Horrific update after superbikes tragedy as private family details emerge
The devastated girlfriend of a Superbike rider who died in a horrific pile-up lost her previous boyfriend in a tragic motorcycle crash nine years ago.
Former grid girl Hannah James, 25, lost her boyfriend Shane Richardson, 29, after he died, alongside Owen Jenner, 21, in the devastating 11-bike smash on Monday.
The riders went down at the very first turn of the race at Oulton Park in Cheshire, with horrific live footage showing how one racer lost control before skidding across the tarmac into the path of other bikers.
The Sun now reports Hannah had also lost her previous boyfriend, Billy Redmayne, 25, to a horrific racing accident in 2016.
On Monday, Shane, dad to two young kids, passed away after being treated for 'severe chest injuries', following the 11-man pile-up which was witnessed on live TV.
21-year-old Owen was also killed following the shocking crash at the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship.
An investigation has been launched by police into the tragic crash.
Shane's heartbroken girlfriend has since shared an emotional family photo, showing Shane proudly standing with his young daughter, Maddie, while holding his toddler son, Max.
Next to a broken heart emoji, one friend wrote: 'The most picture perfect family.
'Your love for each other was beautiful, which will live on in beautiful Maddie and Max.
'Sending so much love to you all.'
It's the second tragedy for Hannah, following the death of Billy in 2016.
The paratrooper, who had been friends with Shane before his death, suffered fatal injuries in a tragic crash at the Oliver's Mount Spring Cup in Scarborough.
Despite being airlifted to hospital, his brain injuries were too severe to recover from, MailOnline reports.
His life support machine was then turned off on his two-year anniversary with Hannah.
Billy, of Laxey on the Isle of Man, won the Junior Manx Grand Prix in 2015 and was considered one of the sport's hottest prospects.
Hannah previously posted on Facebook: 'Today was also the day that I lay in Billy's arms whilst he took his last breath.
'Words cannot describe how hard this is for us all, and to be honest it hasn't really sunk in yet.
'Saying goodbye to him was the hardest thing I have ever done.
'Happy Anniversary Billy. Sleep tight my love, until we meet again.'
Billy was a serving member of the Parachute Regiment who had served in Afghanistan.
In 2016, Shane had shared a photo of himself, Hannah and Billy in a tribute after the biker's death, before going on to date her.
Ahead of his tragic death on Monday, business owner Shane, originally from New Zealand, posted a video on Facebook with him geared up for the race.
In one of his final posts, he said: 'Race two ready! Let's Go!'
Shane, who moved to the UK in 2019, was racing for Astro-JJR Hippo Suzuki.
He had finished ninth in last year's British Supersport Championship, having previously been crowned New Zealand rider of the year.
In the tragic 'chain reaction' crash on Monday, multiple bikes began piling into each other, after one rider lost control and veered across their paths.
One bike even caught fire in the devastating scenes as medics rushed to try and limit the damage.
Tom Tunstall, 47, was quickly taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with significant back and abdominal injuries, while five other riders were treated for minor injuries at the track.
The event at Oulton Park was subsequently cancelled.
Speaking out for the first time since the tragedy, fellow racer Morgan McLaren-Wood, who survived the crash, took to social media to share his sadness at the deaths.
He wrote: 'Struggling to find the words for what happened today. Rest in peace, Shane and Owen.
'My heart goes out to both of their families during this heartbreaking time.'
Shortly after the crash, the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing issued a statement confirming the tragic deaths of Shane and Owen.
While Shane died from his 'severe chest injuries', Owen tragically passed away after suffering a 'catastrophic head injury'.
The statement read: 'At the start of this afternoon's Quattro Group British Supersport Championship race at Oulton Park, exiting turn one, Old Hall corner on the first lap, there was a chain reaction incident involving 11 riders falling.
'The race was immediately stopped, and trackside medical services deployed.
'Due to the extreme severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship event was cancelled.
