Manx Grand Prix confirms death of a second rider after qualifying incident
A second rider has tragically died following an incident during Wednesday afternoon’s Manx Grand Prix qualifying
Manx Grand Prix rider Sam Naughton has died following an incident during Wednesday afternoon’s final qualifying session.
Aged 37, Naughton tragically passed away after suffering an accident at Doran’s Bend.
His death marks the second fatal accident to happen in as many days, after a Swiss rider was killed following a two-rider incident during Tuesday evening’s first qualifying session.
Wednesday’s schedule had already been changed to accommodate Monday’s cancelled sessions, and Tuesday evening’s running, after organisers cancelled nearly the entire Tuesday schedule following the two-rider incident.
Born in Castletown, Isle of Man, Naughton had been a regular competitor on the road racing scene since 2020, and was making his second appearance at the Manx Grand Prix.
A statement from the Manx Grand Prix said: “The Manx Grand Prix Races is deeply saddened to announce that Sam Naughton, 37, from Castletown, Isle of Man, died in an incident during Wednesday afternoon’s qualifying at the 2026 Manx Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Doran’s Bend, during the third qualifying session of the event.
“Having made his debut in 2025, Sam was in his second year of competing at the Manx Grand Prix, and was a regular competitor at a number of other road racing events since he began racing in 2020.
“The Manx Grand Prix Races pass on their deepest sympathy to his wife Charlotte, his children Bonnie, Liam, Jesse and Parker, his family, and friends.”
Due to the tragic accidents of the last two days, the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT is set for further schedule changes today.
Roads on the Isle of Man will close at around 12:30pm, with organisers set to use a second contingency session this afternoon. Roads will briefly reopen at 4:30pm, before closing again at 6pm for this evening’s sessions.
