| Author | Message | ||
     Hughlysses |
Whatever they could have/should have done, here's what the EBRs are doing:
From Splitlath Redmond's FB page this afternoon.  | ||
| Blake |
No factory in their right mind is going to support any racing venue that on average kills five people every year and maims countless others. Putting someone's life at such extreme risk in the name of publicity would be craven and irresponsible in the extreme. Let's hope no one dies from racing there this year. | ||
| Trojan |
No factory in their right mind is going to support any racing venue that on average kills five people every year and maims countless others. Her we go again.... The venue does NOT kill people. I have friends who have lived in the Isle of Man and drive the same roads every day quite safely. Nothing jumps out of the hedge to mug them on the way to the shops. One of them has also raced sidecars in the Manx GP and TT for years with no drama. People get killed and injured making mistakes at high speed and crashing. ALL the competitors know the risks and so race knowing that a mistake could be their last. I don't see anyone holding a gun to anyone's head do you? There are no world championship points at stake and riders only race at the TT because they want to. The event is also attracting more and more 'short circuit' riders every year who want more of a challenge than racing at 'sterile' purpose built tracks. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Norton, Kawasaki, WK (CF Moto-Chinese manufacturer of ER6 lookalikes), Paton, EBR and BMW are all out of their minds obviously  Or maybe they accept that the TT is unique amongst motorsport events and garners massive publicity and prestige for their brands? | ||
| Trojan |
EBR should be entering a factory backed assault on the TT with a top rider. Norton are with Cameron Donald. It isn't just the rider. Norton have Mick Grant (7 TT wins) and Steve Palter (2 TT wins) in the development team as well. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
No factory in their right mind is going to support any racing venue that on average kills five people every year and maims countless others. Putting someone's life at such extreme risk in the name of publicity would be craven and irresponsible in the extreme. I don't know of any bad publicity afforded the 117 U.S. gun manufacturing companies listed by Wikipedia, because of any school shootings in American, nor the appalling death and injury rates in their many thousands caused by ACCIDENTAL gun discharge. I haven't looked but I'd stab at more deaths per year occurring in American motorsport events than at the TT. Where would you like to draw the line? What irritates me more is if the TT were in Texas you'd be its strongest advocate Blake! Rocket in England | ||
| Trojan |
Tuesday practice times: Superbike - conditions dry 1 5 Bruce Anstey Honda/ 2 17:18.000 130.860 2 1 John McGuinness Honda/Honda Racing 2 17:29.715 129.395 3 4 Guy Martin Suzuki/Tyco Suzuki 2 17:31.591 129.164 4 6 Michael Dunlop BMW/BMW/Hawk Racing 1 17:32.669 129.032 5 9 Michael Rutter BMW/ 2 17:35.154 128.728 6 10 Conor Cummins Honda/ 2 17:35.231 128.719 7 8 William Dunlop Suzuki/Tyco Suzuki 2 17:41.902 127.910 8 7 Gary Johnson Honda/Lincs Lifting Ltd 1 17:43.590 127.707 9 17 Dan Kneen Suzuki/Cookstown B.E.Racing 2 17:59.263 125.853 10 3 Ian Hutchinson Yamaha/Milwaukee Yamaha 3 18:06.401 125.026 11 14 Joshua Brookes Yamaha/Milwaukee Yamaha 3 18:07.997 124.842 12 16 David Johnson Kawasaki/Lloyd and Jones PR Kawasaki 2 18:11.227 124.473 13 25 Ian Mackman Suzuki/ 2 18:13.318 124.235 14 11 Dan Stewart Honda/ 1 18:13.706 124.191 15 22 Shaun Anderson Suzuki/CN Group 2 18:14.993 124.045 16 15 Steve Mercer