Pikes Peak Race For Motorcycles Permanently Cancelled

[KINDOY2]

https://advrider.com/pikes-peak-bans-motorcycles-from-competition/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=08_17_2021

[Lucky Phil]

12 minutes ago, KINDOY2 said:

https://advrider.com/pikes-peak-bans-motorcycles-from-competition/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=08_17_2021

Welcome to the nanny world.

Ciao

[p6x]

13 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Welcome to the nanny world.

Ciao

Motorbikes have been banned of Pikes Peak before.

From 1920 until 1953; from 1956 until 1970; from 1977 until 1979; from 1983 until 1990 following Bill Gross' passing away.

 

[LowRyter]

The race has changed since they paved the road.  When I saw them run, they were flat track style bikes converted to symmetrical control to turn left and right.  IIRC, the guys still used their feet on the ground in the turns (I might be wrong about that), and they took off in waves of 5 riders perhaps a minute apart.

Now they're all high powered road bike specials with tremendous horsepower.  Ducati made a huge commitment to the race only to see their rider killed.  A couple years earlier, the winner of the race had an accident after finishing and was killed. 

[p6x]

3 hours ago, LowRyter said:

The race has changed since they paved the road.  When I saw them run, they were flat track style bikes converted to symmetrical control to turn left and right.  IIRC, the guys still used their feet on the ground in the turns (I might be wrong about that), and they took off in waves of 5 riders perhaps a minute apart.

Now they're all high powered road bike specials with tremendous horsepower.  Ducati made a huge commitment to the race only to see their rider killed.  A couple years earlier, the winner of the race had an accident after finishing and was killed. 

The "Paris Dakar" raid is also extremely dangerous.

I think any mechanical sport has some risk built into. Risks have been mitigated with technology, but still.

Carlin Dunne's misfortune was due to a landslide (if I am correct).

[Lucky Phil]

Naturally I am saddened by the death of anyone especially if they are competing in anything. I'm more than aware of what it's like waiting anxiously for a friend to come around again at the TT with my fingers crossed. However, if we are going to ban everything that's dangerous or apply a risk matrix to everything in life then life will be a colourless, dour affair. i wonder if in reality the "car crowd" are somehow behind this? As in wanting more track time for themselves and larger car numbers and have looked for any excuse to push the bike guys out via pressure on the organisers.

The "car crowd" have been responsable for the deaths of many bike racers over the years starting back in the 60's with pressure on the race organisers to line European tracks with Armco. Fine for F1 drivers at the time but deadly to the bike racers of the day. Not that the F1 drivers association cared about that.

Ciao

       

[LowRyter]

Phil, the same thing has been happening at Pike's Peak.  Originally the public road was dirt and has been gradually paved.  In the old days when the Unser's ruled there, the cars were Champ Dirt cars that were modified to turn left and right (rather than just left).    There was talk that entire race might be cancelled once the place was paved.  Over the years it's largely been a specialized race with amateurs and big corporations going at it at the same time.  The Champ Cars ran there last in '68 (Bobby Unser won).  BTW "Uncle Bobby" was a helluva road racer and even raced BRM F1, he also won Indy three time.   I saw Rod Millen win there in a wild contraption that had a Toyota carbon fiber "Pick Up" body (the bed was a huge wing/ground effects thing) that was built on a March Indycar chassis converted to 4WD with a 2.0 liter turbo Toyota engine pushing out 1000hp. 

The race has been a tourist draw and the local town of Manitou Springs gets a lot of support from the competitors, spectators and local Chamber volunteer types.   There's no major league sanctioning body but instead a group organized by the competitors, many of them local. 

So I guess I'm saying the thing has been hanging by a thread since 1968.

[docc]

" a wild contraption that had a Toyota "Pick Up" body that was built on a March Indycar Chassis converted to 4WD with a 2.0 liter turbo Toyota engine pushing out 1000hp. "

I want one of these. Sometimes I need to get to work early and have to go the back way . . .

[LowRyter]

2 minutes ago, docc said:

" a wild contraption that had a Toyota "Pick Up" body that was built on a March Indycar Chassis converted to 4WD with a 2.0 liter turbo Toyota engine pushing out 1000hp. "

I want one of these. Sometimes I need to get to work early and have to go the back way . . .

[docc]

Yep. That looks like me trying to get to work on time. 

[LowRyter]

You don't live on a dirt road.  

[docc]

2 minutes ago, LowRyter said:

You don't live on a dirt road.  

Heh, no, but I know a scrappy back way to town. I've had to do " some 'splainin'  " out there with my Toyota, already . . .

As for "organizers" making policies such that the "show must go on", often that comes down to a sort of "due diligence" or demonstration of intent to appease those that would otherwise intervene and attempt to shut an entire event down.

 

[Lucky Phil]

32 minutes ago, docc said:

Heh, no, but I know a scrappy back way to town. I've had to do " some 'splainin'  " out there with my Toyota, already . . .

As for "organizers" making policies such that the "show must go on", often that comes down to a sort of "due diligence" or demonstration of intent to appease those that would otherwise intervene and attempt to shut an entire event down.

 

Yea understand docc but at some point you need to fight these people tooth and nail or they'll shutdown everything. I've been witness to 2 race tracks shut down due to "local" complaints. Tracks originally built well outside of the metro area but then over the years invaded by regional developers. Same story, build a track and then have people build houses next to it and get it shut down. Everyone that enters a race track to ride or drive it signs a waiver even on a track day. The reason the TT survives is purely down to local support, same for the Irish road racing. Dangerous as hell but the racers know the risks. 

Even riding on the road comes in for attack periodically from the "sensible people" and we have to fight them off.  

Ciao  

[docc]

Ah, yes, Irish and Manx roadracing.    Absolute gladiators, those riders!

My same sentiments for the (Paris-) Dakar Rallye contestants. What pluck and untold determination.

Let us hope the likes of Human Cannonballs yet still at large!

[footgoose]

11 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

at some point you need to fight these people tooth and nail or they'll shutdown everything

"these people" don't have the balls to face you with what they don't like so they get someone else to do it in the name of YOUR safety. That be nanny.