Mark Lamplough, a former soldier with a substantial background in motorcycle competition, has been awarded £380,000 after a court ruling over his collision in the 2022 Scottish Six Days Trial. The Court of Session in Edinburgh found in favour of Lamplough, who is now 62 and was 58 when the crash occurred.

The action was brought against Edinburgh and District Motor Club, organiser of the event. Lamplough collided with a race marshal travelling towards the competitors rather than in the direction of the course. His claim alleged negligence; the club rejected that allegation and maintained that suitable precautions had been taken.

The risk at the centre of the case

The court concluded that the organisers had not assessed the possibility of a competitor colliding with a marshal adequately. Marshals were allowed to travel against the course direction, and the presence of motorcycles moving the other way on forestry tracks created an obvious hazard.

Lady Drummond also considered Lamplough’s professional and riding background. He joined the Army at 16, served as a dispatch rider and took part extensively in motorcycle events. He later became a chief motorcycle instructor before leaving the Army at 23.

In her ruling, Lady Drummond described the danger arising from marshals travelling against competitors as apparent in the conditions. She found that the organiser had failed both to identify and assess the hazard properly and to introduce effective controls to reduce it. The compensation award was set at £380,000.