Absolutely incredible. I can't even picture myself racing something like that, but I'm glad that such a race exists, and that "normal" (if I'm correct) people are allowed to compete in it.
Thing is, you have to recon the course, and "practice", so you are probably endangering people all througout the year.
Can't imagine onsighting that race !
Had a friend who raced there, back in the late 70s. Tom Hurley. He had a Yamaha 350, 2 stroke, water cooled, as I recall, very light and very fast. Before the race, he'd take it out, race around his home-town--no muffler, no lights, no plates. But it was fast enough, and he knew the streets and back-alleys well enough, he could get away if the cops saw him (or heard him!).
He came close to winning in his size race on the Isle of Man, once or twice. Once he ran out of gas, just a half-mile or less shy of finishing first.
He was given the nickname Suicide Hurley by other competitors because, poor as he was, he would ride on stock (rear, at least) drum brakes, which of course would heat up and not work so well after braking hard (from around 200mph to maybe 50 or less) into the curves.
A great friend, fun climbing partner of the old school, not very fit, did not care about ratings or numbers, but utterly fearless, a fun-loving daredevil. He eventually died in the Alps, a careless slip during a bivouac.
Watching that video, now, in 2013, it all looks crazy dangerous. But forty years ago that was the appeal of climbing, too, which was an inherently dangerous sport, and the best climbers were daredevils, who would risk their lives for the sheer fun of it.
Been on my bucket list to take in the TT in person. It is such a cool remnant of times past. Great to see a community stand behind the tradition that exists here. Liability be damned.
Anybody who Free Solos could do this if they wanted to.
It's all in your head, Free Solo or Go Fast.
In climbing you must believe in YOUR SKILLS
In racing you must believe in YOUR SKILLS
When the time comes to race or to climb, you just gotta push the fear of death out of your head and get down to the busness at hand.
And at the TT... the really outragious stuff goes on between the heats when they open up the roads for a while so you can ride to another bar and have somemore beers.
Let us know!