A GRANDFATHER from Cumnor has paid tribute to his “shy” grandson who was killed in a motorbike race on the Isle of Man on Thursday.

Dick Mygdal, 86, retired owner of R. Mygdal Ltd where Cumnor Garage now stands in Appleton Road, said 23-year-old Mark Madsen-Mygdal loved racing.

Mr Mygdal said: “He was rather a shy lad who loved racing like the three generations in our family.”

Father-of-one Mark was killed on Thursday morning during the Southern 100 race. He was winning the race and was two corners away from finishing when it is believed that a bike behind him crashed and hit him.

Mark’s father David, 57, is an experienced road racer who earlier this year became the first biker to complete 100 Isle of Man TT races. He lived in North Leigh near Witney until the 1970s when he moved to the Isle of Man.

Dick Mygdal added: “When you get on that bike, the adrenalin flows and you just lose your inhibitions – it’s a bug.”

He added that Mr Madsen-Mygdal was a loving partner to Jemma, who he met working at the Isle of Man Bank in Douglas, and a loving father to their three-year-old son, Conor.

An inquest into Mr Madsen-Mygdal’s death opens next week.

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