IOM TT 2026 Carnage

Steve G.

Steve G.

Hero member
I rode to TT94, the carnage was crazy,,,even the Mad Sunday there were 4 killed. News of sidecar cancellation because of a fatality, certainly sad news!
 
It’s a nightmare before it’s started, sidecars have been cancelled and bad weather to come. Sidecar problem was highlighted a few years ago when a French outfit “ took off” - now it’s happened twice in as many days. No plan “B “ for wet days means they could well run out of time to complete the races. Doesn’t bode well. Geoff Duke proposed an actual purpose built Grand Prix circuit with hotels etc.that incorporated some of the road ( Le Mans style) and it was poo-pooed, not such a bad idea now as it turns out.
 
Vince said:
So that chair took off like some race cars have on the Mistral Straight at Le Mans.
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Or Donald Campbell in Bluebird- the same reason Dustbin fairings were banned . Crowe brothers outfit actually flipped sideways ( crosswind) the French outfit a couple of years ago go airborne over a crest and took off. They must make them more stable, either longer or more weight further forward or alter fairing shape. Bluebird had a theoretical flip speed which it achieved. The Dustbin fairings worked in straight line but went pear shaped as the bikes were lent over. IOM isn’t the place to test poor aerodynamics.
 
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I wonder why this is happening now. I think there are not many constructors, so an airo fault in the design causing this lift. Do modern racing outfits still fly the 3rd wheel anymore? Hope they find a fix.
 
Vince said:
I wonder why this is happening now. I think there are not many constructors, so an airo fault in the design causing this lift. Do modern racing outfits still fly the 3rd wheel anymore? Hope they find a fix.
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There are going faster,much faster- this year they were running carb restrictors to slow them down . IOM will show up any weakness, instability- years ago Biland had the Beo outfit that used race car tech & design and was promptly banned,now we are stuck with archaic design rules and they are inevitably getting faster with advances in engines/ gearboxes . Two blokes hanging onto an unbalanced wing with three wheels …Moly came up with a KTM twin formula that would be a bit slower, more affordable and probably safer- might be worth a revisit.
 
Let’s be clear, the sidecar races weren’t suspended because of a fatality but because of a perceived increased risk of a fatality to either competitors and/or spectators.
Not an easy decision for the organisers etc to take but, these days, with an increasingly risk averse organisation and insurance considerations to take into account they probably weren’t given much choice.
 
If you view the IoM races through the eyepiece of modern 'road safety, where speed limits are increasingly being reduced while vehicle safety is increasing conversely, it's difficult to see them going on indefinitely - the 100mph lap is something consigned to the annals of steam powered history these days. Having said that, I'd be surprised if there are any more fatalities in the 'modern' era of 200+hp hyperbikes than there were 'back then'. Which - if true - is a testament to their inherent safety.

As for sidecars, it is indeed just a 'wing ' on three wheels ... fine if your top speed is 200kph, not if you start getting into 'liftoff' speeds.
 
Tippie said:
I read some time ago that they are limited to 600cm3, is that still the case?
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600cc engines but they have added another gear to up the top speed, tuned to arseholes and are running flat knackers throughout the race, apparently 80% of lap flat in top!
600 rule was supposed to keep speed & cost down but it hasn’t as the guys are spending huge amounts on the motors that inevitably blow up more. The fact that the top crews have reliable fast motors is testament to the preparation . Chairs have never been fairly treated in the TT, always the poor relative- only time they liked sidecars was they could put them out to help dry the track before the solos.
 
That's what I heard as well. But that's resulted in 100% full throttle for very extended times and the expected engine failures. I guess the issue is airflow getting under the bodywork and lift occurring. That's why I asked about flying the outrigger wheel. Something must have changed recently. I know they have just cracked a 120mph lap, but it's only increased by a few mph from previous speeds unless it's jumped up a lot this year. They are very competitive, with 2 or 3 teams uping there game every year.
 
Vince said:
That's what I heard as well. But that's resulted in 100% full throttle for very extended times and the expected engine failures. I guess the issue is airflow getting under the bodywork and lift occurring. That's why I asked about flying the outrigger wheel. Something must have changed recently. I know they have just cracked a 120mph lap, but it's only increased by a few mph from previous speeds unless it's jumped up a lot this year. They are very competitive, with 2 or 3 teams uping there game every year.
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They’re hitting 160 mph now with the extra gear- this instability problem was being discussed at least four years ago amongst people I know, it’s no secret .
 
I understand the H&S thing, and fair enough, but to just cancel seems a bit knee-jerk, rather than letting it run and sorting something out for next year, especially since they haven’t actually sorted anything “for next year” for several years. Also bear in mind that teams have travelled from all over the world for THIS years competition.
Slowing things down seems to be the key, if 600cc isn’t small enough, make it 300cc. I’m sure the punters would appreciate watching riders for 6 seconds instead of 4!
If bikes were slower then perhaps the organisers would also be less nervous about weather conditions, which kind of buggered things last year
 
Andy said:
I understand the H&S thing, and fair enough, but to just cancel seems a bit knee-jerk, rather than letting it run and sorting something out for next year, especially since they haven’t actually sorted anything “for next year” for several years. Also bear in mind that teams have travelled from all over the world for THIS years competition.
Slowing things down seems to be the key, if 600cc isn’t small enough, make it 300cc. I’m sure the punters would appreciate watching riders for 6 seconds instead of 4!
If bikes were slower then perhaps the organisers would also be less nervous about weather conditions, which kind of buggered things last year
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Exactly- cancelling because they’re not safe when they’ve had years to get this sorted is ridiculous and they will lose credibility. Needs a revamp, perhaps running unfaired would slow them down, cool them down and stop them flipping? It would be a cost effective option. I think everyone’s running adjustable rev limiters, run this years races at lower rpm?
 
I did suggest to Moly a couple of years ago, instead of encouraging him to develop the KTM engined outfit they should have asked him to develop an all electric sidecar that will do two laps (at a reasonable speed). With the platform of a three wheeler, building batteries into the ‘floor’ is a darn sight easier than fitting them into a solo. He didn’t seem averse to the idea.
 
Carnage is a very emotive word. Google tells me Horses kill 10 people on average every year in Australia, and 7 people die on Everest on average every year. Both have killed more people over the decades than the TT has.
 
Vince said:
Google tells me Horses kill 10 people on average every year in Australia
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I'd doubt that "Horses kill 10 people".
Ten people may die as a result of a horse related incident, but that is a very different thing.

I get tired of being told that "motorcycles kill loads of people".
As a retired pilot, I'm fully aware that most air accidents are put down to "pilot error".
How many times do you hear of road accidents being put down to driver/rider/pedestrian errors?
 
“Carnage” refers to a bike plowing through the crowd, one sidecar fireballing -crew in hospital, a sidecar car taking off and flipping -crew in hospital and a rider killed in “practice” & the sidecar class being cancelled for being unsafe…. all this has happened before the TT races have even started. Don’t get me wrong, I went to the TT fortnight for ten years on the trot & was mechanic/ refuel for a rider in ‘89 but I honestly think the fish are too big for the tank.
 
The Sock said:
I'd doubt that "Horses kill 10 people".
Ten people may die as a result of a horse related incident, but that is a very different thing.

I get tired of being told that "motorcycles kill loads of people".
As a retired pilot, I'm fully aware that most air accidents are put down to "pilot error".
How many times do you hear of road accidents being put down to driver/rider/pedestrian errors?
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I told my hang gliding instructor “ the last 15 feet is the dangerous bit..”
 
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