An experienced sidecar driver died as a result of injuries to his head, neck and spine after being thrown into the air in a crash while competing in this year’s TT races. 

Coroner John Needham recorded a verdict of misadventure on 27-year-old Dwight Stewart Beare, who died during the first sidecar race on June 4 in an accident near the 16th milestone on the TT Mountain Course. 

Mr Beare, who was a carpenter by trade, lived at Greeba Drive in Onchan but was originally from Melbourne in Australia. 

A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr Ervine Long at Noble’s Hospital found he died from massive blunt force trauma which caused head, neck and spinal injuries. 

Mr Beare’s sidecar partner Benjamin Binns, who met Mr Beare in 2014 at the Southern 100 races, said in a statement read out in court: 

‘Dwight was on good form and was his usual chirpy self. He was looking well and appeared in good health. There was no change in Dwight’s behaviour immediately before the race. ‘I believe we had a good start and our pace was good. Dwight appeared to be fine, everything was fine.’ 

Mr Binns described the conditions on the day as ‘perfect’. He said that near Rhencullen the sidecar ‘stepped out to the left’ but then settled.

However it stepped out once more and then remembers being thrown into the air. He recalls seeing Mr Beare being pulled off the road by marshals and at that point realising that his partner was deceased. 

He believed they were going at a speed between 135 and 140mph when the crash took place. 

‘I will miss my friend dearly and his memory will live on,’ Mr Bins said. 

A witness, whose written statement was read out in court, said he saw both riders thrown in the air with one landing on the pavement and one on the road. 

Technical officers Mark Elliot and Trevor Denning both separately gave written statements. They inspected the machine the pair were racing and found it to be ‘free of any defects’ and complied with the technical regulations in force, however Mr Elliot recorded a potential issue of disc wear.

Following the accident, vehicle examiner Anthony Bode inspected the vehicle and prepared a report. He said that the braking system was working properly and that no defects would have contributed towards a collision and that the machine had been correctly prepared. He added that sight disc wear recorded previously would have not contributed to the cause of the crash. 

Delivering his verdict, Mr Needham said: 

‘Dwight was a young man in the prime of his life and he was doing what he loves. Of course, that’s no comfort to the people he left behind but he didn’t suffer and died instantaneously.’ 

Mr Needham offered his condolences to Mr Beare’s family.