Isle Of Man TT on Men and Motors...NOW
01 June 2005, 09:22 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by mad555
I think its the North West 200 from Northern Ireland.
Did watch a programme earlier today on MAM about some guy spending £50k to get a bike and race the TT and he did 2 races and finished both not high up but did finish so fair play to the guy average was 99.2 mph on one race
Camera on board the bike when he was racing was great
01 June 2005, 10:17 PM
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I worked on the Northwest 200 some years back and so had access to all the course. At one point, as an experiment, I went and stood for a little while on the inside of a fast corner right on the edge of the track. The bikes and riders were coming past with their heads at about waist height, knee on the road and about 4 feet from me. The sensation of speed and the sheer noise is amazing. It is just impossible to capture an experience like that until you go and do it, not that I would recommend it or will be repeating my actions.
When I hear the F1 Grand Prix commentators building up the egos of the drivers with their comments about the danger and fitness levels and so on I really think it would do them the world of good to spend a summer following the road racers around Ireland, just to see what real motor sport is about. In all the encounters I have had with the riders they have been modest, pleasant and totally devoid of ego problems.
One interview I heard with the late Joey Dunlop at the IoM TT just about summed it up for me. He was on target to break the lap record but eased off coming down the hill to cross the start-finish line and so missed the record. The over keen reporter rushed to him after the race and asked if he had a mechanical fault that made him slow down. Joey's reply (in an accent that the interviewer probably didn't understand to be honest) was "Naw, I was goin' too fast an' I near fell aff."
Refreshing honesty at a time when every time Nigel Mansell failed to win a race it was due to some mysterious "fault" with the car of which the technicians were usually unaware.
While the IoM is probably the biggest road race the NW 200 isn't far behind and there are a whole series of races in Ireland throughout the summer. Even if you are not a big bike fan it is worth the experience to turn up and watch some absolute mad man ride a bike at 200mph on public roads with a foot of run off at the corners and the lamp posts "protected" with a bale of straw for "safety."
When I hear the F1 Grand Prix commentators building up the egos of the drivers with their comments about the danger and fitness levels and so on I really think it would do them the world of good to spend a summer following the road racers around Ireland, just to see what real motor sport is about. In all the encounters I have had with the riders they have been modest, pleasant and totally devoid of ego problems.
One interview I heard with the late Joey Dunlop at the IoM TT just about summed it up for me. He was on target to break the lap record but eased off coming down the hill to cross the start-finish line and so missed the record. The over keen reporter rushed to him after the race and asked if he had a mechanical fault that made him slow down. Joey's reply (in an accent that the interviewer probably didn't understand to be honest) was "Naw, I was goin' too fast an' I near fell aff."
Refreshing honesty at a time when every time Nigel Mansell failed to win a race it was due to some mysterious "fault" with the car of which the technicians were usually unaware.
While the IoM is probably the biggest road race the NW 200 isn't far behind and there are a whole series of races in Ireland throughout the summer. Even if you are not a big bike fan it is worth the experience to turn up and watch some absolute mad man ride a bike at 200mph on public roads with a foot of run off at the corners and the lamp posts "protected" with a bale of straw for "safety."
02 June 2005, 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by hedgehog
Even if you are not a big bike fan it is worth the experience to turn up and watch some absolute mad man ride a bike at 200mph on public roads with a foot of run off at the corners and the lamp posts "protected" with a bale of straw for "safety."
The cow crap and potholes make it even more interesting. One of the local races is called the Temple 100. There is a wall on the inside of a 80 MPH right hander. By the end of the racing there are invariably paint scrapes on the wall from peoples helmets as they touch the wall trying to get the quickest line
02 June 2005, 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Nicks VR4
Yeap Northwest 200
Did watch a programme earlier today on MAM about some guy spending £50k to get a bike and race the TT and he did 2 races and finished both not high up but did finish so fair play to the guy average was 99.2 mph on one race
Camera on board the bike when he was racing was great
Did watch a programme earlier today on MAM about some guy spending £50k to get a bike and race the TT and he did 2 races and finished both not high up but did finish so fair play to the guy average was 99.2 mph on one race
Camera on board the bike when he was racing was great
Interview with DJ just showed what an ordinary bloke he was.
I used to work with a guy who rode the TT and NW200 back in 97-99 ish. He became my new hero after wards
His brother mechaniced for him. And they said they same about Joey. Once you've fallen off a few times. The Ego gets knocked out of you.
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