Obituary Thread

[Banksy]

Just to think that if it wasnt for some kind of need to take risks for the 'thrill'? of speed, their families would not now be devastated. What a waste of life.

Well , as Benito Mussolini said , ‘Better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep’ , and look where it got him.

 

[Spoonz Red E]

278 deaths to date - including 2 riders killed while doing laps of honour.
The last year with races and no fatalities was 40 years ago.

No-one enters these without knowing the risks but as Geoff says - awful for families and friends.

 

[Rosencrantz]

You either accept the TT (and other road races like the even faster North West 200) for what it is, terrifying and yet compelling in a way hard to describe or you just will forever be completely baffled and horrified at how it is allowed to take place. Like most motorsport or the adrenaline junkies free climbing vertical cliff faces.

Being in the former camp, just watching the TT is a strange feeling of watching something you shouldn't. But at the same time it is compelling to watch these, mostly working class, (anti)heroes riding with so much skill and commitment on a tightrope. Watching the Supersport race last night where after around 90 miles of racing, Michael Dunlop and Dean Harrison were only split by a tenth of a second with half a lap to go was thrilling. Followed then by the low of the announcement of Davy Morgan's death.

The documentary TT:Closer To The Edge is the well known one but the one that sums up the truest story of motorbike road racing is Road. The story of the Dunlop family. The legendary Joey and his brother Robert and Robert's sons William and Michael. Only Michael is still alive (it was filmed before William's death) and shows both sides of the coin, the tragedy and redemption in their own particular way. Michael winning his first road race at the NW200 two days after his father Robert was killed in practice for the same race. Michael won his 20th TT race yesterday.

Motorbike racers and other Motorsport racers know and admit their selfishness and the pressure it puts on their families. Their families in general accept they are doing what they enjoy most. It's a tough balance and like any dangerous sport (Boxing, MMA...) there are no answers where logic makes an appearance.

 

[geoffwp]

You either accept the TT (and other road races like the even faster North West 200) for what it is, terrifying and yet compelling in a way hard to describe or you just will forever be completely baffled and horrified at how it is allowed to take place. Like most motorsport or the adrenaline junkies free climbing vertical cliff faces.

Being in the former camp, just watching the TT is a strange feeling of watching something you shouldn't. But at the same time it is compelling to watch these, mostly working class, (anti)heroes riding with so much skill and commitment on a tightrope. Watching the Supersport race last night where after around 90 miles of racing, Michael Dunlop and Dean Harrison were only split by a tenth of a second with half a lap to go was thrilling. Followed then by the low of the announcement of Davy Morgan's death.

The documentary TT:Closer To The Edge is the well known one but the one that sums up the truest story of motorbike road racing is Road. The story of the Dunlop family. The legendary Joey and his brother Robert and Robert's sons William and Michael. Only Michael is still alive (it was filmed before William's death) and shows both sides of the coin, the tragedy and redemption in their own particular way. Michael winning his first road race at the NW200 two days after his father Robert was killed in practice for the same race. Michael won his 20th TT race yesterday.

Motorbike racers and other Motorsport racers know and admit their selfishness and the pressure it puts on their families. Their families in general accept they are doing what they enjoy most. It's a tough balance and like any dangerous sport (Boxing, MMA...) there are no answers where logic makes an appearance.

I guess the thing is with most motorsports, there has been a lot of work done on the safety factors with designs of circuits and barriers plus the design and use of technology with cars, survival shell, roll bars, fire extinguishers etc. Of course there are still risks, but it seems to me that a death due to a crash on modern circuits is much more unusual whereas with the Isle of Man spoonz says 40 years of fatalities. Is this because the circuit is simply unable to cope with the power of modern bikes?

 

[DB9]

I guess the thing is with most motorsports, there has been a lot of work done on the safety factors with designs of circuits and barriers plus the design and use of technology with cars, survival shell, roll bars, fire extinguishers etc. Of course there are still risks, but it seems to me that a death due to a crash on modern circuits is much more unusual whereas with the Isle of Man spoonz says 40 years of fatalities. Is this because the circuit is simply unable to cope with the power of modern bikes?

The "Thrill" of riding this circuit I guess is that its not really a race track, Its normal roads with manhole covers, trees, solid brick or stone walls and even houses that all can cause fatal accidents but these guys who race it love it, going up against the elements on parts of the circuit that looks like riding at 150mph over the moors. Sadly there is this annual death count with families left devastated.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I guess the thing is with most motorsports, there has been a lot of work done on the safety factors with designs of circuits and barriers plus the design and use of technology with cars, survival shell, roll bars, fire extinguishers etc. Of course there are still risks, but it seems to me that a death due to a crash on modern circuits is much more unusual whereas with the Isle of Man spoonz says 40 years of fatalities. Is this because the circuit is simply unable to cope with the power of modern bikes?

Deaths at the TT have been fairly consistent since the late 1940's. Some years are worse than others but in general it is no worse than it has ever been so the bikes aren't really a factor although the lap record does keep creeping up. The organisers have used the last couple of years hiatus to bring in a few more safety measures, cutting the amount of riders, GPS technology and other safety measures. Of course the trend in other Motorsport's is that fatalities are becoming rarer.

But it is not a short circuit race track with all the run offs, protec barriers and that. It is a public road and kerbs, walls, gardens aren't going to be moved. That's part of the appeal. MotoGP riders come and watch and have the same sense of awe and bewilderment as other spectators but will not go near it to race. Barry Sheene famously was one of the first not to ride which saw the TT lose its world championship status.

The circuit itself is so fast because it is a public road with long straights and sweeping corners with speeds over 210mph on the Superbikes. The lap record is an average of 135.452mph. Any crash is going to be a serious one at those speeds especially given the proximity of solid things to hit which is the difference at short circuits. But that's also the appeal. It's quite unusual for a rider to reach anything except the floor to hit at short circuits these days. The danger is more being hit by another rider as was the case when Marco Simoncelli was killed in 2011 riding in MotoGP.

There is no doubt that if it didn't exist, then no one would be starting up an event like the TT or the other road races that exist, particularly in NI. But then again you wouldn't have a GP around Monaco either.

 

[DB9]

Jim Seals of the 70's Soft Rock band Seals & Crofts dies aged 80, Probably best known for writing the song Summer Breeze. RIP

 

[DB9]

Also passing away due to crashes at this year's TT races, Sidecar racer (Passenger) Olivier Lavorel and solo rider Mark Purslow. RIP to both.

An update to this and the TT organisers must get the right info before making it public. RIP Cesar Chanal

"Isle of Man TT race organisers have confirmed that they named the wrong French sidecar competitor to have died in an incident on Saturday.

In a statement, they said rider Cesar Chanal had now been confirmed as having died in the crash during lap one of the first sidecar race of 2022 on the Mountain Course.
On Saturday, they wrongly said passenger Olivier Lavorel had died"

 

[geoffwp]

An update to this and the TT organisers must get the right info before making it public. RIP Cesar Chanal

"Isle of Man TT race organisers have confirmed that they named the wrong French sidecar competitor to have died in an incident on Saturday.

In a statement, they said rider Cesar Chanal had now been confirmed as having died in the crash during lap one of the first sidecar race of 2022 on the Mountain Course.
On Saturday, they wrongly said passenger Olivier Lavorel had died"

That's an absolutely bang out of order disaster of a mistake if friends and family of both heard it before the correction. Outrageous.

 

[Mr Jinx]

Bruce Kent. He of CND. 92