As someone who has ridden motorbikes since my teenage years I am a regular follower of Moto GP and the lower levels of track racing as well as Speedway. However, for sheer out and out lunacy on two wheels nothing comes close to the Isle of Man TT races where speeds of over 180mph are recorded on public roads that make up the 37+ mile circuit. Unlike the track versions of racing which have all safety measures in place in case of an accident, the TTs are simply man versus the road, no frills and only a minute mistake can prove fatal as much of the track is skirted by stone walls, lamp posts and telegraph poles. Barely a year goes by without fatalities, already two this year and the clip below shows how near we were to a possible third and fourth. The second part of the clip is a slow motion replay and shows how close this near-miss was... http://www.carscoops.com/2016/06/sh...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
I've come off bikes on the road and even wearing leathers and protective gear it f*cking hurts, those guys have the ultimate nerves of steel, a different breed. I'll just pootle along at the occasional 100mph...
I used to be a nutter in my teens but lost a couple of mates to crashes in the days when you could ride a 250 on a provisional. I did the IAM course after my last smash and it was an eye-opener, I must have had a guardian angel the way I was back then...
Fair play to that. My old man was knocked off when I was 6 years old, totally not his fault as is often the case sadly. He was in hospital for a couple of weeks with a few broken bones in different places. I always wanted to get a bike. Me and a mate used to go to our local bike dealers in town when we were 16 and drool over stuff like the ZZR1100 etc. I got a hairdryer at 16, an AR50 which did 28mph. I spent about £150 on an 80cc head and Micron exhaust plus K+N filter. I didn't change the cogs on the chain so it just made it get to 31MPH a little faster... Oh well it was fun and helped me meet my 1st girlfriend so happy days
Sadly, news just posted of another fatality in this afternoon's sidecar TT. I think it's only a matter of time before moves are made to ban road racing. Then again, last week saw the death of a Moto2 GP rider on the track at the Catalunya GP practice, that is with every conceivable safety measure in place...
RIP Ian Bell Maybe being the Isle of Man is independent plus not a EU member could be the reason why this event still happens I guess. Between 1907 and 2015 there have been 246 fatalities of which 141 were competitors during official practices or races for the Isle of Man TT Races. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_TT#Safety_and_danger That's crazy!
Barry Sheene only rode the TTs once and never returned describing it as insane, when someone of the bravery of Sheene says that you know it's only for the serious headcases. It is not just novices who succumb, 9 times TT winner and reigning champion David Jefferies was killed in 2003 in a 170mph smash after another bike ahead of him suffered an engine blow-out spilling oil on the road. His bike brought down a telegraph pole and a rider coming up behind was lucky not to be decapitated by the wires strewn across the road...
