Olympia, WA : Mechanical failure cause of deadly motorcycle crash at Evergreen Speedway, officials sway on Friday, 9th September 2016

The motorcycle involved in a deadly crash Monday during the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe likely had a “catastrophic mechanical failure” just before the accident, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

The rear wheel of the motorcycle became locked, forcing rider Ed Ritter to crash into a bus during a drag race at the Evergreen Speedway. Initial reports indicate he was traveling at 97 mph, overshot the track and hit the empty parked bus.

“The locking of the rear wheel would explain the long single tire mark that was observed leading from the end of the course to the point of impact with the bus,” sheriff’s Detective Marc Monson wrote in a report. “Once the rear tire became locked Ritter would have been able to continue sliding in a somewhat straight line but would have lost the ability to turn the motorcycle to avoid running off the track and into the parked bus.”

The crash occurred at the annual Monday Drag Racing event during the fair, according to Doug Hobbs, president of Evergreen Speedway. The rest of the day’s races were canceled and spectators were cleared from the stands after the crash, organizers said.Witness Mike Ridgeway, of Bellevue, said Ritter appeared to have gotten a slow start but then accelerated and caught up with a second rider. He appeared to still be going full throttle through the finish line, he said.

“Then he went straight and he was carrying too much speed to make that corner,” Ridgeway told The Seattle Times.

Source :
Mechanical failure cause of deadly motorcycle crash at Evergreen Speedway, officials sway