Suzuki/ 2 18:16.839 123.836 17 54 James Cowton Honda/ 2 18:31.107 122.246 18 12 Dean Harrison Kawasaki/RC Express racing by MSS Performance 1 18:41.059 121.160 19 24 Davy Morgan Honda/STRANGFORD CARAVAN PARK 1 18:41.435 121.120 20 #27 Daniel Cooper Kawasaki/Tsingtao WK HMQ 1 18:41.805 121.080 21 20 Ben Wylie BMW/Carrozzeria Allemano 2 18:41.929 121.066 22 41 Jimmy Storrar BMW/penz13.com 1 18:42.558 120.999 23 19 Cameron Donald Norton/Norton Racing 1 18:43.861 120.858 24 44 Paul Owen Honda/Team #98 2 18:45.594 120.672 25 31 Mark Parrett BMW/C and C LTD 2 18:46.978 120.524 26 33 Robert Barber BMW/BLOCK SOLUTIONS 2 18:47.118 120.509 27 32 Stephen Thompson BMW/Bathams BMW 2 18:47.213 120.499 28 36 Ryan Kneen Kawasaki/ 1 18:48.983 120.310 29 58 Michael Sweeney Kawasaki/MJR Racing 2 18:49.992 120.203 30 37 Ivan Lintin Honda/ 1 18:52.098 119.979 31 28 Horst Saiger Kawasaki/Saiger-Racing.com Kawasaki 1 18:52.116 119.977 32 23 Stefano Bonetti Kawasaki/ 2 18:52.220 119.966 33 38 Gary Carswell Honda/ 2 18:52.916 119.892 34 60 Peter Hickman* BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 18:54.888 119.684 35 29 Ian Pattinson BMW/ 1 18:56.564 119.508 36 63 David Hewson Aprilia/Obsession Engineering 2 19:03.086 118.826 37 47 Mark Miller EBR Racing/Splitlath Redmond Racing 2 19:03.389 118.794 38 45 Michael Russell Honda/Lee Hardy Racing 1 19:05.667 118.558 39 48 Russ Mountford Honda/Silicone Engineering Racing 1 19:06.955 118.425 40 74 Alan Connor Suzuki/CONNOR RACING 1 19:07.661 118.352 41 51 Jonathan Howarth Kawasaki/ 2 19:08.876 118.227 42 61 Fabrice Miguet Kawasaki/French Road Racers 1 19:10.518 118.058 43 49 Roger Maher Honda/SLICK! Performance 1 19:10.584 118.051 44 56 John Ingram Honda/ 1 19:11.600 117.947 45 62 Wayne Kirwan Honda/Crossan Motorcycles 1 19:14.503 117.651 46 34 Paul Shoesmith BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 19:15.382 117.561 47 40 Martin Jessopp* BMW/ 2 19:17.113 117.385 48 46 Kiaran Hankin Honda/Khhire 1 19:17.339 117.362 49 72 Jim Hodson Kawasaki/JGH Racing/RS Security 2 19:19.863 117.107 50 59 Scott Wilson Honda/Diamond H Racing 1 19:22.467 116.845 51 30 Brian McCormack Honda/ 2 19:27.683 116.323 52 68 Nuno Caetano Kawasaki/Team of Portugal by KS 2 19:29.103 116.181 53 79 Brandon Cretu EBR/ 2 19:32.127 115.882 54 85 Neal Champion Kawasaki/Frasers Motorcycles 1 19:34.144 115.683 55 83 Graham English BMW/Fix Auto Collision 2 19:34.353 115.662 56 55 Colin Stephenson Honda/ 1 19:34.661 115.632 57 70 David Madsen-Mygdal Honda/Gimbert Racing 2 19:37.427 115.360 58 90 Alan Bonner* Honda/the peoples bike.com 2 19:38.014 115.303 59 64 Sandor Bitter BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 19:39.213 115.185 60 13 Lee Johnston Honda/ 1 19:40.533 115.057 61 75 Dave Moffitt Suzuki/JHS Racing 1 19:44.449 114.676 62 82 Christopher Dixon Honda/ 2 19:48.897 114.247 63 92 Vick De Cooremeter* BMW/ 4 19:49.121 114.226 64 76 Paul Duckett Honda/ 2 19:51.303 114.016 65 78 Bill Callister Honda/ 1 19:52.049 113.945 66 35 Karl Harris Kawasaki/Moto Breakers 1 19:53.229 113.832 67 95 Daley Mathison Suzuki/Hol-Taj Suzuki 2 19:56.513 113.520 68 93 Laurent Hoffmann* BMW/ 1 20:01.057 113.090 69 66 Daniel Webb* Kawasaki/KMR Kawasaki/SGS International 2 20:04.506 112.767 70 84 Joe Faragher Honda/ 1 20:04.604 112.757 71 88 Rafael Paschoalin Honda/ 2 20:09.890 112.265 72 94 Philip Crowe* BMW/ 1 20:11.566 112.109 73 86 Allann Venter Honda/ 2 20:30.859 110.352 74 69 Eric Wilson Kawasaki/Obsession Engineering 1 20:33.454 110.120 75 89 Callum Laidlaw* Honda/ 1 21:03.854 107.471 76 71 Dan Kruger* BMW/PENZ13.COM Team BMW Racing Team 1 21:24.557 105.739 Superstock - conditions dry 1 2 James Hillier Kawasaki/Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki 