In our edition of Monday June 6, we announced the death of Sillingien Olivier Lavorel (35) in a sidecar accident which occurred two days earlier during the Tourist Trophy, one of the most dangerous motorcycle races in the world. taking place every year on the Isle of Man (England). This is an error: if Olivier Lavorel was indeed injured (and is currently in a worrying state), it is his pilot César Chanal, from Bron (Rhône), who lost his life in the crash .
When the death was announced, the organizers switched the two participants.
“We were contacted on Monday to go to Liverpool hospital to identify our son, explains Denis Lavorel, the father. Olivier’s brother therefore made the trip but when he arrived there, he realized that the body was not the right one. The reason, according to Denis Lavorel: the fact that the two competitors were not wearing their “pass” allowing them to be identified at the time of the shock. “It’s a mistake that could happen, a regrettable misunderstanding”, considers the Haut-Savoyard. And to wish, all the same, that the information circulates because for the past four days, the family has received “many phone calls and letters of condolence” while Olivier Lavorel is still fighting for his survival.
Since the creation of the Tourist Trophy in 1907, 262 pilots have lost their lives on the island’s roads, including three this year: Mark Purslow on June 2, César Chanal on June 4 and Davy Morgan on June 6.