Correcting a slight bobble at 180 MPH

[Northland]

Simply do that little dirt tracker toe tap !!!!!!!     INSANE !!!!!!

TT 2010 John McGuinness has a moment on Bray Hill	Small | Large

[skipevans]

That is quite cool, but as a Yank, I just plain don't get how anyone can race on streets like that. Back in the day I did plenty of racing RZ350s on regular race tracks, but even those gave me the chills when they had steel barriers too close to the track. How those guys can go flat out past brick walls, buildings, mail boxes, etc, just blows me away!

[Warwick]

Lol. Some onboard footage from the Island: http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Video-Library/From-the-TT-Archive/On-board-Guy-Martin.aspx

And some 2stroke action too: http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Video-Library/From-the-TT-Archive/2009-125250cc-TT-Races-1.aspx

For some racers (like Guy Martin - the onboard above) The IOM TT is the ultimate form of racing and their real passion.

Scout Youtube for footage of the Irish road racing (Cookstown, Armoy, Skerries etc) and also have a look at some footage from Olivers Mount in Scarborough on the mainland. Excellent stuff! But, yeah, mad as Hatters!

[Northland]

Raceing on closed course public streets is THE truest form of pavement raceing. 

The way I understand it , is guy's like Joey Dunlop knew little better as being raised on street courses.  The hazards of stone walls and trees are normal.  I suppose if we grew up on this type of course , it wouldnt instill as much fear in us.

I would venture to say many of these riders have respect for the danger involved, yet seem to not be as affected by the hazard.

While not trying to take anything away from my childhood hero's such as Roberts, Spencer , Mamola, Sheene, and Rainey...................they were given the priveledge of top shelf equipment, factory mechanics, and purpose built courses sometimes smooth as glass.   They were talented riders in a controlled and somewhat perfect enviroment.

The street racers had no such luxeries, and usually very little money.  It was raw determination and talent, combined with whatever equipment and wrenching skills you could muster up.

I have WAY more admiration for the racers who raced the street courses.

We never heard much of Joey Dunlop here in the central USA back in the day.  But now after buying the Duke Marketing video "Road Racers" , I can truthfully say I am a HUGE Joey fan !!!!!!!!!

I would HIGHLY reccomend this video for anybody who is a street course road raceing fan !!!!

[skipevans]

As far as equipment, I think Roberts, Spencer, et al, came up as most racers, first on small family budgets and then gradually up to factory support as their talent attracted attention. Spencer sure did. If you know anything about his background, he says his family never went on vacations, they just went racing. His dad turned the wrenches on the same kind of second hand equipment others were racing as Freddie grew up. I'm less familiar with Roberts' early days, but they might have been much the same.

Regarding track safety, remember that when Roberts got to Europe even the closed circuits were still quite dangerous, with steel barriers right up to the track (insisted upon by F1 teams, if I remember correctly) and the riders were poorly treated by organizers more interested in profits than safety. Serious injuries were more common then, perhaps even commonplace.

Roberts was a leader, with several Euros I can't remember, who formed a loose-knit riders "union" off sorts that lobbied successfully for safer tracks, but with resistance from promoters, etc.

I do remember hearing of Joey Dunlop back in my day, and he was loved and respected by everyone that knew of him, both for his talent and his big heart and personality. I'm pretty sure I recall him making some very impressive appearances at some closed circuit matches... perhaps that annual between the Brits and Yanks maybe? Not sure.

I certainly respect the guys who do the street racing, but I'm not sure any more than closed circuit racers. And having tossed it away myself at very high speed at Road Atlanta and Roebling Road down in the southeast US, I'm very glad I did so in places with lots of runoff and always walked away with nothing more than perhaps a limp and a bit of a spinning head for a few moments. Hate to think what might have happened in a less safe environment.

I wouldn't do away with street racing, long as racers want to do it, but I hope every racer has the opportunity to race in as safe environments as they desire. Injuries just always suck, no matter how thrilling and alluring danger is.

