Franck Petricola Killed in Isle of Man TT Qualifying Crash

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

French racer Franck Petricola has died following an accident during a qualifying session at the Isle of Man TT.

Petricola, 32, crashed at Sulby Crossroads near the 19-mile mark of the Mountain Course during qualifying for the TT Superbike class.

Though a regular competitor in the International Road Racing Championship, Petricola was making his first appearance in the Isle of Man TT. Petricola had actually intended to make his debut at last year’s event but suffered serious injuries after crashing in the 2014 North West 200.

“Franck showed incredible character to battle back from the serious injuries he suffered at the North West 200 last year when many a lesser man would have given up the challenge but it showed his determination to compete on the mountain course,” says Gary Thompson, Isle of Man TT Races clerk of the course. “The road racing community has lost a remarkable man and I extend my deepest sympathy to his family and friends.”

A coroner has opened an investigation into the accident.

[Source: IOMTT]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

More by Dennis Chung

Comments
Join the conversation
Next