children, Maddie and Max, were born.

Tunstall, 47, is successful nan Royal Stoke University Hospital pinch important backmost and abdominal injuries, while 5 different riders suffered insignificant injuries.

Riders Carl Harris, Max Morgan, Cameron Hall, Freddie Barnes and Morgan McLaren-Wood were treated for insignificant injuries astatine nan circuit aesculapian centre.

Lewis Jones, Corey Tinker and George Edwards were besides progressive successful nan mishap but did not suffer injury.

The arena astatine Oulton Park was nan first of nan 2025 British Superbikes season, pinch a further 7 rounds group to return spot crossed nan UK earlier 3 'showdown' events.

Jenner and Richardson were racing successful nan Supersport Championship, which is simply a support people to nan main British Superbike series.

"If you see Formula 1's your pinnacle and successful motorbike racing we person Motor GP that parallels, past you've sewage World Superbikes astir apt nan 2nd tier and past British Superbike is 1 of nan apical nationalist championships successful nan world," erstwhile rider and MLav Racing proprietor Michael Laverty told BBC Sport.

"You've sewage nan Superbike people and past nan Supersport would beryllium nan 2nd tier.

"So nan riders are a very, very precocious calibre of rider, each wholly alert and successful power of their motorcycle."

MSVR and nan Motorcycle Racing Control Board said connected Monday that they are "investigating nan afloat circumstances of nan incident successful conjunction pinch nan Coroner and Cheshire Constabulary".

A Cheshire Police connection read: "Police are investigating 2 deaths connected behalf of nan coroner pursuing a aggregate collision astatine Oulton Park this afternoon.

"Emergency services were called to nan segment pursuing nan collision which resulted successful 2 riders being fatally injured and different pinch superior injuries."

Superbikes tin scope speeds of up to 200mph and moreover nan somewhat little powerful bikes utilized successful Supersport regularly timepiece good successful excess of 100mph truthful location is inherently immoderate consequence successful nan sport.

Fatalities are uncommon but not sadly not wholly unheard of successful nan sport.

In 2022, British Superbikes rider Chrissy Rouse died aft a clang astatine Donington Park.

Patterson added: "I can't retrieve it happening to this level successful top-level racing for a very, very agelong clip but unluckily it didn't spell according to scheme yesterday, and nan result is perfectly tragic.

"There are ever going to beryllium inherent risks to racing motorcycles astatine velocity and arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin do to find solutions to those problems and mitigate those risks, location will beryllium immoderate of them that still remain."

Laverty added: "We're not an outlier, it happens successful different sports. Unfortunately, our athletics is simply a small spot of a niche athletics globally and particularly successful nan UK, and past we get headlines whenever tragic incidents for illustration this happen."

There person been a number of changes made successful caller times to effort and make nan athletics safer.

"I've grown up pinch wrong nan sport, I've mislaid a fewer friends. You judge nan consequence arsenic portion of nan sport, it is inherently dangerous," Laverty said.

"We do everything we tin to mitigate nan consequence successful position of our information equipment, really nan riders thrust connected track, really nan arena organizers hole nan riders, whether it's young riders connected title track, really they look retired for their chap competitors, really they behaviour themselves, really nan marshalling is 2nd to none."

Patterson added: "We've seen really important steps successful nan past fewer years successful motorcycle racing.

"Things for illustration each nan riders now having airbag systems installed wrong their suits that detonate instantly upon detecting an effect aliases earlier an effect to trim soul damage.

"We've seen improved information standards for things for illustration helmets. We've seen much and much mandated top-quality rider protection equipment, some connected nan riders and connected nan broadside of nan track."

The adjacent arena of nan British Supersport Championship play is astatine Donnington Park from 16 to 18 May.

However, a number of riders will beryllium travelling to Northern Ireland for nan North West 200 pinch qualifying getting nether measurement connected Wednesday.

"I deliberation nan champion measurement we tin respect nan fallen is to spell retired location and do what we do champion and what we love," Laverty added.

"Obviously honour them, respect them, support nan families and teams that person been affected, but we'll beryllium backmost connected nan title way successful 2 weeks clip astatine Donnington Park and we'll spell and title pinch their memories successful each of our hearts."

Peter Hickman, a victor successful nan British Superbike Championship, North West 200 and Isle of Man TT, told BBC Sport NI: "Yesterday was tragic, location are nary different words to picture it. Both of nan guys I knew reasonably good and nan full paddock is successful mourning.

"We've sewage to clear it retired of our minds arsenic riders and thrust successful their memory. If that's thing we tin do, that's thing we will do."