Isle of Man TT: Sidecar racer had passenger's dog tag - inquest

Olivier Lavorel and Cesar Chanal were competing at the TT for the first time

A French sidecar competitor who died at the Isle of Man TT was misidentified because he was carrying his teammate's dog tag, an inquest has heard.

Driver Cesar Chanal, 33, was fatally injured when his machine crashed on Quarterbridge Road on 4 June.

Organisers originally said that his passenger, Olivier Lavorel, had died.

The court heard the mistake had been made because an identifying tag found in the pocket of Mr Chanal's leathers had Mr Lavorel's name on it.

The crash happened at an area of the course known as Ago's Leap on lap one of the first TT sidecar race, which began at 15:15 BST.

The court heard one of the men was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was taken to Noble's Hospital before being transferred to the UK for treatment.

The men's injuries were so extensive that it was not possible for doctors to identify either of them using photographs provided by the race organisers.

'Distressing situation'

The medics found dog tags bearing each of the men's names in zipped pockets in their respective racing leathers.

The court heard it was a requirement for those taking part in the TT to wear the identification tags, which list the competitor's name and nationality.

Concerns were raised on 7 June over the identification when footage from the area was reviewed and differences were noticed with the men's racing helmets.

Checks with Walton Hospital, where the injured rider was being treated, found his blood type was that of Mr Lavorel not Mr Chanal.

In a statement read out in court, the team's mechanic Samuel Gash said he had overheard the men discussing how they would wear the tags because they did not have chains to hang them on.

Adjourning the inquest at Douglas Courthouse, Coroner Jayne Hughes said it was not known at this stage how the men came to have each other's tags.

It had been a "distressing" situation for everyone involved, she added, before urging people not to speculate about the incident on social media.