Jonathan Howarths exploded TT bike

[normspanners]

Did you see photo of the pile of scrap left from Jonathan Howarths bike from the Senior TT, I have see some bent bikes and picked up loads at various meetings over the years but,WOW, forks in pieces, engine ripped out, all exhaust headers ripped off the head, all in a big heap obviously collected together by the marshalls, it must have exploded, that was some kind of falling off! It looked more like he had been racing with the bike in pieces in a wheel barrow and the front wheel fell off!!

 

[zx9]

It did look an awful mess. I don't know but I would guess it hit the crowd barrier at an oblique angle, a bit like forcing it sideways through a grating the bits that passed through getting ripped off.

Edit: I expect the thread will be moved from the projects section.

 

[normspanners]

he would have been doin about 180-90 down Bray Hill whether he got a slapper on on a compression coz there are a few down there, and it hit one of the walls i dont think a crowd barrier would offer much resistance to 400 kg at 190! mind you I wouldnt like to hit one at 30 !! my mate hit a retaining wall in an escort 1700T on the Manx a good few years ago and that was mess luckily the car bent upwards in two, back came over the front which took out some of the impact but those walls are HARD coz a lot are retaining walls on the island

 

[blenkie1]

What weight are them race bikes I thought they would be about 200kg. Sure my VFR is about 220kg. Looking forward to seeing the race tonight ITV4

 

[zx9]

You have a point Norm, I had forgotten about stone walls, I was obviously brought up in the wrong part of Yorkshire. Agree with blenkie, 400Kg does sound a lot my Unitrack GPZ1100 is massive overweight 260kg.

 

[Pete.]

What weight are them race bikes I thought they would be about 200kg. Sure my VFR is about 220kg. Looking forward to seeing the race tonight ITV4

More like 160-180kg.

 

[Fergus]

It did look an awful mess. I don't know but I would guess it hit the crowd barrier at an oblique angle, a bit like forcing it sideways through a grating the bits that passed through getting ripped off.

Edit: I expect the thread will be moved from the projects section.

The worst one I ever saw did just that, though it was the central barriers on a motorway that did the damage. The bike (a ZZR1100 from memory) was spread over 300m from the initial point of impact and had gone off like a grenade.

 

[arthur]

Here you go

 

[zzr1200]

Here you go

Thats proper B*****ed that is, and the riders proper lucky being as he survived, feel for the injured spectators.

 

[Premiershipman]

He lost the back end going down bray hill and the bike went off at an angle into the makeshift scaffold for spectators at the bottom of hill on the right.

Howarth was a bit battered and bruised but not much more still about 5 of the spectators in hospital.

The front wheel of the bike went through the front window of a house at the bottom that belonged to a friend of my sister, and she was there the other day watching the racing with her 4 year old at the same window.

Luckily no one was killed, to be honest there have been a lot of accidents this year but not as many deaths as in previous years but its never good when anyone dies.

 

[ronan]

The speeds those bikes do is unreal, I remember hearing when David Jefferies was sadly killed in practice there was an old boy working in his shed when the forks landed on the roof of his shed. He got some shock I reckon.

 

[JoelC]

Its always going to be dangerous, thats part of the appeal to both the riders and the spectators, however its only a matter of time before spectators are being killed, and that's not nice for the sport, the riders or the fans. I think they'll be looking at barriers in some of the more dangerous sections of the course for next year.

Look at how rallying used to be with spectators in the road. It only took a couple of real bad incidents with the group b cars before they started changing where people could stand. I remember watching the parting of the spectators when rally cars came thundering through, and it was amazing more weren't killed.

At the end of the day, no-one wants to die or be seriously injured, and bikes and riders are getting faster, the skill is making it safe without ruining the spectacle

 

[Robotstar5]

Look at how rallying used to be with spectators in the road. It only took a couple of real bad incidents with the group b cars before they started changing where people could stand.

Even then, you can't guarantee safety, some years ago I attended an accident on Otterburn ranges where a car had landed on a family group standing in the "safe" area inside a bend.

 

[Nufkamp]

Happens already with the TT. Each year they update the Prohibited and Restricted areas of the course, many great viewing spots have been lost over the years. It's going to be tricky to put restrictions on Bray Hill though seeing as it's residential and that scaffolding platform had been built by the house owner in his garden. Probably pad that area out with the crash padding next year I guess.

 

[normspanners]

resistance to 400 kg at 190!

Sorry meant lb not kgs !!reacon an outfit wouldnt be 400kgs with the riders !!

 

[normspanners]

As regards rally speckies, I was in Portugal in 76 when the Stratoses were there I can remember them standing twenty deep with their hands on Sandro Munaris spot lights as the marshall was counting down 5-4-3-2-1-go only then would the first ones move to the side for him to be pesented with the next row of faces who would then move and so on. All that in a car that was accelerating 0-100 in about 5sec. The drivers had to look on speckies as part of the scenery! But it got crazy when they couldnt even see the way the stage went for people, again I was there when the drivers refused to go any further, until something was done but what could they do for ten miles of road up a mountain with 20 marshalls!!!
The only trouble with viewing speckies as scenery, is that scenery doesnt move round on legs, but speaking to the drivers they where scared of the consequences, it must have been awful to be actually looking into somebodies eyes as you drop the clutch, easier to look as a person as a whole standing on the road side but to be staring into row after row of faces thinking I might kill you I dont know how they coped!!
I remember thinking at the time if one person falls 10-20 people would get driven over in the melee.
The problem in portugal was most of the people were p****d before they even went out, to play 'touch the rally car' a games for all the family !!

 

[Browser]

It's alleged that one of the Group B rally teams found a finger stuck in a front grille when their car came into a service halt
It's a continental macho thing, I don't remember seeing spectators in the UK behaving like that. They got a lot closer to the cars that today, but not to the exent of standing on the track in front of the oncoming whirl of noise, brake horse power and sidewaysness
Professional cycling has the same problem, several cyclists have been fetched off due to ******** spectators standing in front of them to get a 'good' photo, then forgetting to get the hell off the road before said bike gets there.
Having said all of this, you can still go to Santa Pod and stand near the 1/4 mile line on one side of a concrete wall as two 8000+ BHP Top Fuel dragsters thunder by at 300+mph on the other (mind you, that's just good fun )!

 

[Fergus]

It's alleged that one of the Group B rally teams found a finger stuck in a front grille when their car came into a service halt

From memory that was Malcolm Wilsons 6R4.

 

[ibrooks]

I remember a mates dad finding a bat stuck in his radiator grill once......

 

[normspanners]

Cricket, Baseball , or Rounders??