'Nothing anyone could do' to prevent fatal crash

Yahoo

07-05-2025

'Nothing anyone could do' to prevent fatal crash
Motorbike racer Morgan McLaren-Wood, who was injured in the crash which killed two fellow riders on Monday, says "there was nothing anyone could do" to prevent the tragedy.
England's Owen Jenner, 21, and New Zealander Shane Richardson, 29, were fatally injured when 11 riders crashed during the British Supersport Championship race at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
Another rider, Tom Tunstall, suffered a broken bone in his neck while five riders, including McLaren-Wood, sustained minor injuries and three escaped unharmed.
"I was maybe a row behind Shane and Owen, maybe five or six bikes behind them - maybe a bit more," McLaren-Wood, who suffered a sprained wrist and bruising around his back and knee, told BBC Sport.
"It was just chaos - there was nothing anyone could do. There were bikes everywhere. There was nowhere for anyone to go - it's such a tight track and there's not really any run-off on it either."
Richardson and McLaren-Wood forged a relationship in their homeland of New Zealand before both moved to the UK.
McLaren-Wood said his compatriot helped him adjust to living in England and was always happy to offer advice about racing and life in general.
Richardson was a joiner since the age of 16 and ran a joinery business alongside his racing career. He and his partner Hannah James have two children, Maddie and Max.
"Shane was such a lovely guy. After every race he'd always have a chat back in the pits, he'd ask me how my race went, I'd ask about his and he'd give me advice on how to get better and where to improve," McLaren-Wood said.
"He was such a loving dad. I can't imagine what they're going through right now, it's so sudden and unexpected."
McLaren-Wood said he did not know Jenner "as much as I would have liked".
Jenner, from Crowborough in East Sussex, started his racing career in Junior Motorcross before progressing to the tarmac.
He won the 2018 Team Green, 2020 Junior Supersport and 2023 Junior Superstock titles. Jenner joined the Kramer Team for the 2024 British GP2 season, winning the title with 18 wins out of 20 race finishes.
'Always ways to improve safety in elite sport'
Fatalities are rare in motorbike racing, but unfortunately not unheard of.
British Superbikes rider Chrissy Rouse died after a crash at Donington Park in 2022.
Superbikes can reach speeds of up to 200mph, and the bikes used in Supersport regularly clock well in excess of 100mph.
Former rider and MLav Racing owner Michael Laverty told BBC Sport that the riders were probably reaching speeds of "about 90 to 100mph" when they crashed on the opening corner of Oulton Park on the first lap.
McLaren-Wood, who races for Josh Davis Motorsport By UGGLY & Co Kawasaki, expects the incident to impact some of the riders, but insisted they all enter the sport knowing the risks.
"I think it will affect a few people," McLaren-Wood said.
"Most of us out there know it's the sport we love to do and we will go out there fighting again, and avoid anything like that happening again."
Motorsport Vision Racing (MSV), who are responsible for circuit operations at Oulton Park, and the Motorcycle Racing Control Board (MCRCB) said on Monday they are "investigating the full circumstances of the incident in conjunction with the Coroner and Cheshire Constabulary".
"I think there are always ways to improve in safety in elite sport," McLaren-Wood said when asked what the sport could learn.
"Maybe there were too many riders out there, I don't really know. I'm not a safety expert, but I think it was mostly a tragedy."
The Oulton Park event marked the beginning of the 2025 British Superbikes season, with a further seven rounds set to take place across the UK before three 'showdown' events.
The Supersport Championship is a support class to the main British Superbike series.
The next event of the British Supersport Championship season takes place at Donington Park on 16-18 May.