Hallett Aviation Racing
After the incident in which Dobsy sadly lost his life whilst riding on of my 600 Gixers during last Thursdays supersport race, Hallett racing will be withdrawing from all events, effective immediatly. I have always said as a team owner that if any of our riders where to get hurt then I would stop the team racing and I am sticking exactly to that statement.
My sympathies are first and foremost with Bridget and the girls, I hope they can come to terms with their great loss, I know Paul died doing what he loved best and I will pass on all the condolences we as a team have been sent.
Dobsy will be sadly missed from the paddocks he was always a good laugh and although we had only helped him for 2 events this year we have been friends with him for many years.
The press has missed for years the mid pack racing between the likes of Dobsy, Paul Owen, Oatesy, James McBride and Mark Buckley who always had close on track battles and had the mutual respect that riding so close to each other at high speeds.
Paul Owen’s actions during that race came as no surprise to me, all of the above riders would have done the same if they had been in the same situation, but I have huge respect for Paul and his actions that day and utter disgust for the riders who went through at race speed under waived yellows. They know who they are and their huge ego’s will never let them realise what they did but I do hope that someone in the organising group can bring some of these people to some kind of justice. It can’t help Paul but it could stop an even bigger tragedy the next time there is a serious incident.
Again thanks for all your support and messages of condolences
Neil Hallett
i would just like to express my sincere condolences at this time, i know what your team is going thru, as when i lost my great friend gary dynes (2000) i said that i was finished with road racing, but time is a great healer and i returned to the sport i love, were i have made so many friends thru good times and the sadder times, such is the strength of the road racing family at these time i hope you will gather the strength, and overcome the loss of dobbsy, the paddock will be a sadder place without your team.
R.I.P. Dobbsy
Firstly I would like to say that my sincerest sympathies are with Bridget, the girls and all those involved with Dobsy’s racing. I was fortunate enough to meet him on 3 occasions through Paul Owen and found him to be one of the easiest people to get along with that I have ever met.
Yours is an understandable reaction Neil: I’m sure a great many people will be re-thinking their position following the incidents at the TT this year and there will, I’m sure, be riders, marshals, sponsors and fans who will feel that the risk is not one worth taking. There are others (and from reading Bridget’s moving yet heartwarming statement I believe that Dobsy was amongst them) who are conscious of the risks yet choose to continue racing whilst doing everything they can to minimise those risks.
It would be a great shame to see such an important team as Hallett Aviation Racing fold though as the sport has precious little sponsorship for privateers. You mention Paul Owen, he has received very little corporate sponsorship this year and has had to make up his money from small donations from individuals; many of the privateers are totally self funded as you are aware.
I admire your sticking to your principles but I do hope that you will continue to support the road racing scene in some way in the future.
Den Chandler