Martin Finnegan
Encyclopedia
Martin Finnegan was an Irish
motorcycle racer
.
, County Dublin
, Finnegan took up riding from a young age. At first he went grass track racing where he tasted success. In his later teens his boss at the time, Tony Carton, offered Martin the lend of a bike to try his hand at circuit racing. They went out that day and Martin did almost 100 laps and caught the bug.
A winner of 43 Irish road races since 1997, in addition to winning the 2000 Junior Newcomers Manx Grand Prix, Finnegan scored a podium at the 2005 TT where he became the fastest Irishman to lap the course at over 127 mph. Finnegan was killed in a crash in the Supersport 600 race of the 2008 Tandragee 100 when his front brake failed. Three spectators were also injured in the accident, all of which escaped without lasting injuries.
On May 7, 2008 his funeral was attended by 10,000 people. He is survived by his wife Brenda, and their daughter Rachel.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
motorcycle racer
Motorcycle racing
Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.-Motorcycle racing:...
.
Career
Born in LuskLusk, County Dublin
Lusk is a village in Ireland located north of Dublin city centre. The name "Lusk" is said to date back to St. MacCullin, who founded a church there c.450. Oral tradition suggests MacCullin may have either lived in or been buried in a cave and that the name "Lusk" derives from an old Gaelic word...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Finnegan took up riding from a young age. At first he went grass track racing where he tasted success. In his later teens his boss at the time, Tony Carton, offered Martin the lend of a bike to try his hand at circuit racing. They went out that day and Martin did almost 100 laps and caught the bug.
A winner of 43 Irish road races since 1997, in addition to winning the 2000 Junior Newcomers Manx Grand Prix, Finnegan scored a podium at the 2005 TT where he became the fastest Irishman to lap the course at over 127 mph. Finnegan was killed in a crash in the Supersport 600 race of the 2008 Tandragee 100 when his front brake failed. Three spectators were also injured in the accident, all of which escaped without lasting injuries.
On May 7, 2008 his funeral was attended by 10,000 people. He is survived by his wife Brenda, and their daughter Rachel.