1 17:55.922 126.243 2 6 Michael Dunlop BMW/MD Racing 1 17:59.370 125.840 3 9 Michael Rutter BMW/Bathams Prize Winning Ales 1 18:03.805 125.325 4 5 Bruce Anstey Honda/Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Motocycle 1 18:05.878 125.086 5 1 John McGuinness Honda/Valvoline Racing by Padgetts Motocycles 1 18:10.737 124.529 6 17 Dan Kneen Suzuki/Marks Bloom Racing 1 18:14.405 124.111 7 16 David Johnson Kawasaki/Lloyd and Jones PR Kawasaki 1 18:20.612 123.411 8 12 Dean Harrison Kawasaki/RC Express racing by MSS Performance 1 18:23.381 123.102 9 48 Russ Mountford Kawasaki/Silicone Engineering Racing 1 18:23.483 123.090 10 11 Dan Stewart Kawasaki/SMT / WILCOCK Racing 2 18:26.616 122.742 11 13 Lee Johnston Honda/Pirtek Honda 1 18:27.767 122.614 12 #54 James Cowton Honda/STEVE PARKIN 2 18:31.107 122.246 13 15 Steve Mercer Suzuki/TTC 1 18:35.428 121.772 14 27 Daniel Cooper Kawasaki/Tsingtao WK HMQ 1 18:41.805 121.080 15 #20 Ben Wylie BMW/Carrozzeria Allemano 2 18:41.929 121.066 16 #41 Jimmy Storrar BMW/penz13.com 1 18:42.558 120.999 17 #44 Paul Owen Honda/Team #98 2 18:45.594 120.672 18 #31 Mark Parrett BMW/C and C LTD 2 18:46.978 120.524 19 #33 Robert Barber BMW/BLOCK SOLUTIONS 2 18:47.118 120.509 20 #32 Stephen Thompson BMW/Bathams BMW 2 18:47.213 120.499 21 24 Davy Morgan Honda/CMS 1 18:48.962 120.312 22 #36 Ryan Kneen Kawasaki/Charmer Builders Ltd 1 18:48.983 120.310 23 42 Daniel Hegarty Kawasaki/ILR Kawasaki 1 18:49.002 120.308 24 #58 Michael Sweeney Kawasaki/MJR Racing 2 18:49.992 120.203 25 #37 Ivan Lintin Honda/Taylor Lindsey Racing 1 18:52.098 119.979 26 #23 Stefano Bonetti Kawasaki/Speed Motor 2 18:52.220 119.966 27 #38 Gary Carswell Honda/ 2 18:52.916 119.892 28 #60 Peter Hickman* BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 18:54.888 119.684 29 #29 Ian Pattinson BMW/Weardale Racing Ltd 1 18:56.564 119.508 30 10 Conor Cummins Honda/RAF Reserves Racing 1 19:01.811 118.958 31 #63 David Hewson Aprilia/Obsession Engineering 2 19:03.086 118.826 32 #47 Mark Miller EBR Racing/Splitlath Redmond Racing 2 19:03.389 118.794 33 #45 Michael Russell Honda/Lee Hardy Racing 1 19:05.667 118.558 34 #74 Alan Connor Suzuki/CONNOR RACING 1 19:07.661 118.352 35 #51 Jonathan Howarth Kawasaki/Friends & Family 2 19:08.876 118.227 36 #61 Fabrice Miguet Kawasaki/French Road Racers 1 19:10.518 118.058 37 #56 John Ingram Honda/Gadgetbox/Hunts Honda 1 19:11.600 117.947 38 #62 Wayne Kirwan Honda/Crossan Motorcycles 1 19:14.503 117.651 39 #34 Paul Shoesmith BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 19:15.382 117.561 40 28 Horst Saiger Kawasaki/Saiger-Racing.com Kawasaki 1 19:15.425 117.557 41 #46 Kiaran Hankin Honda/Khhire 1 19:17.339 117.362 42 #59 Scott Wilson Honda/Diamond H Racing 1 19:22.467 116.845 43 #68 Nuno Caetano Kawasaki/Team of Portugal by KS 2 19:29.103 116.181 44 #74 Brandon Cretu EBR/Splitlath Motorsport 2 19:32.127 115.882 45 #85 Neal Champion Kawasaki/Frasers Motorcycles 1 19:34.144 115.683 46 #83 Graham English BMW/Fix Auto Collision 2 19:34.353 115.662 47 #55 Colin Stephenson Honda/C S Racing 1 19:34.661 115.632 48 #70 David Madsen-Mygdal Honda/Gimbert Racing 2 19:37.427 115.360 49 #64 Sandor Bitter BMW/Ice Valley by Motorsave Trade 2 19:39.213 115.185 50 #75 Dave Moffitt Suzuki/JHS Racing 1 19:44.449 114.676 51 #82 Christopher Dixon Honda/Mire Catering Services 2 19:48.897 114.247 52 #92 Vick De Cooremeter* BMW/Okidokiracing.be 4 19:49.121 114.226 53 #76 Paul Duckett Honda/ 2 19:51.303 114.016 54 #78 Bill Callister Honda/Tim King 1 19:52.049 113.945 55 #93 Laurent Hoffmann* BMW/ICE VALLEY BY MOTORSAVE TRADE 1 20:01.057 113.090 56 #66 Daniel Webb* Kawasaki/KMR Kawasaki/SGS International 2 20:04.506 112.767 57 81 Alexander Pickett