Art at 200 mph
August 16, 2015 7:04 PM Subscribe
To clarify; the two guys in this video are professionals and are about as good as anyone can hope to be on a super-bike and the course is the Isle of Man TT course, a fearsome and often fatal closed circuit around the Isle of Man.
posted by dazed_one at 7:16 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dazed_one at 7:16 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Michael Dunlop is a second-generation TT racer; his father was legendary rider Joey Dunlop. Joey died in 2000 during a race in Estonia. He was widely loved, having received regards from the Queen for his contributions to sport and for his work in Romanian orphanages and his funeral was enormous.
The Isle of Man TT is one of only a few public-road Tourist Trophy races left in the world. If you think the two-wheeled racers are bonkers, check out the sidecars.
posted by workerant at 7:40 PM on August 16, 2015 [6 favorites]
The Isle of Man TT is one of only a few public-road Tourist Trophy races left in the world. If you think the two-wheeled racers are bonkers, check out the sidecars.
posted by workerant at 7:40 PM on August 16, 2015 [6 favorites]
Why did I watch that as I was about to go to bed? A little too much excitment, I'm afraid.
Some friends of my parents, whom they've known forever, are Manx, and I remember them telling tales of the crazy bike race on the Isle of Man.
Until the advent of Youtube, I had no idea it was that bananas, but this is the first time I've seen a POV video of it. Thanks for posting this.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:42 PM on August 16, 2015
Some friends of my parents, whom they've known forever, are Manx, and I remember them telling tales of the crazy bike race on the Isle of Man.
Until the advent of Youtube, I had no idea it was that bananas, but this is the first time I've seen a POV video of it. Thanks for posting this.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:42 PM on August 16, 2015
And oh yeah, a friend of mine wrote a song about the Isle of Man races. Listen/download here.
posted by workerant at 7:46 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by workerant at 7:46 PM on August 16, 2015
workerant: I'm inferring from watching the video that the poor bastard in the sidecar is essentially ballast? Albeit intelligent ballast that can move around? That is, when said ballast is not busy shitting its drawers?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:47 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:47 PM on August 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Egads - need more aerial view of those sidecars - crazeeee.
posted by parki at 7:53 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by parki at 7:53 PM on August 16, 2015
I think Michael Dunlop is the nephew of Joey Dunlop. His father was Robert Dunlop, who died in 2008 in a crash during a practice lap at the North West 200 (this is a video of Michael Dunlop doing a circuit of the NW200 course).
posted by dazed_one at 8:10 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by dazed_one at 8:10 PM on August 16, 2015
Jesus Christ. I had to stop because my mind couldn't deal.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:22 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:22 PM on August 16, 2015
workerant: I'm inferring from watching the video that the poor bastard in the sidecar is essentially ballast? Albeit intelligent ballast that can move around? That is, when said ballast is not busy shitting its drawers?
Absolutely correct, but only in the the same way that the driver of a two wheel motorcycle is essentially ballast, albeit intelligent ballast that can move around - weight shifting is absolutely critical to turning in motorcycles, and while I admit I know basically nothing about sidecar riding, I suspect the teamwork between the driver and rider is absolutely paramount.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:26 PM on August 16, 2015
Absolutely correct, but only in the the same way that the driver of a two wheel motorcycle is essentially ballast, albeit intelligent ballast that can move around - weight shifting is absolutely critical to turning in motorcycles, and while I admit I know basically nothing about sidecar riding, I suspect the teamwork between the driver and rider is absolutely paramount.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:26 PM on August 16, 2015
The thing that struck me was that as fast as he's going, there's a guy out in front of him going just a little bit faster...
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 10:30 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 10:30 PM on August 16, 2015
I honestly could not tell if it was real or not.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:33 PM on August 16, 2015
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:33 PM on August 16, 2015
Thanks for post! Nice to see without musical soundtrack and weird edits.
The guy in front was going the same speed, some racers let someone else lead if they think they can pull them in close the end...have no idea if that's the case here.
My uncle lives on the Isle, one of these years I hope to get over, though probably not for TT week.
posted by maxwelton at 11:17 PM on August 16, 2015
The guy in front was going the same speed, some racers let someone else lead if they think they can pull them in close the end...have no idea if that's the case here.
My uncle lives on the Isle, one of these years I hope to get over, though probably not for TT week.
posted by maxwelton at 11:17 PM on August 16, 2015
Aaah, Guy Martin. Sometimes I think he's related to Glottis from Grim Fandango:
"My roots lie not in any Earthly nation's soil. I am an elemental spirit summoned up from the Land of the Dead itself and given one purpose, one skill, one desire... TO DRIVE. Or, to change oil or adjust timing belts if no driving jobs are open."
posted by lmfsilva at 3:49 AM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
"My roots lie not in any Earthly nation's soil. I am an elemental spirit summoned up from the Land of the Dead itself and given one purpose, one skill, one desire... TO DRIVE. Or, to change oil or adjust timing belts if no driving jobs are open."
posted by lmfsilva at 3:49 AM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
My uncle lives on the Isle, one of these years I hope to get over, though probably not for TT week.
