Motorcyclist Mark Purslow has tragically died whilst competing at this year's Isle of Man TT Races event. Purslow was involved in a fatal crash on Wednesday, after being out on the track competing in a qualifying session.
The event confirmed Purslow's death on Wednesday evening following a statement on their official website. They wrote: "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Mark Purslow following an incident in this evening’s qualifying session. All our thoughts are with his family, friends and loved ones.
"Mark made his first appearance on the TT Mountain Course at the 2015 Manx Grand Prix where he won the Lightweight Race on his debut.
"He graduated to the Isle of Man TT Racesin 2017, competing in the Supersport and Lightweight classes – 2022 was his second TT. Mark was also an experienced classic racer, competing at the Classic TT in 2016, 2018, and2019, with a best result of 14th in the 2019 Junior Classic TT."
In the same qualifying session Purslow recorded his fastest ever lap on the TT Mountain course, which clocked in at a speedy 120.86mph, the first lap in which he exceeded the 120mph barrier.
Just hours before his death the driver posted on his personal Twitter account - which has since been flooded with fan tributes - informing his fans of a time change to the said session. Following the incident, the official Isle of Man Twitter account initially confirmed that qualifying had been stopped for a red flag.
Just 15 minutes later the official feed went on to confirm that the Sidecar session was cancelled due to the incident, before the news of Purslow's tragic death was released two hours later. Following the suspension, qualifying is expected to return tomorrow, with the event adding in their statement: "The TT Races will continue – but always with Mark in mind."