Closing note: All historical observations made are off the top of my head, that has seen its share of knocks and wine, so please forgive any inaccuracies.

[Warwick]

Racers generally choose to focus on the roads rather than short circuits. I doubt theres much if any differnce in the costs involved? Many do Both kinds, but some (like Joey etc) just prefer the extra thrill of the roads I suppose? I was under the impression that a lot of US circuits were generally considered a bit dangerous in these days of much higher concern for rider safety? Is that not the case? Some of them look a bit dodgy from the AMA superbike racing I've seen. But then the Brit superbikes race at Places like Mallory and Cadwell in the UK, which, though much safer than they used to be, are not really suited to 200bhp monsters:

BSB Cadwell 2007 - Camier terible crash after jump over hill

 

Eurgh! shouldn't have watched that again in view of the fact that I'm doing a trackday at Cadwell on Friday  .

Camier is fine of course. Currently playing second fiddle to Biaggi in the WSB Aprilia squad  .  

    

[skipevans]

I'm not up on the current state of affairs in the US, re: track safety, but I'm thinking they're probably okay. I watch national Superbike stuff on TV and can't recall seeing any crashes that didn't have plenty of run off to allow riders to mostly get up and walk away.

Road Atlanta, I think, still has a few spots that are potentially bad because the track is cut into a mountainside and has some cliff like walls just off the track in a few places. Or it sure did when I raced there.

Those air fenced look pretty fun, though! Pedrosa hit one at Laguna on Sunday and if it didn't mean the end of the race all the loss that comes with crashing out I'd probably be shouting "Weeee!!!!" as I bounced into it.

[Northland]

When I first started racing, both Spencer and I were running in WERA.  He was obviously a very talented kid.  I think he was on a TZ 250 at that point.  From what I saw, he was a typical family budget type setup.  Not rich, but certainly not poor or downtrodden.

He quickly rose in the ranks within only a couple years to a sponsored factory ride with h*nda.......the rest is history.

Roberts I believe came from a more wealthy california situation in his early days ?  Maybe someone can chime in about his real early dirt track days.    Im thinking more along the lines of the Haydens budget.

Watch "Road Racers "  and you will see what a real true peasant hero racer is all about !!!!!!!!!  Joey, Mervin, and Big Frank are surely right up there with what could be termed Poor man's Sucess Story's .




As for closed course track safety in the USA.   I raced during the final years of the green unpadded armco barrier's at Road America.

Every time you got loose in the carosel all you could think of was getting killed as you slid under the armco and it cut you into several pieces.  The wall at Riverside in California was quite the visorfull as you charged it straight on and your brakes were fadeing and your rear tire danced around loosely.

Mid America raceway near Wentzville was so bumpy with like 10 different types of crappy pavement.........a RD 350 was a death wish when you wanted to be on the podium in a field of 20 guy's.  When it rained, the track was covered in frogs and turtles from the surrounding swamp.

Good times.........Good times !!!!!!!   


Road Atlanta (before they put the go slow kink in the downhill straightaway)  was a real high speed but safe track in my opinion.

Only thing was that red Georgia clay was like grease when it got rained on.  If you went off and got 10 meters into it, you were STUCK !!!

Usually took 3 to 4 guys to push you out, and everything was dyed red permenantly !!!!!

[skipevans]

Yikes, I remember hearing about the steel barrier at Road America.

And that red Georgia clay? Yup, you're right! Slide your bike through that crap and it gets ground into fairing plastic and it NEVER comes out! My GPz550, my first roadrace bike, had that crap ground into the small bikini fairing forever!

Roabling Road down in Savannah was our favorite track. Little publicized back in the day it was nine full turns of fast, safe fun!

[Northland]

I still have a pair of formerly yellow Dry Rider rain pants that are red from the waist down with Road atlanta red clay........and they are 25 years old !!!


Here is a great timeline article about track conditions, you can click on the thinger and backtrack through all 5 pages.




http://www.roadracerx.com/features/timeline-grand-prix-rider-safety-part-5/