Martin Finnegan dies in Irish road race

IRISH MOTORCYCLE racer Martin Finnegan died in a crash while taking part in a road race. Three spectators were injured, one a woman who suffered head injures, when Martin Finnegan crashed at the Tandragee 100 meeting in Co Armagh.

He was on the second lap of a 600cc race when he crashed off the circuit at the Marlacoo corner, close to the Marlacoo Lake.

The 29-year-old married father of one from Lusk, Co Dublin, had scored a spectacular victory earlier at the popular annual meeting. A former Manx Grand Prix winner he had been racing since 1997. Race organisers abandoned the rest of the meeting as a mark of respect.

Finnegan's fellow-competitor Ryan Farquhar said after the accident that oil had been coming out of the Dubliner's bike.

"His back tyre was covered in oil," added Farquhar.