---
title: "2018 Isle of Man TT Bike Race Has Already Claimed Its First Death: Dan Kneen"
description: "The Isle of Man native lost control of his BMW racing bike while on a long, high-speed stretch of the track."
date: "2018-05-30"
modified: "2018-05-31"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/21201/the-2018-isle-of-man-tt-bike-race-has-already-claimed-its-first-death"
categories:
  - "Motorcycles"
  - "News"
  - "The Garage"
tags:
  - "BMW Motorrad"
  - "crashes"
  - "fatalities"
  - "isle of man"
  - "Isle of Man TT"
  - "motorcycle racing"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
---

# 2018 Isle of Man TT Bike Race Has Already Claimed Its First Death: Dan Kneen

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/05/gettyimages-9589631381.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Isle of Man TT race organizer, ACU Events, has confirmed that local rider Dan Kneen passed away after [crashing during the early stages of qualifying](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/11259/2-riders-killed-in-separate-incidents-at-2017-isle-of-man-tt>) on Wednesday. This marks the first fatality of the popular race, which has only seen four days of on-track action.

Kneen was one of the first riders to take onto the track on Wednesday and suffered the crash while on his very first lap of the day. It's unclear if any mechanical problems or obstacles may have caused him to lose control of his BMW motorcycle as he made his way through "Churchtown," an extremely fast section of the 37-mile street circuit.

![message-editor%2F1527722094831-gettyimages-954875052.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1527722094831-gettyimages-954875052.jpg>)
*Dan Kneen at the Isle of Man TT course., *GETTY**

The 30-year-old rider was pronounced dead at the scene and no other bystanders were hurt, although a large tree that was impacted by the motorcycle caught on fire and had to be put out by the local firefighters. It's not clear how fast he was traveling at the time of impact, but riders easily exceed 100 miles per hour on most portions of the island.

The Isle of Man native piloted a 1000cc Tyco [BMW racing bike](<https://www.thedrive.com/motorcycles/21112/edgy-bmw-motorrad-concept-9cento-debuts-at-concorso-deleganza>), which he planned on competing with during next week's racing festivities, as the first four days of the event are reserved for practice and qualifying sessions.

![message-editor%2F1527722133703-gettyimages-543296502.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1527722133703-gettyimages-543296502.jpg>)
*The Isle of Man TT decal on a vintage motorcycle., *GETTY**

According to [*IOM Today*](<https://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=40898&headline=BREAKING:%20Tragedy%20as%20local%20rider%20Dan%20Kneen%20dies%20in%20TT%20qualifying&sectionIs=sport&searchyear=2018>), another rider was involved in a [high-speed crash with a course vehicle](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/10693/isle-of-man-adds-bac-mono-police-car-to-the-fleet>) but his condition has yet to be released.

The Isle of Man TT is known as one of the [deadliest motor races in the world](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/11287/the-isle-of-man-tt-is-the-worlds-deadliest-race-and-thats-why-people-come>), with nearly 260 deaths since its inception in 1907. That's an average of 2.2 deaths per year, or at least one death during each week of the event every year.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)