Honda/DP Coldplaning/TCR Honda 1 20:05.272 112.695 58 #88 Rafael Paschoalin Honda/ 2 20:09.890 112.265 59 94 Philip Crowe* BMW/Objektum Modernisation/Handtrans Ltd/Fleetwood Grab Services 1 20:29.868 110.441 60 #86 Allann Venter Honda/Top Gun Racing 2 20:30.859 110.352 61 #69 Eric Wilson Kawasaki/Obsession Engineering 1 20:33.454 110.120 62 #89 Callum Laidlaw* Honda/www.Laidlawracing.co.uk 1 21:03.854 107.471 63 #71 Dan Kruger* BMW/PENZ13.COM Team BMW Racing Team 1 21:24.557 105.739 Both EBR;s improving and Mark Miller might even crack the top 30 in Superstock hopefully. I think we will definitely see a BMW win in either Superbike or Superstock this year though. Michael Dunlop just looks so focussed and aggresive this year I can't see him losing if the bike is right on the day. | ||
| Court |
Without entering the ancillary discussion . . . there pistons of risk and zero upside for a manufacturer to get involved. | ||
| Trojan |
zero upside for a manufacturer to get involved. Hmmm....The Splitlath bikes are entered as EBR Racing/Splitlath according to the scoresheets. Honda obviously disagree with you as they take the TT extremely seriously indeed (as do the other manufacturers). BMW has come back this year as a factory backed entry for the first time since 1939 and are aiming to win and nothing less. Michael Dunlop has said that he told BMW 'If you are looking for a learning year then find someone else to ride the bike. I'm not interested in riding around and finishing 10th'. maybe EBR should have had the same mindset when they decided to enter WSB | ||
| Court |
Honda and I have disagreed before. Not unusual for folks in the business. What, in your opinion, is the "upside". Can you point to a single sale based on "I bought it because it won the Isle of Man?" I'm not too spun up excited one way or another . . . I've little interest, other than the travel (my kids are headed to Scotland and Ireland for the month of July) in the IOM. But I'm listening and am curious as to why a manufacturer would ante up a big chunk of change to participate. | ||
| Trojan |
It is one of those 'If I had to explain you wouldn't understand' scenarios really, but Honda have always put great store in the TT and it is one of the last great tests of man and machine left on the planet. Take the Superstock race for instance. Unlike FIM Superstock, the bikes used at the TT are 'proper' Superstock bikes like you can wheel out of your local showroom. Carefully set up and fettled by the teams but with only a pipe and kit ignition to seperate them from showroom bikes. Then lap at an average of 130mph on that Superstock bike for 5 laps of the hardest circuit on earth and you'll know why manufacturers still think of it as the ultimate test of a road bike. Winning a TT is still extremely high on most manufacturers bucket list, and I'd be willing to bet that EBR are amongst them | ||
| Hughlysses |
I highly recommend this book giving one participant's view of the race: http://www.onemansisland.com | ||
| Hughlysses |
Photo from the front page of the IOM TT official site today:  Note the XB up front. Site: http://www.iomtt.com/ | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Can you point to a single sale based on "I bought it because it won the Isle of Man?" No definitely not. Can I point to many sales based on "I bought it because it won the Isle of Man?" Yes. Many. Rocket in England | ||
| Hughlysses |
Awesome shot of Mark Miller from a practice session this week:  Photo from his FB page; by Phil Hawkins of ishootfromthehip.com | ||
| Hughlysses |
Another photo of Mark at IOM from TGF photos:  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Update on progress from Splitlath Redmond's FB page today:
| ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Great pics. That EBR looks tiny and slim! Let's hope they get well into the 120's. That's impressive (and will sell EBR;s  ) It's not so many years ago when 125mph laps were exclusive to the top runners. Rocket in England | ||
| Davegess |
on average kills five people every year Blake where do you get 5 killed every year? I see well over 200 in a 100 years or so, a little more than 2 a year. Not a wonderful thing for sure but a fair sight better than 5 | ||
| Davegess |
And all the factories support the race as does Subaru the car company. There is plenty of thing one can say in opposition to the race without making stuff up. And just to stir the pot it is safer than climbing Mt Everest which is a very important activity fully supported and promoted by the Nepalese government. | ||
| Blake |
116 dead since 1984 Dave. No racing in 2001 due to 9/11. Ten dead in 2005. Six dead in 2011. 116/29=4/year Five was wrong, the accurate average is four per year. What a horrific place to race. We should all help promote it? Dave, No one was more disappointed to learn the morbid truth than I was. The appeal of the racing there is very strong. For me the toll is just far too great. There's nothing glorious about dying in a sporting event. Rocket, No other unintended death rate compares to that of the IOM competitors. Use of firearms in America saves, protects, and defends a LOT more lives than are accidentally killed via guns. There is no comparison. You'd have to play Russian roulette with a 25 round revolver to equate to the situation at the Isle of Man. But that's another topic. Wise up. Stop romanticizing and glorifying a race with such a horrific toll. | ||
| Gaesati |
Blake, how does one quantify the numbers of people SAVED, PROTECTED or DEFENDED by guns? I think the only quantifiable thing wrt firearms is the number of deaths per annum versus the number of weapons in circulation. Meanwhile, the tt is dangerous, mountain climbing is dangerous, BASE jumping is dangerous and yes, motorcycling is dangerous. | ||
| Trojan |
Use of firearms in America saves, protects, and defends a LOT more lives than are accidentally killed via guns. I thought we had agreed to get off the guns argument and stick to the TT? Don't start on the guns vs TT argument because you are on a loser for sure. By the way, you seem to conveniently forget the sheer number of competitors that have raced at the TT and Manx GP since it started 114 years ago. When you consider the number of riders racing there (and the spectators who take to the course between races on road bikes) then the percentage of deaths/injuries isn't as bad as you make out. My father raced in the Manx GP at the IOM back in the 1950's more than once. He knew it was a dnagerous place to race (much more dangerous then than now!). I've said it before, nobody is forced to race there and everybody that does is a volunteer. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Blake, there's no point in me, or anyone else for that matter, arguing the point with you about the TT's reason for being. Like many many many pursuits in life, there are dangers involved which could be avoided. They aren't because this is the fibre of human achievement. The backbone of human endeavour. If it were not for the human spirit which makes the difference between those that will race at the TT, and those who never would, you wouldn't find the people to stand behind those guns and protect your precious sensibilities and freedoms you so crave and defend by voluntarily offering their lives should they be called upon to do so. Take away the dangers in any and all of lifes pastime pursuits is to take away the human spirit. If you prefer a homogenised human what the hell are you doing riding motorcycles when hundreds of motorcycle riders are killed every year in your country alone? Why not ban motorcycles in the name of saving lives rather than ban one event you seem to believe is reckless in its pursuit, organisation, and support? Which by the way it is anything but! Rocket in England | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
