Isle of Man TT corrects ‘mistaken identification’ of rider who died in sidecar crash

Olivier Lavorel was initially announced as the driver who had died in a crash last weekend, but race organisers have now confirmed it was his partner Cesar Chanal who passed away

Cesar Chanal and Olivier Lavorel were involved in a serious crash (Isle of Man TT Races)

Isle of Man TT organisers have corrected a case of “mistaken identification” following a fatal sidecar crash on Saturday.

Olivier Lavorel was initially annouced as the competitor who had died in the incident, with his teammate Cesar Chanal said to be in a Liverpool hospital receiving treatment for serious injuries.

However, four days later it has been confirmed that it was Chanal who passed away, and Lavorel who is in hospital. The families of the French duo have been informed.

Chanal was driving passenger Lavorel when the high-speed incident occured at Ago’s Leap during their opening lap on the Mountain Course. The race was red-flagged and the rest of the day’s schedule was abandoned.

An initial statement read: “The Isle of Man TT Races pass on their deepest sympathy to Olivier's family, friends and loved ones, and our thoughts and best wishes are with Cesar at this time.”

However, on Wednesday race organisers explained that they believed there had been a mistake in the identification process.

“One of the competitors sustained injuries that would not support life and was sadly decalared dead at the scene,” a statement read. “The second competitor was unconscious with severe injuries. The injured competitor was treated at the roadside before being transferred to Noble’s Hospital, and then airlifted to a specialist hospital in Liverpool to receive treatement.

“An initial identification procedure was conducted using established procedures and would appear to have resulted in a mistaken identification. We now believe it was Cesar Chanal who died at the scene of the accident on Saturday 4th June. Olivier remains in a critical condition and continues to receive treatment.”

It added: “A thorough review of the processes relating to the identification of competitors will take place in due course. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of both Olivier and Cesar at this truly devastating time. We ask that people do not speculate on social media.”

Two other racers have died during the 2022 meet. Welsh rider Mark Purslow died in a practice crash last week and Northern Irish rider Davy Morgan also suffered fatal injuries during a crash on Monday.