Topic: The forgotten Tourist Trophy - Northwest 200

[Raul CB750K1]

3 minutes of exhilarating road racing - watch out at 2:20 for riding against a curb...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/nw200/watch/galleries.shtml?v=promo

[rhos1355]

Not so much "forgotten" Raul, as "hidden" by our evermore "populist" BBC. And discouraged by our increasingly health and safety conscious "You can't do that!!" brigade (our government)

[Raul CB750K1]

Not so much "forgotten" Raul, as "hidden" by our evermore "populist" BBC. And discouraged by our increasingly health and safety conscious "You can't do that!!" brigade (our government)

Well, many people outside UK has heard about the IOM TT, but just a few has ever heard about the NW200.

Wasn't one of the Dunlop's got killed this year? And what about Martin Finnegan?


From Wikipedia

Martin Finnegan (October 8, 1979 - May 3, 2008) was an Irish motorcycle racer.

Born in Lusk, County Dublin, Finnegan took up riding from a young age. At first he went grass track racing where he tasted success. In his later teens his boss at the time, Tony Carton, offered Martin the lend of a bike to try his hand at circuit racing. They went out that day and Martin did almost 100 laps and caught the bug.

A winner of 43 Irish road races since 1997, in addition to a Manx Grand Prix win. He scored a podium at the 2005 TT where he became the fastest Irishman to lap the course at over 127 MPH. Finnegan was killed in a crash in the Supersport 600 race of the 2008 Tandragee 100 when his front brake failed. Three spectators were also injured in the accident, all of which escaped without lasting injuries. On May 7, 2008 his funeral was attended by 10,000 people. He was survived by his wife Brenda, and their daughter Rachel.

Robert Dunlop (November 25, 1960 - May 15, 2008), was a Northern Irish motorcycle racer, the younger brother of fellow road racer, the late Joey Dunlop, and like Joey he died after a crash while racing.

[rhos1355]

Well, many people outside UK has heard about the IOM TT, but just a few has ever heard about the NW200.

Like I said, the NW200 is one of motorcycling's best kept secrets for the reasons I stated above. But I see it as head and shoulders above IOM TT in the excitement stakes. Was it on the NW200 that Dunlop and Finnegan were killed? Somehow I thought it was on this year's TT races? Have you ever been? I've never been to either, but I reckon it must be absolutely manic. Love to go one year, to both of them.

[Raul CB750K1]

I stayed three days at the IOM tt 2007, and had the chance to watch the sidecar, supersport and senior races -if you can call "watch" to stand somewhere along the road and watch the bikes pass you by-. Even though, the ambience, the noise, the excitement, the place, has something magical about it.

Robert Dunlop got killed during practice this year's NW200, and Martin Finnegan was killed at the Tandragee 50. Just after I wrote my last entry in this thread I browsed a terrific book titled "ragged edge" with stunning photographs of road races. There there was in-deep profiles of Dunlop and Finnegan. Rest in peace.

[cb350f_rider_73]

I only wish I had anywhere near the riding skill to handle something like that.  My skill set is pretty much "get from A to B alive on a regular basis"...

[ieism]

If you haven't seen this race yet, go to youtube now and look it up. It's insane.

Guy Martin on the Ducati passing him on the straight:
"He was going so fast he was sucking the rabbits out of the hedges. "