On a different note. Will Blake cheer when EBR win a TT? Thank the lord Blake, you are safe Rocket in England | ||
| Reepicheep |
For me personally, there are three questions here... 1) Should an individual be allowed to participate in a risky activity. Yes. I firmly believe that a person of sound mind should be free to do what they want. 2) Will I support and encourage someone in participating in a risky activity. Maybe in rare cases. It would have to be a very personal thing where I know the person, understand their dreams and passion, am convinced they understand the risks and consequences, and see them taking a careful and measured path to trying to manage the risks and develop their skills. 3) Would I pay to blindly watch and enable some kind of impersonal and industrial sausage grinder of a blood sport where people are taking stupid risks and getting killed or crippled on a regular basis just to entertain the crowds? No. How do I distinguish? I don't really know. The Isle of Mann is the hardest one I have tried to judge. The "big air" freestyle motocross is easy, sausage grinder taking advantage of young athletes then throwing them away for the next batch of people willing to make even worse decisions and I won't watch it. Isle of Mann is harder... I think these are thinking people pursing a passion, and to pursue it correctly on this scale it is unavoidable that it has to be an expensive undertaking that requires and industry to be stood up around it. But the risks and death toll is so high. The best of both worlds would be to architect an island around a road race course, where you could plan in safety at the worst places, and have the best of both worlds (road racing with its long track and real world challenges, but without any particular areas where the winner is determined mainly by who is willing to take the most risk of dying). People also misunderstand my earlier comment about shooting sports. I was talking about specifically organized shooting competitions. Skeet shoots, IPSC, Bullseye shooting, Practical Pistol, Cowboy Action, long range rifle, etc. I've participated in some of those competitions over the years (not as many as I would like) and the level of safety exhibited and enforced is fantastic. As one fairly typical example, I was sitting 10 yards behind a firing line where people were prone (laying down) shooting with .22 rim fire bolt action rifles at targets in front of a bullet trap 25 yards away. I was asked to leave by the range master because I did not have safety glasses on. This was (logically) pretty silly, but it was absolutely typical and not unreasonable given the obsessive focus on safety at these kinds of events. I find the TT both attractive and uncomfortable at the same time, but just can't get past the part where a few hundred good people line up to start with the fairly certain knowledge that a couple of them will be dead at the end. | ||
| Wesbuell |
Fair dinkum Blake, you ride a 100rwhp tuber!!!! Probably on roads full of statistically proven incompetents. Fortunately I will never get the opportunity to ride in the IOM TT, but I would be straight on it if I could, even though I doubt that I have the ability necessary to survive the insanity unscathed. This is undoubtedly the most exciting form of motorsport to me, I doubt that I could explain it to others, and I don't care, hmmm, a bit like our choice of 'relaxing' transportation... | ||
