Top Gear / Isle of Mann

[GSVR]

Just saw some shorts for Top Gear Sunday at 7.30pm on Prime.

They are talking about a track that has claimed 200 lives and Clarkson is abusing bike riders again.

Hey I may have got this totally wrong ... Yes change Title to suit.

[Coyote]

Clarkson loves to be in expensive cars, must be compensating for something

[GSVR]

They used to race cars at the IOM but the King banned it or something back in the early days. Wise King he must have been.

[dveus]

I thought it looked more like the nurburgring from the ads.

[Ghost Lemur]

Hey I may have got this totally wrong ...

Maybe but I doubt it. Clarksons fear (oops I mean) dislike of motorcycles and jealousy (oops again) of riders is legendary.

[John]

Yup definately nurburg well I maybe well wrong only heard homo (clarkson) bitching about bikes looked up and saw some part of the track that just rings bells in my head after I watched a video of a ZX10-R do a lap! Those bikes were rigged - cant tell me that a car (looks like hes in some BEEMER? which would make sense in relation to the track) would catch any big bike so easy, only saw it once but I think it was either a ZX-10R or ZX-6R thats all I think I know anyway.

[GSVR]

Cool that track must have claimed at least 200 lives.

Just seeing the bikes has me interested in whats going to be on.

[John]

edit: Just saw it again, I vote for nurburg x10.

I have no idea, I just thought nurburg-ring when I saw it on tv sorry, allthough it has taken its fair share of lives.

Getting accurate figures for Ring fatalities is almost impossible as even the police may be unaware when someone dies in hospital after they have decided that no police action is required (ie. no other vehicle involved and deciding not to prosecute the victim). At the upper end of estimates, an ITU nurse at Koblenz hospital told us they get 2-3 admissions a week from the Ring, around half of whom don't make it. However, I suspect this figure includes people who crash in the surrounding area.

[Oscar]

The fact that the Isle of Man TT has an average annual death toll of summat like 1.7 riders and 4 spectators is a disgrace. It allows people like Clarkson and every Safety Nazi in Christiandom to have a go at Motorcycle Racing (and with some justification).

On a local level, the fact that Motorcycle NZ supports and funds riders to the Isle of Man just shows what a bunch of backwards idjuts run the sport in NZ.

[speedpro]

The fact that the Isle of Man TT has an average annual death toll of summat like 1.7 riders and 4 spectators is a disgrace. It allows people like Clarkson and every Safety Nazi in Christiandom to have a go at Motorcycle Racing (and with some justification).

On a local level, the fact that Motorcycle NZ supports and funds riders to the Isle of Man just shows what a bunch of backwards idjuts run the sport in NZ.

Talking of safety nazis . . . . . . .

Not everyone is a pansy. Overseas riders who come here are generally horrified, and justifiably so, at our race tracks. When you get down to it Pukekohe and Wanganui are terrible from a rifer safety viewpoint. For some obscure reason, and it wasn't because of the slick organisation, I used to really enjoy racing at Wanganui.

[Oscar]

Talking of safety nazis . . . . . . .

Not everyone is a pansy. Overseas riders who come here are generally horrified, and justifiably so, at our race tracks. When you get down to it Pukekohe and Wanganui are terrible from a rifer safety viewpoint. For some obscure reason, and it wasn't because of the slick organisation, I used to really enjoy racing at Wanganui.

I've seen it from all sides - as a racer I got impatient with officialdom, but as an official and/or organiser I can still remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach when told that a rider had been injured. In one case I was told by a Police Sargeant that a rider had died and he was shutting us down - fortunately the cop was a bit previous - he was revived.

I don't know how the IOMTT guys live with themselves.

BTW - Not everyone is a pansy, but pansys' tend to live longer...

[Coyote]

But pansy's can be trodden on, young grasshoppar

I was surprised that the VIC club doesn't scrutinise bikes anymore, instead us riders sign a sheet saying we believe that our bike is up to standard. I thought this was kinda odd

[Oscar]

But pansy's can be trodden on, young grasshoppar

I was surprised that the VIC club doesn't scrutinise bikes anymore, instead us riders sign a sheet saying we believe that our bike is up to standard. I thought this was kinda odd

Yeah, I was surprised when I came out of retirement to help with the KR Motard thing at Taupo last year - no scrutineering. When I volunteered to do it, they told me it was a liability thing, if we declared the bikes OK, it would our fault if summat happened...

Having said that, I sent about 10 bikes back from the dummy grid, no catch bottles, nuthin' wired up, one guy leaked coolant (glycol) all over the dummy grid and a couple of einsteins still had their sides stands on (the KTM ones that stick up and back, just to make 'em even more lethal), sheesh....

[Ixion]

The fact that the Isle of Man TT has an average annual death toll of summat like 1.7 riders and 4 spectators is a disgrace. It allows people like Clarkson and every Safety Nazi in Christiandom to have a go at Motorcycle Racing (and with some justification).

On a local level, the fact that Motorcycle NZ supports and funds riders to the Isle of Man just shows what a bunch of backwards idjuts run the sport in NZ.

Motorcycling is dangerous. Motorcycle racing is very dangerous. This is in the nature of the beast. It would be possible to make motorcycle racing very safe. Just make the riders go very slowly,

The TT is motorcycle racing. Track racing is a spectator sport with interest and purpose removed along with the risk

Surely the same logic that has been put forward with regard to crashes by experienced riders on KB rides applies even more so to racers ? If you are a motorcycle racer it is up to you to know the limits of your skills, of your bike. If you ride outside the safety margin of your skills or your bike, and you crash it is your shortcoming that is responsible. Not the bike makers, not the race officials (unless they are guilty of some absurd dereliction), not the people who laid out the track. They are not sitting in the saddle Only the rider is, only the rider makes the call about how hard to push. [Credit : I pinched some of this from someone elses post about that SH22 ride - Mr White Trash or Mr Wickd One I think. ]

[Blackbird]

I love Jeremey Clarkson, he's a breath of fresh air in that he's outrageous, opinionated, takes the mickey out of everything (with the possible exception of himself) and completely irreverent. He's a showman and is it in for entertainment value. His two co-presenters are both serious bikers. Anyone who gets offended by him is probably missing the point and taking themselves too seriously.

At least his show isn't boring - more power to entertaining TV