I went on a school trip there many years ago - not in TT week obvs - and still was almost run over by Nigel Mansell. Really.
posted by sobarel at 3:51 AM on August 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
I went on a school trip there many years ago - not in TT week obvs - and still was almost run over by Nigel Mansell. Really.
posted by sobarel at 3:51 AM on August 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
Guy Martin recently had a large crash and broke his back. sternum, ribs and injured his hand. Five days later he said "I'll be back at work on Tuesday". He's since signed himself out of hospital complete with steel rods in his back and hand.
He's also widely believed to be one of the next presenters of Top Gear post Jeremy Clarkson. He's not without some controversy.
If he was to be, I think it would make the new Top Gear a really interesting proposition and give it the new angle it perhaps needs. His TV series "Our Guy in India" was brilliant, for his Speed tv series he pedalled a bike to 112mph and he showed us how Britain grafted in the industrial revolution.
posted by 13twelve at 6:08 AM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
He's also widely believed to be one of the next presenters of Top Gear post Jeremy Clarkson. He's not without some controversy.
If he was to be, I think it would make the new Top Gear a really interesting proposition and give it the new angle it perhaps needs. His TV series "Our Guy in India" was brilliant, for his Speed tv series he pedalled a bike to 112mph and he showed us how Britain grafted in the industrial revolution.
posted by 13twelve at 6:08 AM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
One of my ancestors is from the Isle of Man, subsequently, I spent too much time trying to scope out the surroundings to be adequately terrified of the speed of the race. I shall re-watch later to achieve that experience. Thanks for sharing!
posted by Atreides at 7:04 AM on August 17, 2015
posted by Atreides at 7:04 AM on August 17, 2015
The amount of concentration required here is amazing, even the slightest lapse in attention could be catastrophic. This requires both the talent and unique drive to push oneself so hard and so close to the edge. Completely breathtaking, thanks for sharing
posted by fatbaq at 7:22 AM on August 17, 2015
posted by fatbaq at 7:22 AM on August 17, 2015
So I was wondering what was up with the yellow flag and hand-waving around 13:35, and it seems one guy deep in the Youtube comments has the answer:
posted by brokkr at 7:54 AM on August 17, 2015
I take it the yellow flag out on the mountain course was for the [William] Dunlop crash last year, Micheal and Guy passed shortly after he had came off.(William Dunlop is Michael's brother.)
posted by brokkr at 7:54 AM on August 17, 2015
As a biker who rides to and from work every day, this scares the bejesus out of me. Riding at 70 mph on the motorway is hard enough, I can't even comprehend riding at these speeds on normal roads and remaining alive. It's beyond skill, it's sheer madness. Even Hunter S Thompson lost his wits riding one of these things:
"...somehow the brute straightened out. I passed a schoolbus on the right and got the bike under control long enough to gear down and pull off into an abandoned gravel driveway where I stopped and turned off the engine. My hands had seized up like claws and the rest of my body was numb. I felt nauseous and I cried for my mama, but nobody heard, then I went into a trance for 30 or 40 seconds until I was finally able to light a cigarette and calm down enough to ride home. I was too hysterical to shift gears, so I went the whole way in first at 40 miles an hour."
-- Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature
posted by Acey at 10:59 AM on August 17, 2015
"...somehow the brute straightened out. I passed a schoolbus on the right and got the bike under control long enough to gear down and pull off into an abandoned gravel driveway where I stopped and turned off the engine. My hands had seized up like claws and the rest of my body was numb. I felt nauseous and I cried for my mama, but nobody heard, then I went into a trance for 30 or 40 seconds until I was finally able to light a cigarette and calm down enough to ride home. I was too hysterical to shift gears, so I went the whole way in first at 40 miles an hour."
-- Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature
posted by Acey at 10:59 AM on August 17, 2015
It's worth mentioning that they practice riding this course over and over again, at first slowly and then building up the speed until they're averaging just over 130MPH. You can't just drop into the Senior TT race without having proven yourself on (marginally) slower bikes in the Superstock and other feeder classes. Some of these riders also ride in several other classes in an attempt to podium as many times as possible in a given year.
Another interesting thing to note is that this isn't a kids race. MotoGP favors the young and agile but proper road racing brings those with experience. John McGuinness is 43 and is the current record holder for total number of podiums at the TT. 44 podiums over 18 years!
posted by tmt at 11:46 AM on August 17, 2015
Another interesting thing to note is that this isn't a kids race. MotoGP favors the young and agile but proper road racing brings those with experience. John McGuinness is 43 and is the current record holder for total number of podiums at the TT. 44 podiums over 18 years!
posted by tmt at 11:46 AM on August 17, 2015
Wow. As a former pillion to various boyfriends with bikes in my youth, it's taken me 25 years or so to stop leaning into corners when driving my car. That - I couldn't actually watch it while keeping my head still. I had to drop into the corners otherwise I would have fallen off the Internet at some speed. And every time the bike went over the white line, I twitched too, because at those speeds and angles the tyres must have been stepping out, even given how fat and sticky they were.
I now have cramp in my neck. What a rush.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 3:53 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
I now have cramp in my neck. What a rush.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 3:53 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]
Guy Martin drives the world's only street-legal Ferrari FXX and is utterly dazzled. His comments at the end of the drive are those of sheer wonderment. Beware the exhaust note may leave you bewitched.
posted by bz at 2:10 PM on August 18, 2015
posted by bz at 2:10 PM on August 18, 2015
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