IOM 2022 discussion

As I said the riders know what they are letting themselves in for and still carry on doing it year after year.

So how many deaths does it take then? 3 so far this week and 1 critical. What if it happened to Hicky or Dunlop , I lost a massive hero with Jefferies those years ago and it finished me?
Why not build a purpose built racetrack over there and keep the festival?
And now I just read that they have mixed up the identities of the French sidecar crew who crashed. The mind boggles.

1 Like

It made me think of Brad Pitt in Snatch

1 Like

Top end Mountaineering loses so many… is that comparable? Do we stop climbers?
There are more actual deaths (not per cent) in normal motorbike riding… I would hate the cold eye of “health and safety” neuter our passion any more than it is.

4 Likes

Mountaineering isn’t a spectator sport tho is it, I thought we had stopped watching deaths with Christians against lions?
And normal motorcycling is not racing, we aint blasting around at 200 mph with kerbs, lamp posts etc, most of us are getting on a bit and more interested in where to buy a nice ice cream or butty. I used to be in the TT supporters club but no more.
I am sure I’m in the minority here, I expected that but we all have our own thoughts and it is an open forum.
Must say I have watched a couple of the races on tv from the safety of my armchair and knowing noone was killed tho.

1 Like

Totally respect your point of view… I’m certainly not watching for the crashes… my point about mountaineering is that people outside of our activity, will knowingly act in a way that seems reckless to us, for financial and personal reward. There is something human about it (in my opinion), trying to find limits.
But the thrill of voyerism for me, is seeing what actually is possible so far above what little ability I have…

3 Likes

I get your point there and respect it. As always there are 2 sides…

2 Likes

I was about to post further but @DCS222 has pretty much said it for me so won’t repeat, other than…
Only last week me and SWMBO were out for a bimble up to Boscastle as you say “to buy a nice ice cream or butty”, the guy emptying bins in the carpark said to us “can’t understand why you guys ride those things”. Apparently he is also regularly on call to clear the debris after traffic accidents and sees the aftermath of ordinary riders motorcycle accidents, hence his viewpoint. We parted on good terms and hopefully helped to soften his opinion.
My point being it’s all a matter of perspective, that guy thought riding any motorcycles is too dangerous full stop…

And to lighten the mood…

6 Likes

I have a friend who’s being a paramedic was a factor in him getting his bike licence. He said he’d seen enough people struck down before their time with heart attacks, strokes and the like, and relatives lamenting the fact that they wouldn’t be doing the things they’d planned. So he decided to get a bike before it was too late. Carpe diem as he’s wont to say. (And yes, he’d seen his fair share of RTAs to know the risks).

6 Likes

From the earliest beginnings, the speed of the bikes at the TT has pushed at the limits of roadholding and braking. Nowadays, this is still true, but the speeds are now so high that the race must also be pushing at the limits of human ability to react. I think that TT riders must be totally mad, but I have the utmost awe and respect for their ability and courage. They really shouldn’t do it if they had any sense, but as a matter of principle I wouldn’t like anyone to try to stop them.

4 Likes

In 1989, Steve Hislop recorded the first 120mph+ lap record… Holy-moly he was quick!!! How could anyone average that kind of speed???
Micheal Dunlop has lapped at over 122mph on a 650cc Twin.
Progress is just amazing

I’ll bet improvements in tyre technology makes a heck of a difference to lap times. In F1 they periodically make rule changes to reign in lap times, maybe it’s worth doing at the TT?

I certainly wouldn’t want to see the event banned or even sanitised, but I’m sure more could be done to curtail the ever increasing average lap speeds before they get too far out of hand.

That’s an excellent point about the tyres. Moto2 has standard engines and electronics and that series produces some great racing. There are definitely options.

1 Like

Devastating news after today’s red flagged sidecar race :cry:

1 Like

It is obviously bad enough for the family when one rider is involved in a fatal crash, but you have to feel for the family when two from the same family are involved. RIP to the two of them.

2 Likes

Peter Hickman on board lap from 2018.

Clearly these guys operate on a different level to us mere mortals. My meagre brain just can’t process information this quickly. It wears me out just watching the video!

2 Likes

They virtually know every inch of the course. They certainly know every bend, straight, bump, ramp etc.
I think they must also be fearless and of course they all have outstanding natural talent.
They can still easily die though.

1 Like

For anyone who rides bikes, especially sports bikes, that is just astounding. Truly deserving of the word ‘awesome’.

2 Likes

I remember being driven round the course by one of the riders, Brian Spooner. English chap, was a friend of my dads. I was only about 14 at the time but I remember being amazed by how he knew the course. Things like how many times you were airborne on different bikes, marks that riders had painted on trees to aim at for a blind corner. He described every bump in the road the whole way round.

1 Like

Why ban it? It would deprive the riders of the income and they want to take part knowing what the risks are. If the spectators started getting killed in large numbers then they might have to have a rethink, but for them the risks associated with the races are very low, they’re more likely to get wiped out riding round the island themselves.

2 Likes