Spotlight on red-flag system after rider killed in pile-up

A horrific crash at Manfeild raceway has raised questions about the red-flag system used to stop racing motorcyclists on the track.

Owen Brunton, 50, was killed in a 200km/h crash on the start-finish straight at Feilding's Manfeild raceway on Saturday, when a group of riders collided with others in the race who had stopped for a red flag.

Seven other riders were injured.

Motorcycling New Zealand president David Appleton said race stewards would give him a report today on what went wrong and they would work with police, who were also investigating.

Police will today start looking at video footage taken by spectators and they have asked anyone who filmed the accident to contact them.

Occupational Safety and Health and the Victoria Motorcycle Club, which organised the event, are also investigating.

Mr Appleton said the red flags were used to stop a race and were generally clearly visible to warn riders to stop.

There were normally three or four flags, which were held high. Given the speed the bikes travelled, riders generally looked well ahead to see where they were going.

"I don't know - maybe the riders at the rear didn't see the red flag. Something did go wrong and we have to make sure it never happens again."

The flags had gone up to stop the race because there had been a crash on the first lap, on the back straight, and a bike had caught fire.

Mr Appleton said the motorcycling community was in shock.

"The thing about motorcycling is it's a very close-knit family and people will be feeling this very, very hard."

Two of the three riders who were admitted to hospital have now been discharged. A 32-year-old man remains in Palmerston North Hospital in a stable condition.

Four riders were treated at the track for minor injuries.

Yesterday, Mr Brunton's widow, Denny, said her husband had a passion for motor bikes and racing.

He had raced motocross as a young man, and had got back into the sport only in the past few years.

Mr Brunton went to race meetings about twice a month, she said.

He was not seriously competitive and it was more a social thing.

"He was just one of the boys going out and having a good time."

Mrs Brunton said she and their children, Yvette, 19, and Michael, 18, sometimes went to watch him race, but it was a sport he mainly enjoyed with his good friends.

"Those people were with him [when he died]."

Mrs Brunton was playing netball when she got the call her husband had been in the crash.

She said he was a loving man and a brilliant father.

Motorcycle club secretary Phil Snowdon, who was in the leading pack during the pile-up, said motorcycle enthusiasts were reeling from Mr Brunton's death.

"It is the first death in my involvement with motorsport."

Mr Snowdon had been in the field of about 40 F3 Superlite riders when the race was stopped with a red flag.

But as the field slowed to a halt - with Mr Snowdon already stopped in the leading pack on the stop/start line - one or more riders are believed to have ploughed into the pack from behind. "I was stationary, so immediately knew what was going on behind me," Mr Snowdon said.

He said emergency services reacted quickly to the pile-up, which happened about 12.45pm.

"There is always a St John ambulance on standby at the track, but other emergency services arrived within minutes of being called," said Mr Snowdon.

"I was very, very lucky."

The Victoria club had about 140 members and held race meetings every month or six weeks.

Constable Andrew Livingstone of Feilding said police would start their investigation today, speaking with everyone involved.

Fatal sequence

* The race had been stopped after a crash on the first lap in which a bike caught fire.

* Red flags had brought the leading pack to a halt.

* A bunch of riders ploughed into the stationary pack, killing one rider and injuring seven.