Coroner of Inquests Jayne Hughes has today said she has sufficient evidence to ascertain that Cesar Chanal and Olivier Lavorel were wearing each other’s dog tags at the time of their crash during the first sidecar race of this year’s TT.

Cesar Louis Roger Chanal, 33, of Bron, France, died in the crash on Quarterbridge Road, having suffered what a pathologist described simply as ‘multiple injuries’.

Tragically, it was Mr Lavorel who was initially thought to have died, information which was stated by race organisers on the day of the crash, Saturday, June 4.

However, in the days after this concerns were raised over the identity of the dead man and subsequent investigations revealed it was Mr Chanal who had sadly died.

Today Mrs Hughes revealed that statements from doctors and police officers confirmed that the two riders had each other’s dog tags on, however she is not yet able to determine why this was the case.

The tags are a requirement for all riders in the TT and are used, in events such as this, to identify a rider who has been injured or died during racing.

In adjourning Mr Chanal’s inquest, Mrs Hughes extended her condolences to his friends and family and also expressed her sympathies to the family of Mr Lavorel for the emotional anguish they have suffered.

Mr Chanal’s inquest will be resumed at an as yet undetermined future date.