Back we go to the Isle of Man where it all started, because there were no speed limits
… by Jim W. Dean, VT Editor
It all began in 1907 when TT racing was born in Ireland with speeds under 40 mph. Racing at the time was banned in England. We are now at 200 mph, 234 drivers dead and bystanders that no one bothered to count.
In 2012 three riders died along with four onlookers to add to the tally, so the grim accounting continues. You meet below the widow of one drives killed while she was attending the 2013 race with her two young daughters. Racing, is a blood sport, the kind that gets passed on.
The Isle of Man is a quiet off shore tax shelter for most of the year before the invasion of outsiders for the two weeks of super bike racing. Light weight and high quality HD cameras are now giving us views never seen by the legions of racegoers before us.
I get dizzy quickly while watching the PoV cameras. It’s almost like being hypnotized. But I am sure that state has never been reached while racing a bike. The road parts that are in the shade seem to take your depth perception away, and raises the hair on your neck.
This is a new video from last year, all in HD and a good behind the scenes peek into the sport…with 12 minutes providing enough time for some personal portraits.
Gordon has a TT racer in his garage. I…do not. He says it is not built for smooth riding and even taking it out for an afternoon spin has your body feeling you are being punished for doing something bad…and the bike thinks that wheelies should always be done when beginning a journey.
The Vimeo gem below is an historic classic of early car racing, where it was considered unmanly to wear a seat belt. And roll bars…what are they for…are you chicken? You have to see it to believe it.
Enjoy a weekend break in a faraway place and a far away time.
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[youtube j7HlrI1COSs] – Isle of Man
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Killed Myself When I Was Young from The Jalopy Journal on Vimeo.
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Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.
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