'This catastrophic accident has tragically resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another sustaining significant injuries.
'The Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board and MotorSport Vision Racing are investigating the full circumstances of the incident in conjunction with the Coroner and Cheshire Constabulary.'
Cheshire Police also confirmed it would be investigating the two deaths.
A spokesman for the force said: 'Police are investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner following a multiple collision at Oulton Park this afternoon.
'Emergency services were called to the scene following the collision which resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another with serious injuries.'
— This story originally appeared on The Sun
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Hearts are hurting': Loved ones mourn ‘unfathomable' loss after body of missing woman Esme Caverly found
The loved ones of a young woman who was found dead in a NSW state forest have described her as a 'force of nature' whose 'absence is unfathomable'. Esme Caverly, 25, was reported missing in May. She was last seen at the Minyon Falls Lookout in the Whian Whian State Forest, an area she was known to frequent about 20km of Lismore. Ms Caverly's body was found days later. Police said her death was not suspicious. One of Ms Caverly's closest friends described the 25-year-old as vibrant, creative and witty and said 'many hearts are hurting' following her death. 'Esmé's recent and unexpected death has deeply affected her family, friends, colleagues and the Byron Shire Community. Her absence is unfathomable and many hearts are hurting,' her friend wrote for a fundraiser. 'Esmé was kind, gentle, inclusive and compassionate – her innate ability to connect with and comfort others was astounding. 'A young woman who moved through life with both strength and softness; she was a force of nature.' The GoFundMe was launched to raise money for Ms Caverly's funeral and for her final resting place in Byron Bay, allowing her loved ones to 'continue to be close to her'. 'The cost of a burying a loved one is significant, especially for a pensioner,' the fundraiser read.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Mindless violence': Riots in Northern Ireland over teens' rape charges
Politicians and authorities across Northern Ireland have pleaded for calm after two nights of 'disgraceful' and violent protests, triggered by the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl. The unrest that injured 15 police officers on the first night and 17 on the second has included rioters throwing petrol bombs, fireworks and bricks at homes and businesses in the town of Ballymena. The violence erupted after the arrest of two teenagers, who have been accused of attempting to rape a young girl over the weekend. The pair, both aged 14, appeared in court on Monday local time where they asked for a Romanian interpreter. 'We strongly condemn the racially-motivated violence witnessed in recent days and make an urgent appeal for calm across society,' ministers from every party in the province's power-sharing executive said in a joint statement. Residents had been 'terrorised' and police injured, they added, before urging people to reject the 'divisive agenda being pushed by a destructive minority'. 'There can never be any justification for the violence that has taken place in recent days,' the leaders said. Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who is the republican Sinn Fein party's vice president, called the riots 'abhorrent'. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the 'mindless' violence that had targeted foreigners. 'I utterly condemn the violence that we have seen overnight in Ballymena and in other parts of Northern Ireland,' the leader told parliament, adding it was 'absolutely vital' that local police were able to investigate the alleged sexual assault 'rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe'. Police 'prepared' for more Six people were arrested during the second night of protests in Ballymena, which is located around 48 kilometres northwest of Belfast, and other places. Authorities would not confirm the ethnicity of the two teenagers accused of the rape, and they remain in custody. However, areas attacked in the past 48 hours included those where Romanian migrants live. Four houses were damaged by fire, while rioters smashed windows and doors of homes and businesses. 'Police officers came under sustained attack over a number of hours with multiple petrol bombs, heavy masonry, bricks and fireworks (thrown) in their direction,' the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said in a statement. Some of the injured officers required hospital treatment. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson told a press conference this morning that his 'nearly 30 years in policing makes me absolutely alert to the fact we could see more tonight, and that's why we're preparing and planned for that'. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour, while a sixth was detained on suspicion of disorderly behaviour in Newtownabbey, one of four other places including Belfast where protests erupted. 