Two motorcycle riders killed in Laguna Sea crash

In the first 25-lap race of the day at the Laguna Seca circuit, Rea’s Kawasaki team-mate Tom Sykes set about trying to chase down eventual race victor Chaz Davies but ended up in a defensive battle with Rea as they vied for the 20 points available for second.

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea dominated the timesheets coming into Superpole but will start from fourth and fifth on the grid, with Red Devils Aprilia rider Jordi Torres squeezing into third. We made two small changes for race two and it was odd because at the beginning I felt I had a really good bike set-up but in the rain Chaz (Davies) took a couple of more risks.

Carruthers declined to comment on whether MotoAmerica, which organises the race, will investigate.

Bernat Martinez, of Alberic, Valencia, Spain, was transported from the raceway by ambulance to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey, where he died from his injuries. Both were taken to hospitals, where they later died.

Four other riders were treated at the track and released.

It was not immediately clear what led to the crash, track spokesman David Hart said, adding that Laguna Seca will conduct an investigation.

“I really don’t have any words to describe what we all feel”, said Wayne Rainey, a former triple 500cc motorcycle world champion and president of MotoAmerica, in a statement issued on Sunday night. “Our prayers and hearts go out to their families and teams”. This is Davies’ second WorldSBK double and the first one for Ducati since Imola 2012.