ade wrote:
When discussing the danger aspect of the Isle of Man TT course whats got to be taken into consideration here are the TENS OF THOUSANDS of racing miles covered EACH YEAR during the TT Races and the Manx Grand Prix, all of which are completed at extreme high speed on the TT course, speeds and durations far exceeding that which you would find nearly anywhere else in the world.
There are two ways to look at these types of races. Yes, you can divide casualties to miles traveled, or you can look at casualties per meet. I haven't looked up the actual numbers, but it seems to be at least one death a year.
The very reason for so much run off now on race tracks, is all the deaths from unsafe tracks. And the truth is IOM is an very unsafe venue, as are the other fast street races. A minor miscue, and you could be done.
We all perceive risk, at many levels. I would say racing the IOM is one of the riskiest endeavors in the world. And that is fine, for those who have the need to conquer it. I wouldn't agree they are the "manliest" racers in the world, but the highest risk takers in road racing for sure......