A three-day inquest into the death of William Dunlop has returned a verdict of death by misadventure at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court.
Dunlop lost his life in a crash during practice for the Skerries 100 race, in the late afternoon on July 7, 2018. Superintendent Edwards Carroll told the hearing that after a long-running investigation, the reason for the crash was deemed to be that the sump plug on the bike came off, covering the rear tyre with oil and causing Dunlop to lose control of the bike. The findings of Superintendent Carroll do not coincide with those of the family of the late Mr Dunlop, who commissioned their own expert report. That report found that the Mar-Train Yamaha R1 had been bottoming out, with Dunlop’s teammate Paul Jordan witnessing this on the laps leading up to Dunlop’s crash. Dunlop’s family are pointing to the bike being too low to the ground as the cause for this happening, and while this wasn’t admitted as evidence in this hearing, coroner Cróna Gallagher stated this would be looked into further in a different forum.
Garda Damien Farrell, a forensic collision investigator, also ruled out that there was any kind of rider error leading up to the crash, pointing to white smoke being emitted from the bike just before the incident as the main reason. Garda Farrell also ruled out any issues with the surface of the road in the area that Dunlop lost control.
A six-person jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure at the end of the hearing.
