'Gentleman racer' had seconds to avoid bike left on track in fatal crash

Aran Sadler (Image: Aran Sadler Racing / Facebook)

A motorcyclist who "lived and breathed racing" and was described as a "gentleman racer" on the bike circuit had seconds to avoid a fatal crash, an inquest has heard.

Aran Sadler, 32, from Durham, died on April 11 during a race event at Oliver's Mount in Scarborough.

At an inquest into his death, held at Northallerton Coroner's Court on Monday (October 12), it was heard that Mr Sadler, an electrician by trade, was competing in the SuperSport A Race 1 at the Bob Smith Spring Cup on his green Kawasaki ZX636 bike when tragedy struck.

During the first lap of the competition, the inquest was told another motorcyclist taking part in the event, Joey Thompson, had crashed off the circuit, but his bike remained on the track.

Mr Sadler, who was behind Mr Thompson on the track, came off his own bike and collided with his fellow competitor's vehicle, it was revealed at Monday's hearing.

Aran Sadler (Image: Aran Sadler Racing / Facebook)

The 32-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, despite numerous attempts by emergency services to resuscitate him.

During the course of the inquest, senior coroner for North Yorkshire and York, Jon Heath, read out several testimonies from witnesses to the fatal crash, who described the incident as "happening so fast".

One account read out by Mr Heath was from David Turrell, a witness, who said: "The first rider had crashed off the track and had managed to leap over the safety barriers, but his bike was still on the track.

"The other rider came round the corner, fell from his bike and was sliding along the floor and collided with the bike on the floor."

The inquest later heard an account from Joey Thompson, the other rider who had crashed out of the race, who said he himself had been travelling at 90mph when he lost control.

Aran on the racing track (Image: Aran Sadler Racing / Facebook)

"My front wheel had lost grip, and my bike came to a skidding halt on the first lap and fell from under me," his witness account, which was read out by Mr Heath, said.

"For people watching, it might have seemed fast, but these bikes are capable of high speeds, and I was going 90mph.

"I managed to avoid contact with other bikes and got out of the way. As I was there, I saw another rider lose control."

Mr Thompson added that there wasn't anything unusual or defective about the track surface.

The inquest also heard from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which said that the race organisers had "taken all steps to ensure health and safety was maintained during the event" and added that no further action was taken by its inspectors.

Later in the hearing Detective Sergeant Marie Williams, from North Yorkshire Police, told the inquest, through a witness statement, that the police force had reviewed all of the videos and photos from the race and had concluded there was no third-party involvement and that, as soon as marshals became aware of the incidents, they raised the safety flags.

Aran gears up for a race (Image: Aran Sadler Racing / Facebook)

Senior coroner, Mr Heath, also read out a tribute from Mr Sadler's mum and dad, which described their son as a person who "lived and breathed racing" after getting his first motorbike at 11 and starting racing at 20-years-old.

The tribute read: "Aran was a shy child who always liked bikes. He was well liked by everyone who met him.

"He came out of his shell once he started working as an electrician and took over the business he was working for.

"As parents, we were proud of his business and everything he did.

"He was known on the circuit as the gentleman racer.

"Aran started racing bikes at age 20, and racing was his life.

"He was respectful to his family and friends and would do anything to help them.

Aran on the racing track (Image: Aran Sadler Racing / Facebook)

"He thought a lot of his family, and lived and breathed racing."

Concluding the inquest, Mr Heath ruled Mr Sadler's death as an accident, saying: "On balance, this was an accident at an organised race. Another rider's motorbike was on the track and Aran collided with it after he'd fallen off his own bike.

"It can't be decided how or why Aran lost control, and it's not for me to speculate.

"Aran's death was confirmed at 4.11pm at the scene, and a post-mortem gave his cause of death as hypovolaemic shock and a traumatic ruptured heart.

Following Mr Sadler's death, his fiancée, Lorna, paid tribute to her "incredible" husband-to-be.

She wrote: "We are all devastated by Aran's loss and are struggling to come to terms with it. Although we were aware of the risks of his sport, we never imagined we would be doing this.

"Aran was a fantastic motorcycle racer with incredible raw talent, but he was also a son, brother, and fiancé.

"As a family, we appreciate the lovely tributes being made to Aran via social media and directly to us. We already knew that Aran was an incredible man with a heart of gold and it is comforting to see that so many of you felt the same.

"Aran touched so many lives wherever he went, and it was clear that to meet Aran was to love him. He had the most beautiful, contagious smile.

"We appreciate everyone's support and understanding as we try to navigate our lives following his passing."