The death of a talented Pembrokeshire quad bike racer was the ‘nightmare every parent dreads’ an inquest has heard.

Ceredigion coroner Peter Brunton held a hearing in to the death of Daniel John Roch on Tuesday.

The inquest heard that the 19 year-old from Molleston, near Templeton was an experienced rider.

He had been riding bikes since he was four, competing from age seven and had ridden on the track near Talsarn up to 30 times before.

Mr Roch was leading the race on July 20, 2014, when his bike came down vertically after a jump, landing on him and causing fatal injuries.

A post mortem report stated that Mr Roch sustained a fractured vertebra and skull.

Brothers Simon and David Hammersley were in second and third position behind Mr Roch who led the race, which was for experienced riders.

Simon Hammersley saw Mr Roch’s quad nose dive after negotiating a hump in the first lap, but he recovered and continued until arriving at the obstacle a second time.

He said: “He hit the same jump in the same way, but landed almost past the front wheels, the bike was close to vertical and was uncorrectable.”

Mr Hammersley added: “When you’re on the limit there’s nothing to bring back and correct it.”

The inquest was told that riders had an opportunity to walk the course before the race, and also completed two practice laps.

The track was described as being one of the best in the UK, and conditions were good on the day.

James Evans was marshalling at the event and witnessed the incident.

He said: “On the second lap I saw the quad flip up. The quad was airborne and landed vertically.

“To me Dan was a talented rider. He was giving it his best. He wanted to win the race basically.”

Dredgers Motocross Club chairman Anthony Roberts told the hearing he had checked the demanding track twice on the morning of the event, and described it as ‘bang on’.

He added that water from a spring had caused a gully, with a ‘drop of water from time to time’, but the track complied with regulations.

An investigation had been conducted by experts following the incident. Track and accident inspector Stephen Murty stated that the surface was ‘expertly laid and suitable for all levels of experience’, but the gully preceding a hump struck him as an ‘unnecessary hazard’.

He said: “The gully would affect the fastest riders by the most margin. The gully in my opinion was in the worst possible and most crucial position, as it could de-stablise the rider at the crucial point in the run up to the jump.”

Mr Roch’s bike had been examined, but no defects were found which could have been a factor in the accident, and the court heard that no one had complained about track conditions on the day in question.

Mr Brunton said: “This was not just a walk in the park. This was a serious, competitive quad bike race. Everyone was going flat out from the start.

“Mr Roch took it very seriously, he was in the lead straight away.”

He added that the only defect on the track related to the gully, but the competitors would have been familiar with it, as it had been present for around five years.

Mr Brunton extended his sympathies to Mr Roch’s family and recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

He stated: “This is the nightmare every parent dreads.”