On March 20, 1954, Soichiro Honda addressed this letter to all employees of his motor company. In it, he announces his intention, for the first time, to go racing. It’s a moment in time. It’s history being made. It’s the world changing. Totally and forever. It’s also a call to action, asking his company to be inspired by his actions into elevating Japanese industry to new levels. :continue:
Here’s a rare glimpse at onboard footage of David Roper completing a practice lap for the Manx Grand Prix in 1993. He’s riding a 1968 Benelli GP bike prepared by Team Obsolete. Until Mark Miller won TT Zero last year, Dave remained the only American to have ever won a race at the Isle of Man. :continue:
In 2007, the 130mph average speed barrier in the Senior TT fell to John McGuinness, who maintained that speed for an entire 17 minutes, 21.99 seconds. 10 seconds behind was Guy Martin on a Honda CBR1000RR. He walks you through that lap in this video. If you can understand him, it almost sounds easy. :continue:
I felt guilty for playing hooky from work. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, all the while thinking they may very well find out where I’d wound up. I was a nervous wreck on the ride up to meet him at his home in Calabasas. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. Why did he even agree to it? At the time, I only asked for my own selfish thrill-seeking pleasure. I hadn’t planned to write about our ride. We didn’t even film it because the last thing he needs is some squid going out to Malibu thinking they can be like Mark Miller.
Back in June, MotoCzysz dominated the Isle of Man’s electric motorcycle race, taking a close one-two finish in the race and setting the seven fastest electric laps of the Mountain Course ever. Here, onboard footage and commentary from both Mark Miller and Michael Rutter has been combined to show something that looks less like a parade lap and more like actual, exciting racing. :continue:
This video released by Relentless as a part of its “Short Stories” film competition is not what I expected from an energy drink company. Instead, it is quietly gorgeous, not so much a portrait of Relentless Suzuki’s team or its famous tea-sipping racer Guy Martin as it is an loving portrait about an island that occasionally hosts an infamously batshit crazy series of races known as the TT. The sound of screaming machines will only mildly rattle your desk, you will not have a melted brain from onboard cameras witnessing speeds going plaid. You will also not be in agony from a production company piling on the overtly dramatic soundtrack and emotionally agonizing closeups, desperately seeking to pluck your heart strings. However, you will be tempted to skip work and go riding for the rest of the day.
We’re really enjoying Alpinestars’ series of interviews with racers. They manage to put a personal face on personalities too often managed to within an inch of their humanity. Not that TT champ John McGuinness has a problem with being down to earth normally, but it’s still nice to hear about him in his own words. :continue:
With performance claims like a 0-60 time of 3 seconds, 140mph top speed and a projected 120-mile street range, the Ion Horse from Kingston University and Ecotricity looks to be a promising addition to the electric motorcycle racing world. With power coming from Ecotricity windmills, the only CO2 emissions coming from the Ion Horse will be from its tires and the riders breath.
Photos: Amadeus Photography :continue:
In this previously unreleased footage from the 2009 TTXGP, a helicopter tracks Rob Barber as he rides the Agni X01 to victory across The Mountain section of the TT course. Consider it a zen-like meditation on the silent performance. :continue:
Jamie Robinson got the chance to put together this video of five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan as he put in an exhibition lap at the Isle of Man. Remember when Mick said, “If I faced the same obstacles on the race track that you do on the road, I’d probably be dead.”? Looks like that applied here. :continue:
