William Dunlop

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big mervyn
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by big mervyn »

Snipe Watson wrote:
222toHounslow wrote:Nobody forces them and they certainly don’t do it for financial reasons.

I don’t understand the attraction but I’m not going to criticise those who do.
That's what they all say, coupled with "they know the dangers".

My issue is that the government are facilitating the madness.
Have to agree Snipe. If it had just been invented, it would never be allowed.

My late father in law was a mechanic and engineer who built Tom Herron's first bike. He felt that the machinery had long sincesurpassed the limits of road racing.

I think you're right about Robert Dunlop's bike suffering mechanical failure, possibly exacerbated by controversial DIY modifications that allowed him to ride after a previous near fatal crash!, but his fatal injuries were inflicted by being hit by another rider.
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by 222toHounslow »

I’m not dismissing your opinion in any way but is that not the definition of a nanny state in a nutshell.
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Snipe Watson
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Re: William Dunlop

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222toHounslow wrote:I’m not dismissing your opinion in any way but is that not the definition of a nanny state in a nutshell.
I didn't think you were dismissing my opinion.
I don't think it's nanny state either. Banning the sport would be. It's a significant difference, in refusing to open the roads for such a dangerous sport government would be refusing to actively facilitate the craziness.
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by UlsterNo9 »

I was told once that more people die in the UK each year pursuing horse riding as a sport than bike road racing. Had a quick google couldn't find anything. Any truth in it?
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by Rooster »

UlsterNo9 wrote:I was told once that more people die in the UK each year pursuing horse riding as a sport than bike road racing. Had a quick google couldn't find anything. Any truth in it?
You would have to take it as a percentage value though as the numbers on horses are huge compared to road racers
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big mervyn
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by big mervyn »

Rooster wrote:
UlsterNo9 wrote:I was told once that more people die in the UK each year pursuing horse riding as a sport than bike road racing. Had a quick google couldn't find anything. Any truth in it?
You would have to take it as a percentage value though as the numbers on horses are huge compared to road racers
Plenty of horses killed each year at the Grand National festival but I don't recall any jockeys dying.
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by Rooster »

big mervyn wrote:
Snipe Watson wrote:
222toHounslow wrote:Nobody forces them and they certainly don’t do it for financial reasons.

I don’t understand the attraction but I’m not going to criticise those who do.
That's what they all say, coupled with "they know the dangers".

My issue is that the government are facilitating the madness.
Have to agree Snipe. If it had just been invented, it would never be allowed.

My late father in law was a mechanic and engineer who built Tom Herron's first bike. He felt that the machinery had long sincesurpassed the limits of road racing.

I think you're right about Robert Dunlop's bike suffering mechanical failure, possibly exacerbated by controversial DIY modifications that allowed him to ride after a previous near fatal crash!, but his fatal injuries were inflicted by being hit by another rider.
If you go back to Herrons crash it was not helped by him having a busted thumb when he went racing in what quite possibly would have been his final NW 200 anyway as he was heading more into track racing, in his state of health he should not have been racing that day as he had not proper use of that hand.
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by ColinM »

Rooster wrote:
big mervyn wrote:
Snipe Watson wrote: Moto GP or Superbike racing with massive factory budgets and on purpose built tracks is very dangerous.
True, but deaths are rare. The run offs make the tracks very safe. I think the biggest threat to life is from the other bikes.

The stats at the IOM are crazy - about 2-3 fatalities per year is the norm.
The track racing has a very good record recently with all their runoff zones, surfaces and the safety kit the riders wear plus the bikes are prepared to perfection by manufacturer mechanics. As you say Merv the biggest risk is coming off and another bike hitting you and I think that was actually the last death and it is even rare to get hit, it is close contact but the racers are pros and actually know when enough is enough.
And for all the money going into those bikes and safety kit, there is money going into preparing the lie of the track and a consistent, predictable surface as well as the runoff zones etc. In road racing there is bound to be so many abnormalities in the surfaces, humps/hollows, grates/manholes etc that cannot be seen, computed and accounted for by the human brain never mind transferred to the bike at 200+mph speeds. It really is a wonder that they can do it at all and i guess that is a part of the spectacle.
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by rumncoke »

It's the adrenaline rush does it . 50 miles an hour seems like 100 on a bike and those who race are going that times 4 .

A very powerful drug is adrenaline .


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Re: William Dunlop

Post by Samstew »

UlsterNo9 wrote:I was told once that more people die in the UK each year pursuing horse riding as a sport than bike road racing. Had a quick google couldn't find anything. Any truth in it?
Interestingly horse riding accidents and the like, are the highest users for air ambulance call outs!


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Re: William Dunlop

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

ColinM wrote:Hard to believe he pulled out of IoM but then went in for this weekend with his wife still pregnant.

I understand that the reason he pulled out of the IoM was that a scan or other test had suggested a possible complication with the pregnancy. Subsequent tests showed that wasn't the case, so with that reassurance, he went back to racing.

Was told yesterday that the Skerries was to be his last event before hanging up the leathers for good. Dunno if that was true, or even if it was, would he have stuck with it. Retirement, especially at such a young age, is not always permanent.

Very sad waste of another young life all the same. Unfortunately he won't be the last. :(
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Re: William Dunlop

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

mid ulster maestro wrote:... I did have a friend who was a road racer and he told me that it was safer racing than riding on the road. He deemed that too dangerous.
Unfortunately some of those who die while riding on the road in traffic, do so because they are riding like road-racers, except the roads aren't closed to other traffic, and all the safety aspects of road racing (such as they are) are missing.

Not saying all motor bike deaths are due to this - careless car drivers and other reason certainly contribute. Possibly only a small number, but we've all seen the bikers on the road in ordinary traffic who ride as if in a race, and all too often we hear that biker deaths are down to the speed they were doing at the time of their accident.
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