Japanese racer Yoshinari Matsushitahas has died following an accident while qualifying for the Isle of Man TT.
According to several sources, Matsushitahas crashed in the Ballacrye section; he’s been racing the IOMTT since 2009. The 43-year-old raced electric and conventional motorcycles at the event in past years, finishing fifth in 2011’s TT Zero, and was supposed to race a BMW S1000RR and a GSX-R600 this year, but details of his crash aren’t available and it’s under investigation.
He is the 21st rider to die at the event since 2000.
For updates, keep an eye on the Isle of Man TT website.
Sad. My son and I were watching some IOMTT footage on YouTube last night and I marveled that nobody died last year. Not an hour after saying that, I found out about Matsushita-san’s demise. It’s always hard to lose somebody, but keeping it in the context of that person doing something they love makes it easier to bear.
I know I’d rather go out in a flash doing something I love than lie around experiencing a slow, lingering death.