Daniel Hegarty: British motorcyclist dead at Macau Grand Prix
DANIEL HEGARTY has died following a crash at the Macau Grand Prix.
TWITTER
The British motorcyclist was killed after his helmet came off when he hit the barriers on the outside of the Circuito da Gula.
Hegarty was en route to hospital when he passed away following the accident at the Fishermen’s Bend corner.
The Macau Grand Prix Committee released a statement in the wake of the Nottingham-born rider’s death.
"The Macau Grand Prix Committee extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Daniel” it read.
"Daniel's family and team have been contacted, and the Committee will ensure every assistance is extended to them."
TWITTER
Hegarty’s girlfriend, Lucy Draycott, from East Bridgford, paid tribute to the 31-year-old on Facebook.
"It is with a broken heart to tell you that the love of my life passed away this morning,” she wrote.
"I just need time to take in what has happened and would appreciate if people could just be patient with me and wait for contact."
Hegarty, who regularly competed at the Isle of Man TT, was competing in the Macau Grand Prix for the second time having finished 16th in his first entry in 2016.
The race was abandoned following his crash, with fellow Brit Glenn Irwin declared the winner after the red flag.
TWITTER
It is with a broken heart to tell you that the love of my life passed away this morning
Irwin said his spot on the podium was "not a celebration", with no anthem or champagne as the ceremony was held.
"It's a very sad end to what has been a successful week,” Irwin told the BBC.
"The win is all irrelevant now and I wouldn't have won the race had it gone the distance.
"It's a tragic end to the day. That's road racing and it's tough. I'm still pretty new to it."
TWITTER
Topgun Racing Honda rider Hegarty is the first person to die at the Chinese street-race since Portugal's Luis Carreira was killed in qualifying in 2012.
BBC Northern Ireland’s Stephen Watson said teams and riders united when the news of Hegarty’s death broke.
"The reaction of winner Glenn Irwin said it all," said Watson.
"He was distraught as he returned to his garage after witnessing the aftermath of the high-speed crash.
"The pit lane, normally alive with the sound of engines, was eerily silent, and when the riders took to the podium to accept their trophies there were no celebrations, anthems or spraying of champagne.
"The motorcycling community is a very tight knit bunch and the teams and riders supported each other as the tragic news quickly filtered through."
