London - British rider Daley Mathison died in a crash on the opening day of the Isle of Man TT races on Monday, organisers said in a statement.
They said the 27-year-old, an experienced competitor on the Snaefell circuit with three podium finishes in the electric Zero TT, was killed at Snugborough on the third of four laps of the Superbike TT.
The race was stopped after the accident with Peter Hickman declared the winner, the result decided by positions after the second lap.
Mathison's wife Natalie paid an emotional tribute to him on Twitter:
"Daley, as Daisy says, is now sleeping with the fairies. That’s all I can bring myself to say right now. The last image I saw of my husband, was of a man so happy with life and so proud of his racing. xxxxxx"
Not something I ever wanted to write but here we go.....
Daley, as Daisy says, is now sleeping with the fairies. That’s all I can bring myself to say right now. The last image I saw of my husband, was of a man so happy with life and so proud of his racing. xxxxxx pic.twitter.com/wWCaDJwUht
— Daley Mathison (@DaleyMathison) June 3, 2019
The TT races around the island off the north-west coast of England have been run since 1907 and rank among the most dangerous in motorsport. Two riders died last year.