Tragedy at the Southern 100, two dead: one is Alan Connor

The streets of the Isle of Man they are tinged with blood again. After the tragedy at the Tourist Trophy claimed the lives of Raul Torras Martinez in the Supertwin category, this time they register two new victims at the Southern 100lower-level race held on the southern roads of the island, on the so-called Billow course. The veteran lost his life in the serious accident that occurred during qualifying on Tuesday evening Alan Connoraged 50, and the marshal Liam Clarke aged 66.

TWO MORE WOUNDED

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The balance of this very serious accident was made even heavier by the serious injury of another competitor and a spectator involved in the carambola: it is not known about their conditions. The loss of Connor is a major blow to the universe of British “gentleman riders”: known for wearing exclusively yellow and blue suits, he was a regular rider at the Ulster Grand Prix and the North West 200. On the Isle of Man, in addition to competing in the Southern 100 from 2017, he took part in the Manx Grand Prix from 2003 and then conquered thirty-six places at the Isle of Man TT Races.

RACE CANCELED

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Liam Clarke, the marshal who was killed, was a commissioner with decades of experience both in Road Races and on English tracks. The 2023 edition was the first at the Southern 100, but last year Clarke served at the Isle of Man TT Races. The loss of Connor and marshal Clarke was immediately commemorated by the English Road Races community, and as a sign of mourning the organizers of the Southern 100 decided to interrupt the event, also to allow local law enforcement agencies to carry out in-depth surveys on the place of the accident; at the moment, the dynamics of the accident are not yet known and the Police are urging any spectator present on the scene to deliver videos or photos to shed light on the episode. The 2023 edition of the Southern 100 saw one of this year’s TT star performers, Michael Dunlop, at the start.