TT investigate Mercer crash

Riders give account of Mercer’s TT accident

After Dan Kneen’s fatal crash on the Wednesday night of TT 2018 practice week, a tragic evening was made even worse when a course car travelling to the scene collided with Steve Mercer. Mercer was riding behind Dan Cooper in a group of riders who were making their way back around the TT course in the wrong direction after Kneen’s crash at Churchtown, which at the time was the correct procedure for returning riders back to the paddock following an incident. Cooper, who was at the front of the group, explained what happened: “We were stopped at Glentramman when the red flags came out.

“There was a group of us sat there chatting with our helmets off; Steve, myself, Michael Sweeney, James Cowton, Jamie Coward, Derek McGee, Ivan Lintin, Ian Lougher and Daley Mathison. We were there for about 20 minutes. “There were three marshals there too. They told us to ride back under yellow flags.”

Cooper said there was no mention of a Travelling Marshal, who is equipped with a radio.

As the group headed back Cooper was at the front. “I kept looking behind me,” he said.

“I was almost doing the job of a travelling marshal.”

Cooper added that no-one made any attempt to stop the group as they travelled towards Ballacrye corner where the collision took place. “There were lots of marshals along the five or six miles of road and there were yellow flags but no-one was waving us down or trying to stop us.”

This is confirmed by Michael Sweeney who was travelling at the back of the group.

“We were told we had to obey the speed rules so we were touring, waving to the crowd and at the marshals who were waving back,” the Irish rider explained. “Other riders were stopped at Sulby Bridge but none of us stopped and we carried on past Sulby pub to Quarry Bends.”

The group was strung out on the road with Sweeney and McGee at the back. As they made their way through the series of corners at Quarry a marshal ran on to the road and stopped the pair. Sweeney explained: “When we asked why we had been stopped the marshal said there had been an accident at Ballacrye. Before that no-one had tried to stop us.” Cooper adds: “I had just gone over the jump at Ballacrye. I looked behind me and as I looked around again I saw a car coming at me on the apex of the corner.” Cooper managed to swerve out of the way of the Honda course car. Mercer, who was just behind Cooper, wasn’t so lucky.

“I was probably blocking Steve’s sight of the car,” Cooper said. “The car jammed on the brakes and swerved.”

In spite of the driver’s efforts, the car collided with Mercer.

“I looked back and saw Steve get hit,” Cooper said.