'Terrifying' Tensions in Ballymena, which has a large migrant population, remained high on Tuesday local time. Residents told AFP of 'terrifying' scenes in which attackers targeted 'foreigners'. Assistant Chief Constable Henderson denounced the violence as 'racist thuggery' and that was 'clearly racially motivated and targeted at our minority ethnic community and police'. The unrest comes as immigration is increasingly a hot-button issue across the United Kingdom and in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland. Former Northern Ireland minister Lord Caine hit out at the protesters: 'There is nothing remotely British about wrapping oneself in the Union flag, attacking migrants, forcing people from their homes and scapegoating entire communities anywhere in the United Kingdom.' Official figures do not indicate how many are longstanding residents or recent immigrants but the last census in 2021 put the number of Romanian-born people living in the province at 6,612.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
How riots erupted in Northern Ireland after an alleged sex assault
Violence erupted on the streets of the Northern Irish town of Balleymena for a second night in a row this week. WARNING: This story contains references to sexual assault. Masked rioters clashed with police and set homes and cars on fire in the town, with authorities condemning the scenes on Monday and Tuesday, local time, as "mindless violence". The violence was triggered by the alleged sexual assault of a young girl on Monday in the town, located not far from the Northern Ireland capital of Belfast. Authorities have pleaded for calm to allow police to investigate the crime, which has stoked tension in communities which have been divided by sectarian violence in the past. Here's what we know about the incident. The community of Ballymena was rocked after news that a teenage girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in the town on Saturday evening. Two 14-year-old boys appeared in court on Monday, charged with attacking her. The BBC reported that their charges were read out to them via a Romanian interpreter, and they later entered not guilty pleas. Following a peaceful march in support of the victim, a crowd of mostly young people set fire to several houses and pelted police with projectiles. After dark on Monday and Tuesday, masked rioters clashed with police in Ballymena. There were also reports of incidents in the towns of Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, and in Belfast. Police said posts on social media were helping fuel what Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson called "racist thuggery." At least 32 police officers have been injured since the violence began, authorities say. Police in Northern Ireland sporadically come under attack whenever tensions rise in parts of the British region, 27 years after the Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence. Five people were arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour on Tuesday, following one arrest there on Monday, police say. Officers in riot gear and driving armoured vans responded on Tuesday with water cannon and non-lethal rounds, known as attenuated energy projectiles, after being attacked by petrol bombs, scaffolding and rocks that rioters gathered by knocking down nearby walls, a Reuters witness said. Police are investigating after attacks on properties during the violence that saw four houses damaged by fire. They say the attacks could be racially-motivated "hate crimes". One Romanian resident told the Irish Times on Tuesday that she was putting a British flag on her front window in a bid to prevent being targeted. Another door had a British and Filipino flag with a message saying "Filipino lives here", a photograph in The Belfast Telegraph showed. Jim Allister, leader of the conservative party Traditional Unionist Voice, said "unchecked migration, which is beyond what the town can cope with, is a source of past and future tensions." Northern Ireland has a long history of street disorder stretching back to tensions between the British unionist and Irish nationalist communities. Though three decades of violence known as the Troubles largely ended after the 1998 peace accord, tensions remain between those — largely Protestants — who see themselves as British and Irish nationalists, who are mostly Catholic. In Belfast, "peace walls" still separate working-class Protestant and Catholic areas. Street protestors sometimes still clash with police when there are moments of tension. Separately, anti-immigrant violence erupted in Northern Ireland, as well as England, last year after three girls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the north-west England town of Southport. Authorities said online misinformation wrongly identifying the UK-born teenage attacker as a migrant played a part. Police condemned the latest violence and said they would call in officers from England and Wales to bolster their response if needed. All the parties in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government issued a joint statement appealing for calm and urging people to reject "the divisive agenda being pursued by a minority of destructive, bad faith actors." They also urged people to allow the justice process to "take its course so this heinous crime can be robustly investigated". ABC/Reuters/AP
