Former road racing stars have paid tribute to Northern Ireland rider Davy Morgan who was killed in a crash at the Isle of Man TT on Monday.
The 52-year-old came off his machine at the 27th Milestone on the final lap of the Supersport race.
“Everyone in the paddock is heartbroken – Davy was a great ambassador for the sport and a character,” said 11-times TT winner Phillip McCallen.
“He is a massive loss to the sport, but most of all to his family and friends.”
Morgan had been competing in motorcycle racing for almost 30 years, with events held on public roads his primary passion.
Among his career highlights were 250cc wins at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix, plus a Senior Manx Grand Prix success in 2004.
The best result of his TT career was a fifth place in the Lightweight class in 2008 while he finished seventh in the ‘blue riband’ Senior race in 2006.
The Saintfield rider raced regularly on Irish national roads circuits, on the Isle of Man and at the Macau Grand Prix on a variety of machinery.
‘A stalwart of the sport’
“Anyone who is part of the road racing scene knew Davy Morgan. He was popular with everyone, an experienced competitor and a stalwart of the sport,” added McCallen.
“He would always help other riders in any way he could and had a great racing pedigree.”
Dungannon’s Ryan Farquhar, a three-time TT winner observed that Morgan was at a stage of his career where “he was not pushing to the limit”.
“The motorcycling family is in mourning and are finding it hard to take in that it has happened to Davy,” said Farquhar.
“He had so much experience and had been racing for years. Like a lot of us he probably thought it would never happen to him.
“He knew the risks but was prepared to take them because of his love for the sport. He just enjoyed his racing.
“He rode every size of bike and was an out and out road racer like myself, a genuine privateer.
“It is another massive blow for road racing.
“You just feel very sad for his family and friends who are left behind.”
‘Massively respected by everyone’
Former Irish Supertwin champion Jamie Hamilton, who suffered extensive injuries in a high-speed crash at the TT in 2015, said Morgan was “part of the furniture” in the road racing paddock.
“Davy was a permanent fixture at all the races – he helped show other riders the ropes and tried to help them improve.
“He was massively respected by everyone, so well thought of. He had such a passion for the sport and was so well liked.
“It’s just tragic it ended for him in the way it did.”
Morgan’s death was the third of this year’s TT races, with Welsh rider Mark Purslow and French sidecar passenger Olivier Lavoret also losing their lives.
