The notorious Tourist Trophy on the British Isle of Man has already claimed its second fatality this year.
Frenchman Olivier Lavorel was killed in an accident on Saturday when the sidecar combination driven by his compatriot Cesar Chanel overturned on the first lap.
Chanel was flown to the hospital by helicopter and is in critical condition, race organizers said.
It went on to say that although Lavorel and Chanel were competing in the Tourist Trophy for the first time, both were an experienced team that had already achieved numerous victories and podiums in the French national sidecar championships.
British Yamaha rider Mark Purslow died in a serious accident during practice last Wednesday.
Held since 1907, the Tourist Trophy is considered the most controversial and dangerous motorsport event in the world.
House walls, walls, embankments, slopes, depressions, blind curves, no run-off areas, just a few bales of straw along the way - nevertheless, the spectacle attracts tens of thousands of fans year after year.
Since 1911, the two-week event has claimed no fewer than 260 lives.
This year, the race will take place again for the first time since 2019, after it had been canceled twice before due to the corona pandemic.