A motorsport company has been fined more than £150,000 - nine years after a 52-year-old biker died in a crash during a track day at Oulton Park.

Motorsport Vision Ltd failed to assess the risks of its motor racing circuit at Oulton Park in Little Budworth, Chester Crown Court heard yesterday (October 3).

In a prosecution brought by Cheshire West and Chester Council, the motorsport company accepted its risk assessment was not ‘suitable and sufficient’. 

This comes after Michael 'Mick' Carson was killed when five bikers taking part in a track day at the circuit crashed on Saturday, October 5, 2013, at Hill Top - a blind-brow hill.

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Four riders were hurt in the accident, with two suffering life-changing injuries, but experienced motorcyclist Mr Carson, who lived in County Durham, died at the scene.

Motorsport Vision Ltd, having been given credit for a guilty plea, was fined a total of £158,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £250,000. 

The prosecution said the company decided to remove a marshal at Hill Top – a blind-brow hill – which meant they did not assess the risks to riders.

No criticism was made of the management of risk at other parts of the circuit or for other types of activities at Oulton Park.  

During the investigations, a previous and ‘strikingly similar’ incident in May 2013 also came to light.

CCTV footage showed Stephen Horton’s motorcycle was struck from behind causing him to fall in the rundown from Hill Top.

Mr Horton was uninjured on this occasion, but the court heard it should have alerted those in control of the circuit to the risks created by a lack of marshals at that location. 

Chester Crown Court was told, ‘had there been a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk, it would have led to the reinstatement of the marshal and/or the provision of a red light to have warned the riders of the risks that lay ahead’.

CCTV cameras were in place with a system of safety lights, but neither were adequate to properly manage the risks at Hill Top, the prosecution added.

The CCTV system had a blind spot in that location, meaning the control tower was unable to see a downed rider and the lighting system was too far away from the Hill Top location, meaning riders may have already passed it by the time it was eventually illuminated. 

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When Mr Carson fell from his bike following a touch incident, he came to rest close to the centre of the track out of sight of those controlling the lighting system.

He was struck by a number of riders who had not been adequately, or at all, warned about his presence on the ground.

It could not be determined if he had been killed as a result of the initial fall or as a consequence of being struck by those that followed. 

The prosecution recognised riding around a circuit like Oulton Park in groups and at speed is an inherently risky activity, but this case was instead about risks that were foreseeable and able to be controlled, reduced or eliminated by those who run the circuit.

Councillor Karen Shore, deputy leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and cabinet member, environment, highways and strategic transport said: “This case highlights the actions our regulatory services team can take to ensure the highest standards of safety are observed at events across our borough.

“The results of those safety standards not being observed are all too clear in this tragic case, that resulted in significant injuries whilst participating in a motor sport event. 

“Our thoughts are with the family of Michael Carson and the other riders that were involved in two separate accidents that should have been preventable.” 

After the incident, the company installed a marshal, light panel and two further CCTV cameras at Hill Top.

Other marshal boxes were also improved, and individual marshals were given control over red lights on the course. 

 

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