Mr Peter Lawson died from multiple injuries when he was catapulted from his Honda Hornet motorbike after it hit an oncoming Ultima Can-Am sports car travelling towards Gisburn on the A682 road from Blacko on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25th.

An inquest at Burnley Coroner's Court heard evidence from witnesses driving on the same stretch on that fateful day.

Mr Lawson (54), of Oakwood Close, Burnley, had overtaken two cars when his bike hit the sports car which was just over a meter in height.

The owner of Essential Kitchens in Accrington, Mr Lawson had been riding bikes for more than 20 years and knew the road well.

Police accident investigation officer PC Stephen Burgess said the sports car had an advanced braking system and the driver, Clive Grummett, was braking at the point of impact.

He estimated the car was travelling between 48 and 53 mph when the tyres locked and the bike was going at between 54 and 64 mph at the point of impact. PC Burgess said debris was spread over a wide area.

He said: "The Ultima car may have been hidden from view because of a zone of invisibility and its low height."

Mr Grummett, who suffered injuries, said he had no recollection of the accident, but his driver's seat was just 4in. above the ground.

The inquest also heard from Donald Skirro who was travelling towards Barrowford. He said: "The sports car flew past me in the opposite direction. Then I heard a screeching of tyres and a loud crash.

"All I could see was clouds of smoke in the air and something hit the side of my car. It was only afterwards I realised the object was the motorcyclist."

Sharon Smith was driving her Renault Clio which Mr Lawson had just overtaken seconds before the collision. She said the bike never managed to get back on her side of the road and stayed on her off-side.

Mr Gordon Birkett, driving his Renault Kangoo van, was also overtaken by Mr Lawson. He said: "It all happened in seconds. I saw the bike come past me but the rider couldn't straighten up to come in. He was wobbling."

Recording a narrative verdict, East Lancashire Coroner Mr Richard Taylor said: "Mr Lawson saw an opportunity to overtake two cars. He had no idea Mr Grummett's car was travelling in the opposite direction and sadly there was a collision."

The accident was the latest in a long list going back over the years which has led to the road being classed as the most dangerous in Britain.

The 15-mile stretch has seen more than 100 deaths or serious injuries, with more than half of accidents involving motorcyclists, in the past decade.