Watching TT on bike and highlights, and "Closer to the Edge" over the weekend, prompted the following:-

 

Steve McQueen as Michael Delany in "Le Mans" - "This is a professional blood sport, and it can happen to you."

Yellow flags - "Slow down and be prepared to stop". TT riders were knocking it down 2 gears, and not accelerating until they were past the incident.

TT 2014 - William and Michael Dunlop had had an argument at the NW200. William was off on lap 3 going over the Mountain, and Michael passed on lap 4 before pitting. When Michael got there you could hear that he didn't say anything about his bike or about positions, he just asked "How is William?" When interviewed post race, he said (paraphrased) "William and I had a fight sure, but he's my brother. That's what matters."

Closer to the Edge extras. - Interview with Bridget Dobbs, who's husband Paul crashed and died during that year's (2010) races. "Dobbsy died doing what he loved."

I know road racing is a riders personal choice, but in the modern age I find it akin to the Roman games in the Colosseum - a blood sport.

 

You can never eradicate the danger from motorsport, but getting it off of 100 year old public roads would be a good start in my book.

@camelspyyder - Well, my point is at least partly that road racers show way more respect for each other than short circuit guys do.

 

Also being there is their personal choice.

I'm amazed in this litigious age that any of the Irish or IOM motorcycle  events get licenced any more let alone the Macau superbike race.

Regarding respect for each other, can you imagine the likely death toll in his wake if Marquez ever rode one of those events. Horrendous to even contemplate.

I actually think Marquez' career as a real road racer would be short. Even if he could, in principle, make a class qualifying time, I think he'd soon discover the difference in resilience between an air fence and a 100 year old stone wall!

He's not the only dangerous world champion.

 

I was reading about Farina today - I had read before he was a hard racer, but prewar he actually twice ran backmarkers off the road to their deaths whilst lapping them!

Edited 7 August, 20187 yr by camelspyyder

Cheers; I'm not sure I'd ever read a biography of Farina.