A TWO-millimetre bend in a motorcycle part led to a crash that cost a South Lakeland motorbike racer his life, an inquest heard.

Alan “Bud” Jackson of the Oddfellows Arms on Burneside Road, Kendal, died during a practice session for last year’s Classic TT on the Isle of Man.

The pub landlord was on his first lap of the 37-mile road circuit when he lost control of his motorcycle at Creg ny Baa at around 6.45pm.

At Douglas courthouse, Manx coroner of inquests Jayne Hughes heard the 62-year-old racer came off his bike at around 80mph, hitting a road sign and sliding more than 30 feet before coming to a halt.

He suffered multiple injuries during the incident at around 6.45pm on August 23.

Mr Jackson’s family were shown a video of the crash shot by a spectator, which showed his classic Norton bike travelling at high speed down a steep hill before approaching a sweeping bend.

Race marshal John Corrin said Mr Jackson had been trying to slow down by putting his left foot onto the ground, but turned into a side road off the course when it was obvious he was not going to negotiate the corner successfully.

He added racing conditions were good, and the road surface was dry – race scrutineers had also checked the motorbike before it was allowed to take part in the motorsport event, and found no defects.

Mr Jackson was taken by air ambulance to Noble’s Hospital in Douglas, where he died from his injuries a day later.

The hearing was told later analysis of the motorbike by Isle of Man government vehicle examiner Anthony Bode found a brake mounting bracket was deformed by a tiny amount.

Mr Bode told the court the fault would not have been visible to the naked eye – but led to a “perfect storm” of problems which ended in a catastrophic brake failure.

He explained the front brakes would have worked normally until pressed hard, when some parts disintegrated.

Shots taken by a photographer captured the moment the brakes failed, clearly showing debris flying from the bike’s right-hand side.

Mrs Hughes said it had been nobody’s fault the flaw had not been spotted earlier, adding Mr Jackson was an experienced racer with a career spanning 40 years.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, she told Mr Jackson’s family and friends, who had travelled to the Isle of Man for the case: “This was, by any standard, a truly tragic accident.”