Fire red-flags TT practice

Friday night’s practice was red-flagged at the Isle of Man TT due to fire on the course following a three-rider crash at the Black Dub, involving Belgian rider Michael Weynand, Ballymoney’s Victor Gilmore and Jim Hodson from Wigan.

According to eye-witness reports, Weynand’s Bolliger Kawasaki hit the wall, splitting the fuel tank and the contents set fire to the ivy and tree branches overhanging the wall.

Practice was halted at 18.50 while a local fire tender was despatched to deal with the blaze and a road sweeper to clear all the debris.

Weynand was taken to hospital to be treated for an ankle injury. Gilmore had a suspected shoulder injury while Hodson escaped without injury.

TT rookie Keith Amor arrived at the crash site as it happened. He said: “I’d followed the Kawasaki  guy but backed off a bit just before the Glen Helen section. Then I saw marshals running and the yellows out just as I arrived on the corner.

I braked as hard as I could and there was debris everywhere. I saw two guys on the track on the right and the Kawasaki guy on the left. And the ivy and trees were already burning.  I stopped the other side of the accident because it was obvious they’d red-flag it.”

John Barton also arrived as the marshals started dealing with the accident. He said: “I just saw the black smoke as I came on the corner and thought, ‘what’s gone on here?’ It was carnage. The road was littered with rubbish I had to thread through at walking pace.” 

Practice resumed an hour later.

Before the crash brought out the red flag, Guy Martin had stopped at Crosby.