Earlier this month the Isle of Man collected yet another young talent from the world of super bikes leaving a young wife as a widow and a little girl growing up without her daddy. Daley Mathis’s death came as a great shock to the biking world. Feeling completed gutted was the all-around expression used by many fans and loved ones alike.
The Accident
This came after two racers lost their lives last year on the Isle of Man TT. During the Monster Energy Super-sport 1 race, Adam Lyon was killed and during Super bike TT, Dan Kneen, a local man lost his life. Mathison’s accident happened during his third lap only two miles into the course at Snug-borough approaching Union Mills. This happened during the opening RST Superbike race. The road was immediately red-flagged and Mathison was taken to hospital by air ambulance, but unfortunately, he passed away a few weeks before his 28th birthday.
His Career
The young racer from Stockton-on-Tees started racing at the age of 12 with an Aprilia RS125. This was in Yorkshire at the Elvington Race Track. From early on in his career his determination to be great in his passion was evident. He was often competing in a semi-professional race all over the world. He always wanted to learn more, aiming to become a professional racer. In 2013 a dream came true when he made his debut at the 2013 Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man Mountain Course and the next year followed his debut at the TT. His fastest lap time was the above 120mph.
He was always improving in his racing capabilities and experience and this brought him recognition and higher up in the ranks of professional racers. During the TT Zero class, he had three podium finishes and won twice the European MotoE Championship. For the TT his fastest lap time exceeded 128mph and this earned him a spot seeded in the top 20 riders of all 6 solo classes.
2019
2019 was a brilliant year laying ahead of this young star. He had rides secured with Wepol Racing by Penz13.com, the prestigious Germany based company as well as with WH Racing in Partnership with Dynobike in the UK. He was riding for Penz13.com during the crash.
Off the Tracks
Mathison is described by his family and friends as a talented man, a serious competitor, a vibrant person and he was passionate about racing. During 2015 he started to work with his old college, Darlington College to help young racers in the area to move their careers forward. He assisted with the course development for the September-intake and was always encouraging the students.
The death of this young man is leaving a gap both in the lives of his family as well as the family he had on the tracks. The only comfort they have is that he died while doing something he lived for.