Statement Issued from the Southern 100 at 19:00 on 14th July

It is with great sadness that the Southern 100 Road Racing Club can confirm that rider Alan Connor, aged 50 from County Meath was killed in the serious incident that occurred on the final lap of Tuesday evening’s 1100cc Practice Session of the 2023 Southern 100 Races. It is with a deep sense of sorrow that the Southern 100 can further confirm that this incident also sadly resulted in the fatality of race marshal Liam Clarke, aged 66, from Wigan.

Alan was an experienced Southern 100 competitor, having made his Billown Course debut in 2017. Alan was known by many for his blue and yellow leathers and competed regularly at the Ulster Grand Prix and North West 200. Alan was also a stalwart of the Mountain Course, making his debut in the 2003 Manx Grand Prix, before graduating to the Isle of Man TT Races where he recorded 36 race finishes and achieved a fastest lap of 119.304mph.

Liam was an experienced marshal that had travelled over to the Isle of Man for the event. Although the 2023 meeting was his first time marshalling on the Billown Course, Liam had previously marshalled across other motorsport events including the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races.

The loss of both Alan and Liam is felt deeply amongst the racing community. The Southern 100 Road Racing Club pass on their deepest sympathy to Alan and Liam’s families, loved ones, and friends.