revtothelimit - motorbike forum

The news isn’t good… apparently “currently paralysed” after T5/T6 spinal fracture, among other serious injuries.

A very courageous and determined racer and allround good person.

Thoughts are with her.

Grim. Fingers crossed she can recover. Tis a savage race track for sure...

I hate to be 'that guy' but as time passes and speeds increase etc, this race makes less and less sense to me.

weeksy wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 7:09 am I hate to be 'that guy' but as time passes and speeds increase etc, this race makes less and less sense to me.

I don't think the speeds have made a big difference, if anything the late 90s look worse for deaths at least, but let's be honest it's not been a smart thing to do since the 50's and especially the 80s when racing made a slow start to being safer. I doubt the speeds help, but hitting a wall at 120 Vs 180 is probably a bit academic. More likely we get older and Thing is TT racers are wired up different and if it's available they love it, they all know the risks and do it anyway. I've never been a big TT fan, not from a 'it's bad' stand point, but after the initial 10 mins of WTF of just how fast and lairy it is every year, it's not my thing. I prefer circuit racing and dicing. I know it's supposed to be the biking 'Mecca' but never wanted to go. Maybe the Manx cos of the old bikes, but not the racing itself.

Deaths by year

Let's hope Maria recovers, sad news.

Maybe the Manx cos of the old bikes, but not the racing itself.

The Manx is definitely more chilled atmosphere & 100% less box tickers go there, but the bikes aren't really that old and pretty much just as fast...

Hope Maria heals well

Supermofo wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 8:59 am

weeksy wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 7:09 am I hate to be 'that guy' but as time passes and speeds increase etc, this race makes less and less sense to me.

TT racers are wired up different

Guy Martin, on Desert Island Discs:

When Guy’s attention started to drift during races, that’s when he knew it was time to pack it in. “I was riding round on these motorbike races thinking, ‘What am I going to have for my tea? What's happening at work?’

Supermofo wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 8:59 am

weeksy wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 7:09 am I hate to be 'that guy' but as time passes and speeds increase etc, this race makes less and less sense to me.

I know it's supposed to be the biking 'Mecca' but never wanted to go. Maybe the Manx cos of the old bikes, but not the racing itself.

I watch it on TT+ & have been to watch it a few times but it's never been that big a deal to me.One of my mates raced the TT for over a decade, there's a few TT Replicas around his house,two other people I knew got killed racing there.His attitude when we discussed it was 'You go climbing & people get killed climbing but you still do it'.My reply was along the lines of 'I go rock climbing,it's got its risks but I don't go high altitude mountaineering as I consider that to dangerous.Risk wise,the TT's like High altitude mountaineering,Circuit racing's like rock climbing'.Ironically he was involved in a fatal at Cadwell Park...
I've worked out from the conversations we've had,it's a time trial & for the Privateers it's all about setting a PB.
Like lots of people I prefer the Classic TT,it's less frenetic,more relaxed & I get to see Classic superbikes in the paddock & out there racing.People still get killed though..

I would go to the TT, because it’s the TT, and it’s an “experience”, but the racing doesn’t really appeal because it’s a time trial, one bike at a time. So I haven’t been.
The Irish road races are proper racing, big grids, close and fast - like circuit racing but with lamp posts, hedges and close spectating.
There was one fatality this year at the NW, and that was a tragedy, but it was the first for 10 years which surprised me considering the speeds/numbers/course.

Since 1937 there was only one year (1982) when there were no fatalities at the TT.

I enjoy watching road racing (less so these days) but the Island is the only event where you are almost certain to see deaths every single year it is run. This appears to be acceptable.

It's a huge fund raiser for the Manx government and the ensuing casualties,sadly are merely collateral damage.

Skub wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:34 pm Since 1937 there was only one year (1982) when there were no fatalities at the TT.

I enjoy watching road racing (less so these days) but the Island is the only event where you are almost certain to see deaths every single year it is run. This appears to be acceptable.

It's a huge fund raiser for the Manx government and the ensuing casualties,sadly are merely collateral damage.

I saw a program about the newcomers getting on a bus with Milky Quayle.

As they all got on with big smiles, someone quipped that one of them wouldn't be going home.

Mate of mine lost one arm & almost the other racing at the Manx. Ex RAF & now does archery in the Invictus Games.

We must remember, no one makes them do it. Simple as that.

Dodgy69 wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 4:43 pm We must remember, no one makes them do it. Simple as that.

But people facilitate it, allow it and pay them to do it

Not many do it for the money.

Skub wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 2:34 pm Since 1937 there was only one year (1982) when there were no fatalities at the TT.

I enjoy watching road racing (less so these days) but the Island is the only event where you are almost certain to see deaths every single year it is run. This appears to be acceptable.

It's a huge fund raiser for the Manx government and the ensuing casualties,sadly are merely collateral damage.

Maybe splitting hairs, but as a spectator you’re not likely to see a death.

I wouldn’t like to give morbid prospective visitors the wrong idea.

Dodgy69 wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 4:54 pm Not many do it for the money.

Oh they do. Massive prize money. No prize money in BSB

Yorick wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 6:15 pm

Dodgy69 wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 4:54 pm Not many do it for the money.

Oh they do. Massive prize money. No prize money in BSB

Don’t think there’s that much prize money for most of the racers. They do it because they want to and it cost them all a lot of money

Maybe the top three get « decent » prize money, but I never heard that for the rest

Whilst nobody makes them race, there is a whole bizarre culture at the TT (and the ManX) about the danger, real men racing inches from stone walls and the face that circuit racing is “not the real thing”
As the owner of a crush fractured T12 , and maybe complications of the spine around the coccyx , all I can say for poor Marie is that the prognosis is not good. I was lucky when I did my t12, I fell straight down
, with no twisting.

Noggin wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 7:42 pm

Yorick wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 6:15 pm

Dodgy69 wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 4:54 pm Not many do it for the money.

Oh they do. Massive prize money. No prize money in BSB

Don’t think there’s that much prize money for most of the racers. They do it because they want to and it cost them all a lot of money

Maybe the top three get « decent » prize money, but I never heard that for the rest

The top earners from the 2025 prize pool included:Michael Dunlop: £63,500Davey Todd: £52,675Dean Harrison: £42,275

Ill bet many get paid for turning up by the organisers or teams.
In a sport with not a lot of earnings, its a fair bit of their yearly salary i bet.

Is it enough, well that's a whole different can of worms