Both riders killed in the BSB Supersport crash at Oulton Park last year suffered “unsurvivable” injuries, an inquest in Warrington has heard.

The incident occurred in the British Supersport Feature Race at Oulton Park last year, during the season-opening BSB round in May.

Owen Jenner, 21, and Shane Richardson, 28, both died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, Jenner suffering head injuries and Richardson chest injuries.

The BBC reports that the inquests into the two riders’ deaths heard at Chester Coroner’s Court in Warrington that the injuries to both riders were determined to be “unsurvivable” in post-mortem examinations.

Additionally, the Belfast News Letter reports that the circuit was found to have met all the necessary inspection and licensing requirements by Cheshire Constabulary’s PC Andrew Balmforth, the Constabulary’s forensic collision investigator.

Evidence pointed to that the riders had been struck by other riders after they fell. It was deemed by PC Balmforth that this was unavoidable due to the proximity of the riders to each other and the high speeds of the bikes in the section of the track where the incident happened, exiting the first corner of the Oulton Park circuit.

BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs told the court that this part of the circuit is not usually considered to be high-risk, Belfast News Letter reports. 

He was asked by Jacqueline Devonish, senior coroner for Cheshire, whether motorcycle racing presents an inherent risk of death.

“Sadly it does,” the BBC reports he responded. “The riders sign a very cold declaration that they understand they may risk injury or death.”

Devonish concluded a verdict of accidental death for both Jenner and Richardson.

“On the strength of the evidence we have heard I am satisfied those governing the race at Oulton Park that race weekend followed all required procedure, insofar as they had undertaken the annual inspections appropriately and they had required licences from their riders," she said.