Hospital pressures halt Southern 100 practice

The first Southern 100 practice session of 2024 was called off due to pressure on capacity at the Isle of Man's main hospital after a crash during a familiarisation lap for newcomers.

The riders were red flagged at about 18:30 BST on Monday after the incident at Ballakeighan involving three bikes, which led to two riders being taken to Noble's Hospital.

Manx Care said that incident coupled with the admission of two "extremely unwell" patients from the community meant it could not safely care for another trauma case.

Competitor Anthony O'Carroll, of Tralee in County Kerry, was later transferred to the Walton Centre at 22:00 BST, where he remained in a critical condition, the health care provider confirmed.

A spokeswoman for the health care body said capacity at the facility had been assessed ahead of the start of the session and, despite the emergency department being "extremely busy" and the facility having one free bed in the intensive care, it was decided it had the "capacity to accept casualties from racing incidents".

However, following the admissions Manx Care had taken the "difficult decision to request from the race organisers that no further practicing take place due to the situation in the hospital", she said.

An assessment would be made on the hospital's capacity prior to the session scheduled for Tuesday evening, she added.

Race organisers have confirmed the second rider taken to hospital for treatment, Aidan Clearly from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland, was treated for an ankle injury but had since been discharged.

The third rider involved in the crash, Jacque Fole of Scariff in County Clare, was uninjured.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook, external and X, external? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk