Motorcycling: Tributes paid to Saintfield rider Davy Morgan
The 52-year-old died in yesterday's Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT
Tributes have been paid to Saintfield rider Davy Morgan, who died after a crash at the Isle of Man TT yesterday.
The incident occurred on the final lap of the first Supersport Race of the 2022 TT Races.
A stalwart of the TT paddock, with 2022 marking 20 years since he first competed in the Isle of Man TT Races. Yesterday’s Supersport Race was his 80th TT race start.
His distinctive pink helmet was a regular and recognisable sight within road racing, having competed in hundreds of races across the Manx Grand Prix, Classic TT, Southern 100, North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix, Macau Grand Prix, Oliver’s Mount, and Irish national races, with numerous podiums and race victories along the way.
Aged 52, Davy had contemplated walking away from the sport in recent years, but the COVID-enforced break had shown him what a life without racing would be like.
Speaking in 2020, he said, "Being away from racing has given me the chance to reflect on what motorbike racing means to me, so I’ve no desire to retire from the sport for a while yet, and it’s been a big part of my life for 27 years now.
"I’ve had the opportunity to see what it would be like without motorbikes, and I’m glad I had that because if I’d decided that I was finished, I’d have been kicking myself."
A statement released last night from the Isle of Man TT Races said: "Davy was well-respected and highly-experienced competitor. As a result, his peers looked up to him, learned from him, and loved to race with him. He will be sorely missed.
"Davy was a highly experienced TT competitor, having contested every TT since his debut in the 2002 Production 600 Race, and today’s Supersport Race was his 80th TT start.
"Davy’s TT career included a 7th-place finish in the 2006 Senior TT and a career-best 5th -place finish in the 2008 Lightweight TT. Davy had recorded 49 finishes which included 25 top-twenty results, and his previous performances had earned him 14 Silver Replicas and 30 Bronze Replicas.
"His best lap around the TT Mountain Course was at an average speed of 125.134mph which he set in the 2010 Senior TT.
"The Isle of Man TT Races pass on their deepest sympathy to Davy’s partner Trudy, his family, loved ones, and friends."