An independent inquiry into what could have been a multiple-fatality collision during this year’s TT has been held in private.

And only parts of the report into the incident involving TT competitor Steve Mercer will be made public.

Steve Mercer was critically injured when red-flagged TT riders were allowed to travel back to the Grandstand the ’wrong way’.

The inquiry into that incident is nearing completion.

It has been led by lawyer Rob Jones, a former chief executive of the Motor Sports Association, who will report back with its findings to the board of directors of ACU Events.

The TT clerk of the course, Gary Thompson, said it would be for the board to decide which elements of the inquiry will be made public or whether only a summary will be published.

Steve Mercer was airlifted to Aintree hospital in Liverpool after his machine was involved in a head-on collision with an official course car at Ballacrye, near Ballaugh, following a red-flagged evening qualifying session on May 30.

He was with a group of riders who had been instructed to return to the Paddock anti-clockwise round the course. They were travelling at reduced speed.

accident

The course car, driven by an ACU official with a police sergeant and constable as passengers, was on its way to the accident near Churchtown, which claimed the life of Manx TT star Dan Kneen.

One former roads policing officer described the incident as a ’catastrophic systems failure’.

Inquiries have focused on how the riders came to be given instruction to return to the Grandstand the ’wrong-way’, without an escort.

Mr Thompson told the Examiner: ’There won’t be a public inquiry.

’Rob Jones [a qualified lawyer who led the MSA through the Jim Clark Rally investigations] has been working closely with the ACU loss adjusters and has almost completed the Independent Inquiry.

’The inquiry will be completed in readiness for the ACU board of directors meeting taking place on September 19.

’As I understand it, there will be no interim report and the ACU board will decide what elements of the Inquiry will be made public or whether a summary will be published.’

Steve Mercer suffered a brain injury in the collision, together with fractures to his larynx, pelvis, femur ankle and heel, and damage to his back.

His condition has since stabilised and he has been moved out of critical care. A crowd-funding campaign has raised more than £34,000 towards his battle for recovery.

A marshal who was on duty on the Mountain during the May 30 qualifying session told the Examiner that a message came through on the radio that riders would be allowed to go back anti-clockwise to the Grandstand.

He said: ’They were referring to riders on the Grandstand side of where the accident happened. We certainly took it to mean that further instructions would follow about precisely when that would happen and how.’

crash

One of those riders halted at Sulby Bridge was Dan Kneen’s brother Ryan, who was unaware that his sibling had been involved in the crash.

The day after the incident, the clerk of the course put in place a strict red flag procedure with immediate effect.

Riders will not be allowed to move until a red flag incident has been cleared, regardless of how long it may take to clear. And they will only be permitted to move in course direction and under the control of travelling marshals at the front and rear.