nothing quite like the IOMTT!

I used to road race motorcycles but these guys have no value of their lives at all.

Bloody hell!

1 hour ago, VeryBumpy said:

I used to road race motorcycles but these guys have no value of their lives at all.

Like the Monaco Grand Prix, if these events didn't already exist, there's no way they'd be permitted to be created. Over 260 people have died since 1937 and 1982 was the only year with no fatalities. Now that is insane.

 

Also insane is where those photographers are permitted to stand in the first clip in that video. One crash and some of them could be wiped out too. I do some motorsports photography, and I'd think twice about positioning myself there, however good the opportunity for a good shot is.

Edited July 29, 20223 yr by 109Sqn

6 minutes ago, 109Sqn said:

Like the Monaco Grand Prix, if these events didn't already exist, there's no way they'd be permitted to be created. Over 260 people have died since 1937 and 1982 was the only year with no fatalities. Now that is insane.

 

Also insane is where those photographers are permitted to stand in the first clip in that video. One crash and some of them could be wiped out too. I do some motorsports photography, and I'd think twice about positioning myself there, however good the opportunity for a good shot is.

More people die every year on Everest than at the IOMTT but I do agree that if these events didn't already exist they would not be permitted now...   Not sure about Monaco though, Baku and Miami are both more dangerous road circuits introduced post Monaco...  

When I am going over 25MPH I want sheet metal around me.  I've never driven a motorcycle and never had the urge to.

Noel

2 hours ago, VeryBumpy said:

I used to road race motorcycles but these guys have no value of their lives at all.

Me as well. I used to race in the AMA Supersport and Superbike classes and would never consider racing on a road course like that. The track with gravel pits and safety barriers was dangerous enough for me. 😂😂

6 hours ago, psolk said:

Not sure about Monaco though

In the case of Monaco, I was thinking more of the fact that a such a tight and twisty course wouldn't get any consideration, more than its safety aspect.

13 minutes ago, 109Sqn said:

In the case of Monaco, I was thinking more of the fact that a such a tight and twisty course wouldn't get any consideration, more than its safety aspect.

Yes, the Alonso precession this year was hopefully the nail in the coffin for Monaco...  😉 

Like a conga line of F1 cars LOL  

6 hours ago, cmpbellsjc said:

Me as well. I used to race in the AMA Supersport and Superbike classes and would never consider racing on a road course like that. The track with gravel pits and safety barriers was dangerous enough for me. 😂😂

Fascinating!  So were you at New Jersey Motorsports park in the big horsefly days LOL??  🙂 

Very cool!  I was going for WERA but a crush injury of the foot led me to consider cars with their seat belts, roll cages, doors and roofs LOL 

 

1 hour ago, psolk said:

the nail in the coffin for Monaco

I hope not! One thing the new owners of F1 have inherited from "Uncle Bernie" is chasing the money from new (or returning) countries a the expense of the classic venues. Silverstone (or Brands Hatch if ever again deemed acceptable), Monaco and Spa should never be dropped, and Interlagos, Hungaroring, Imola, Monza, Albert Park, Barcelona and Montreal amongst other established events should be protected as much as possible too. I'd personally drop those countries with recent poor human rights records, but surprise, surprise, that's where the big money tends to be...

 

Sorry for hijacking a two-wheeled thread!

27 minutes ago, 109Sqn said:

I hope not! One thing the new owners of F1 have inherited from "Uncle Bernie" is chasing the money from new (or returning) countries a the expense of the classic venues. Silverstone (or Brands Hatch if ever again deemed acceptable), Monaco and Spa should never be dropped, and Interlagos, Hungaroring, Imola, Monza, Albert Park, Barcelona and Montreal amongst other established events should be protected as much as possible too. I'd personally drop those countries with recent poor human rights records, but surprise, surprise, that's where the big money tends to be...

 

Sorry for hijacking a two-wheeled thread!

Agree with everything you said but Monaco and the new cars don't mix.  Alonso proved it doesn't make a difference how slow you drive no one can pass there anymore.  The thought of no Spa on the other hand blows my mind, same with the other tracks you listed. 

I also agree with everything else you said...  Don't want to turn this political but completely agree... Cough Cough LIV golf...  😉 

10 hours ago, psolk said:

Fascinating!  So were you at New Jersey Motorsports park in the big horsefly days LOL??  🙂 

Very cool!  I was going for WERA but a crush injury of the foot led me to consider cars with their seat belts, roll cages, doors and roofs LOL 

 

No I raced mainly the circuits in California, Nevada, and Arizona. I started off as a casual rider when I lived in SoCal and met a few guys who did some club racing at the well known track called Willow Springs in the Cali desert.

These guys also like to ride the Angeles Crest Hwy (Hwy 2) on Sunday mornings through the San Gabriel mountains in SoCal, which is a very popular run on Sunday mornings during the late Spring, Summer and early Fall. I accepted and met them one early Sunday morning at their meeting place off Hwy 15 in Victorville. I showed up wearing jeans, long sleeve shirt and helmet. They all showed up wearing full racing leathers 😂😂. At that point I wondered what I volunteered for? I thought it was going to be a casual jaunt through the mountain roads. 

As soon as we started down the road it was normal until we hit the on ramp which was a downhill 180 degree ramp to joint the 15 south, and like a version of the Thunderbirds, in unison they all reached up, pulled their visors down and proceeded to lay their bikes down to what at the time seemed an unimaginable lean angle and drag their knees through the length of the whole on ramp. Needless to say, I was not expecting that and immediately was way behind them.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I road the mountains with them for a few weeks, witnessed tons of wrecks in the mountains of riders going off the edge, crashing into guard rails, being helicopter med-evaxed off the mountain etc. To be honest, these guys were expert racers and knew what they were doing, albeit still extremely dangerous to be riding that way in the mountains, but that’s what they did and enjoyed. There’s tons of YouTube videos of people still doing that ride to the restaurant/bike hangout at the top of the mountain.

I didn’t feel that safe doing that so they suggested I take some track rider courses at Willow and practice time at the track. That eventually let to me getting better and getting my AMA racing license and then later starting in Supersport then moving to Superbike.

I had one win in my career and lots of seconds and thirds. Like any motor sport action, it was really hard to compete with the big money factory teams and/or big money privateers, but for the 5 years I competed, I had a blast.

I fortunately didn’t have many crashes that I wasn’t able to walk away from, but did have a big one at a race in Phoenix that was a mega highside that launched me 30-40 feet into the gravel trap and knocked me unconscious. I ended up getting airlifted off the track to a hospital in Phoenix and fortunately my only injury was a concussion, broken right arm and hand and a bruised penis from impact with something, plus a completely destroyed GSXR 750.

Once healed I continued to race for another season and a half and hung it up after that. I ended up going into PRCA bull riding for 4 years, but that’s a whole other story with its share of injuries.

All that being said, I still am a big fan and watch MotoGP and marvel at their talent and MM93’s ability to survive all his giant high side crashes over the past few years, numerous surgeries and still continues to ride. My favorite riders of my era were Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz, Carly Fogarty. My favs of this generation are Valentino Rossi (retired), Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo.

The IOM has its own government and is not in the EU so only it can legislate on this race.

Given the amount of revenue the event raises for the island’s economy it would be financial suicide to cancel it.

Competitors are well aware of the risks involved. Just like climbing Everest I suppose. They choose to enter under no pressure.