Isle of Man TT organisers have announced a new red flag procedure following a collision between a course car and Steve Mercer during Wednesday’s qualifying session.
The incident occurred as Mercer was heading back to the TT Grandstand following Dan Kneen’s fatal crash at Churchtown 10 minutes into the session. The course car was on its way to the scene of the crash, after the red flag had been brought out.
Mercer was airlifted to Noble’s Hospital on the island before being transferred to Liverpool overnight for further treatment. The collision has left the Jackson Racing rider in a “critical but stable” condition in hospital.
It’s not yet known what caused the collision, however a new procedure has now been put in place to try and avoid similar accidents from occurring in the future. An official statement from TT organisers ACU Events Ltd read:
“A Red Flag instruction will apply to the entire TT Mountain Course irrespective of where that incident has occurred. There will be no movement on the TT Mountain Course by any rider until the incident has been cleared, regardless of how long that incident may take to clear.
“The riders will only be permitted to move in Course direction under the control of Travelling Marshals at the front and rear.”
The new procedure will take effect from tonight’s practice session, which is due to include the Superbikes, Superstocks, Supersports and Newcomers, followed by an outing for the Sidecars and a lap for the TT Zero machines.
