Photo: IOM TT
It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of Japanese rider Yoshinari Matsushita, killed during Qualifying, at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
Yoshinari Matsushita was a graphic designer and was 43, and had been racing at the Snaefell Mountain previously. The investigation didn't reveal special causes for his crash and subsequent death. According to Coroner John Needham, the popular Japanese rider's death as "by misadventure".
The Japanese rider crashed on the A3 road in the Ballacrye Corner and the session was immediately red flagged, with an investigation to follow immediately.
According to race organizers, the session had been already flagged for poor road grip and was not to be timed, because of weather condition. Patches of damp asphalt could be seen at the side of the road, but not on the racing line in the area, Ballacrye deputy sector marshal James Crowe says.
Crowe also says that Matsushita's bike started to wobble after a small jump, hit the curb and got airborne, later hitting a road sign and a tree. Yoshi died instantaneously and was found lying on the road with his helmet off, showing a fracture in the left side of the jaw area.
A 2008 Motegi Endurance race winner, Matsushita competed in the TT for the first time in 2009, being a regular in the Superstock and Superbike classes, but also finishing on a respectable 5th position in the 2011 TT Zero electric class.
We'll be back with news as details surface and we pass our deepest sympathy to his family.
The 240th casualty at the Isle of Man
Matsushita's demise rises the death toll to 240 at the Mountain course. However, since 2000, only twenty other riders lost their lives in the races. We hope that the numbers will dwindle in the future, washing away a bit of the deadly fame this amazing road race has.The Japanese rider crashed on the A3 road in the Ballacrye Corner and the session was immediately red flagged, with an investigation to follow immediately.
According to race organizers, the session had been already flagged for poor road grip and was not to be timed, because of weather condition. Patches of damp asphalt could be seen at the side of the road, but not on the racing line in the area, Ballacrye deputy sector marshal James Crowe says.
Crowe also says that Matsushita's bike started to wobble after a small jump, hit the curb and got airborne, later hitting a road sign and a tree. Yoshi died instantaneously and was found lying on the road with his helmet off, showing a fracture in the left side of the jaw area.
A 2008 Motegi Endurance race winner, Matsushita competed in the TT for the first time in 2009, being a regular in the Superstock and Superbike classes, but also finishing on a respectable 5th position in the 2011 TT Zero electric class.
We'll be back with news as details surface and we pass our deepest sympathy to his family.
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