TWO motorcyclists suffered unsurvivable injuries in a crash during a British Superbike Championship race, an inquest heard.
Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 29, died after the collision in which multiple riders fell at the first corner at Oulton Park race track in Tarporley, Cheshire, on May 5 last year.
The crash happened about 300 metres from the start line, as Shane was the first of the riders to lose control of his bike because of over-acceleration and then over-correction, as he was propelled into the path of his fellow competitors.
A hearing into their deaths on Tuesday was told Owen was unable to avoid other motorcyclists trying to steer clear ahead of him and he too was thrown from his bike.
Owen was pronounced dead at the scene with head injuries, after the mid-afternoon collision, while Shane died from chest injuries two hours after the crash, while medics tried in vain to save his life en route to Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Post-mortem examinations found their injuries were “unsurvivable”.
Race director Stuart Higgs, of organisers Motor Sport Vision Racing, told the inquest in Warrington, Cheshire, that the first corner, known as Old Hall corner, was not considered to be an area of high risk, with no previous fatalities.
The maximum number of competitors permitted to ride at Oulton Park – 2.7 miles in length – was 40, with three riders on rows set nine metres apart.
Some 37 competitors lined up for the first race of the 2025 season on the Bank Holiday weekend, the inquest heard.
Asked by senior coroner for Cheshire, Jacqueline Devonish, whether the sport involved an inherent risk of death, Mr Higgs replied: “Sadly it does.
“The riders sign a very cold declaration that they understand they may risk injury or death.
“It is a high-risk sport but the flipside for many riders, if you were to ask them, is the appeal of the danger and thrill of doing it.
“Our job is to eliminate all unnecessary inflated risk to the best of our ability but the very nature of motor racing cannot eliminate that 100%.”
Cheshire Constabulary forensic collision investigator Pc Andrew Balmforth said he was satisfied there were no issues with the race track and that licence and inspection requirements had been obtained beforehand.
He said the evidence was that other riders may have struck either or both Shane and Owen on the ground, but because of the speed at which they were travelling and the tight space within the pack, it was not possible to avoid them.
Cheshire Coroner’s Court was told Owen, of Crowborough, East Sussex, had been riding motorcycles from the age of six and was considered a “rising star” after he won three British championship titles across different classes.
His parents, Michael and Emma Jenner, had travelled to Cheshire for the weekend and Micheal said his son was “excited” to start the race.
Hannah Wright, long-term partner of New Zealander Shane, said he had ridden motorcycles competitively from the age of four and had a “very successful” international career and had gained “exceptional racing experience”.
He moved to the the UK in 2019 and set up his own joinery business as well as working as a test rider for Triumph Motorcycles.
She said: “Prior to the race we had a laugh and a banter in the garage with his team. Everybody was in great spirits that day. We even spoke about how we had such a good feeling for the season that year.”
She said he was in good health and “feeling really good on that weekend” but the inquest heard that in February 2024 he complained to a GP trainee about motion sickness which sometimes included blurred vision.
Shane mentioned the episodes seemed to occur when he was accelerating or decelerating on his bike, and he was given a course of tablets and told not to drive if he felt impaired.
A performance test in 2017 also revealed the left side of his back was underdeveloped compared to his right, and would affect his ability to negotiate right-hand corners.
Ms Wright said she was not aware her partner had complained of blurred vision and that he was a “very responsible person and rider”.
Ms Devonish said although there were some doubts that Shane was in good health at the time of the collision she said there was “no evidence to directly suggest he was not”.
Recording conclusions of accidental death for Owen and Shane, she said: “On the strength of the evidence we have heard I am satisfied those governing the race at Oulton Park that race weekend followed all required procedure, insofar as they had undertaken the annual inspections appropriately and they had required licences from their riders.
“I extend my condolences to both families who are not present today, understandably, and to wish them all the best for the future.”
