Haslam wins - then horror crash ends Oulton Park racing

LEON Haslam won his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship race since 2018 at Oulton Park - but his celebrations were curtailed by a fatal accident which followed in the supporting Supersport Championship.

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British rider Owen Jenner, aged 21, and New Zealander Shane Richardson (24) were killed in an 11-bike pile-up on the first lap of the race and the rest of the meeting was understandably cancelled.

Jenner was described as dying from “a catastrophic head injury” and Richardson from “severe chest injuries”, plunging the bike race world into shock.

Tom Tunstall (47) was the most seriously injured of the others in the crash and is being treated for “significant back and abdominal injuries” after the crash at the circuit in south Cheshire.

The meeting was being held over the Bank Holiday weekend with Derbyshire’s Kyle Ryde beginning the defence of the title he won in dramatic style last year and Derby's Haslam full of hope for a good season after switching to the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing team.

Haslam had been fastest in practice but it was Kent rider Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha), returning to BSB after a season in World Superbikes, who won Sunday's first race of the BSB season, with Northern Ireland's Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) second, Haslam third and Ryde fifth on his OMG Nitrous Competitions Yamaha.