IOM TT Pros/Cons

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Hubble

As we've alluded to on this thread before, everything carries a degree of risk - even riding a push bike in the park....any form of racing will naturally be more hazardous, even if it's cycle racing....think of Wouter Weyland, who died after a crash on the Giro D'Italia this year....

Obviously any activity which pits competitors against each other at high speeds is going to be inherently dangerous, and therefore carries a higher probability of injury/death in relation to riding a push bike in the park. The higher the speeds involved the greater the risk. Find a few comparable activities, get some numbers, then come back with some figures. Then we can discuss probabilities

Consider that Bob Wollek after many decades of dangerous racing at Le Mans, was out for a pedal bike ride one day in Florida and was struck and killed by a motorist.

At the end of the day, none of us make it out alive in this world. Unfortunately, it would be nice to see 2100, but most of us probably wont make it.

I think we have to exercise safety and common sense as much as possible and at the IoM I have no doubt that they could take some steps to improve safety.

But we can't stop living. Even if we sat in a virtual electronic bubble and we did everything virtually, we'd then die from inactivity such as obesity or blood clots in the leg or whatever.

[Andy77]

I have found an article by Daniel McCann that was posted at another forum I am member at and it fully reflects my opinion but is way better worded than I probably ever could do.

I have asked at Irishroadracers Forum and I am allowed to link to the mentioned text.

Please have a read at: Triumph of the TT by Daniel McCann

[Hubble]

Originally Posted by Andy77

I have found an article by Daniel McCann that was posted at another forum I am member at and it fully reflects my opinion but is way better worded than I probably ever could do.

I have asked at Irishroadracers Forum and I am allowed to link to the mentioned text.

Please have a read at: Triumph of the TT by Daniel McCann

Says it all for me.... +1

[chunder]

I have often wondered why Germanbs hold such a fascination for the TT.

It seems to attract far more Germans than any other nation like France or Holland for instance.

Maybe it's the similarities with the Nordschleife?

[Andy77]

Originally Posted by chunder

I have often wondered why Germanbs hold such a fascination for the TT.

It seems to attract far more Germans than any other nation like France or Holland for instance.

Maybe it's the similarities with the Nordschleife?

I think it was mentioned at Manxradio during the TT that French visitors outnumbered Germans and Dutches by far

Hard to say if fascination is caused by the Nordschleife. I, for one, like road racing in general. So not just the TT, NW200 and Macau GP but the Ulster GP, Southern 100, Bush Road Races, Tandragee, Scarborough, Cookstown, Frohburg, Almelo, Oostende, Horice .... too.
Saying that, I feel the thread title is somewhat mis-leading. It should read "road racing pro/con" but if you take the IoM TT as a term for road racing it might work as well, to most.

The Nordschleife as a circuit is almost like the Isle Notre Dame circuit in Montreal (armco-small gras strip-road-small gras strip-armco) , just 5 to 6 times longer (roughly estimated) and with a height difference of around 300m. But there is no motorcycle racing taking place since the 1970s. There are only motorcycle tourist drives but these have to follow german road & street legislation which means top speed 50 km/h at one way street driving usually.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Andy77

.......
The Nordschleife .......... motorcycle tourist drives but these have to follow german road & street legislation which means top speed 50 km/h at one way street driving usually.

I think there is a typo in here somewhere !

[chunder]

It is odd because the Frenchg are obbsessed with endurance races obviously coz of Le Mans, but bikes are the same, they love enduranbce events over there!

The Spanish love off road and trials as fans and clearlyu circuit racing, but off road really huge over there and top riders are nearly al French and Spsin/Portugal/Italy.

Speedway is Northern Europe mainly, nothign in Frace and South Europe

Motocross is big in Benelux and France and the emerging nations like Poland/Estonia but again nowt much in SpaIN

iNTERESTING