| Trojan |
(road racing with its long track and real world challenges, but without any particular areas where the winner is determined mainly by who is willing to take the most risk of dying). You are also missing the point if you think that by sanitising the event it will remain the same. The point of the Isle of Man (one N only) TT is that it is held on public roads and everyone knows the dangers before they start. Do you think that any old bod can just enter the TT and race? There is a rigourous selection process for riders wanting to ride at the TT which involves many many laps of the TT course in a car, on a bike, and finally under instruction before you are even allowed to start the race (and that is IF they deem you experienced enough to even enter). If you think that the winning riders are those that take the most risks you would be very very wrong. In fact some of the fastest riders take less risks than lower ranked riders, hence they come back year after year after year. The guy who wins the TT is the one who shows the most skill and knowledge of the course to post the fastest time (it is a time trial remeber, not a race). If you were to suggest to John McGuinness or Michael Dunlop that they had a death wish you'd get very short shrift indeed. As my dad used to tell me, 'The throttle works both ways'. | ||
| Crusty |
Why don't we ask Joey Dunlop? | ||
| 4cammer |
This discussion on the merits of the IOMTT is interesting. As an Yank I look at it in amazement, as nothing like this or the REAL road racing in Ireland would ever pass in the nanny state I currently live in. The lawyers would have a heyday... Some years ago I was looking at a copy of a UK bike magazine that I accidentally came across and an article in it went on about the death of one Joey Dunlop. Who the hell is that I thought. Well, I know who that is now (much more than just a racer), and I have been fascinated by the IOMTT ever since. An awesome racer named David Jefferies once said "you had to be a nutter to race at this place". He ended up with 9 TT wins and 3 trebles. He also died in 2003 during practice at Crosby Corner. Like they say, "That is that with that". Look in the eyes of these guys as they are interviewed. Go on youtube and see some vintage tape, these are racers. They all have that look in their eyes. This is a race for men, not corporate spokesmen that happen to turn a throttle. Not racers that are happy to lap in 15-20th place year after year and make $M. Is it dangerous? Hell yes. Would I do it? Not a chance. I would not jump out of an airplane either. But I am cheering on my son as he prepares to join the US Army Airborne. When he is asked "why?" his answer is usually a simple "why not?". I wish I had the balls and drive that he has. I see in the EU, US(!) and UK motoring press from time to time a call to end the IOMTT and other real road racing as it is just too dangerous. Some of the ink is from former racers but most of it is from those that really have no business making that call. Life used to be dangerous and adventurous; now it is sterilized, OSHA safe and CE certified. What the hell happened? And thank G-d there are still places like the IOMTT where one can live (and at times die) doing what they are passionate about. | ||
| Crackers |
Hi everyone we here in uk are well served with TV coverage of TT races,but just found out same day races are being screened in USA on Velocity channel if you can get it starting this Saturday. Have put link to schedule below hope you enjoy. http://www.velocity.com/tv-shows/tv-schedule.htm |
