Raul Torras Martinez: Spanish TT rider died after losing control

Raul Torras Martinez was a police officer from Girona who rode in the TT races

A Spanish motorcycle rider who crashed while racing at the 2023 Isle of Man TT died after losing control of his bike, an inquest has heard.

Raul Torras Martinez, 46, crashed into a hedgerow at the Alpine section of the course on the last lap of the Supertwin race on 6 June.

The police officer from Girona, who made his TT debut in 2017, was thrown from the bike at about 19:25 BST.

Coroner James Brooks recorded a verdict of misadventure at Douglas Courthouse.

Mr Brooks said eyewitness and forensic evidence suggested that the Spaniard had crashed during an attempt to correct his bike after misjudging the racing line in the area of Alpine Cottage.

Torras Martinez had travelled a "significant distance" into an adjacent field after being thrown off his bike, and his injuries were not survivable, the coroner said.

Raul Torras Martinez first raced at the Isle of Man TT in 2017

The court heard a TT marshal who witnessed the incident said the racer appeared to be trying to rebalance his bike on the approach but the machine had "buckled".

Other witnesses said they heard a screeching noise and the sound of tree branches snapping, and later saw that his motorbike had been broken into multiple pieces in the road.

Medics responding to the incident found Torras Martinez, who had sustained multiple injuries, in the adjacent field.

Mr Brooks said the 46-year-old was an experienced rider and there was no evidence of issues with his bike, which had suffered heavy impact damage in the crash.

He said, while the racer had been on prescription medication, that had had no bearing on the crash, which was an "unintended consequence of an inherently risky act".

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Mr Brooks offered his condolences to the rider's family.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]