Rallying and Motorbike racing in Ireland

There are some things that baffle me.

The above is one such thing. Easy to be wise after a tragedy like todays but how on earth is this racing allowed to happen?

I have no problem with a lad driving a car at 200mph but can he please do it on a track designed for such speeds and not on regional roads with bails of straw used to absorb impact, a run-off area which amouts to a ditch and spectators within touching distance of the cars.

There is 1-2 deaths every year at the Kells motorbike races yet without any questions asked, the event goes ahead the following year. I doubt the rallying has as high fatility rate but today's event will finally raise questions I think.

I appreciate my comments might upset a few boy racers who get a thrill out of speed but when you look at it like so: The HSE reduced the capacity of Pairc Tailteann to 10,000 last year becuase a few grass banks were deemed dangerous yet they allow racing like this?

As I say, it baffles me.

Bikers know the score live by the sword etc.
As for motor rallying the safest place to be is inside the car roll cages etc

Where I have the real problem with this is what is the health and safety standard for the spectators. I cannot understand why anyone is left stand within 50 yards of a road. Let alone behind a wooden fence.
There should be designated viewing areas. Which are well back from the road and well elevated from the road which works both in terms of spectating and safety.
If a spectator is not in the designated viewing areas stage gets red flagged.

An example of a fine inquisitorial/conscientious post that has no relevance here, on a GAA forum.

Were we to drag every death by accident/drowning/sky-diving misshap/ballonning failure/bog-snorkelling misadveture into the equation then, in LT2R's terms, we would a flooded board...

Next....

Exactly boxty. A thread in very poor taste by L2TR. Also the fact that he seems to think that rally cars hit speeds of 200mph shows his ignorance on the matter

Don't see much poor taste here at all. Seems to me to be a needless and preventable loss of life and worthy of discussion.

Nothing wrong with the topic at hand, nothing in the slightest.

There have been 2 deaths to co-drivers in rallying in the last 10 years on Irish soil (one related to me), 2 marshalls and (i think) 3 spectators now. If you compare that with the amount of deaths on Irish soil that road racing has had in the same period then there is no comparison. I feel road racing MUST be banned!

Boxty I don't see any bad taste here, except maybe for the fact that you yourself seem to be completely dismissing this as being an issue. It's one thing when a driver or a co-driver die, any race car driver I know (admitedly mainly single seat car drivers) say that although they don't want to die, if they had to they'd want to go doing something they love which is fair enough but when you have people who are just watching the race dying something has to be changed. If you're a spectator and a rally car comes at you at full speed you're chances of coming out unscathed are slim to none.

And as for motorbike road racing, they're all a bit insane. As Loyal said every year there'd be someone killed in Kells and I think there's one in Skerries that would have similar statistics. These deaths have become to common place now that you barely even hear about them. Anyone with an interest in motor sport will probably have heard of the Isle of Man TT, which shows very clearly how dangerous the sport is every year.

slightly surprised at one or two responses here and the way they appear to make light of the loss of life. If you were to stand on the hard shoulder of a motorway close to cars doing 70mph you'd be arrested yet for some strange its deemed safe to stand inches sometimes centimetres from cars doing speeds well in excess of 70mph. Whats even more amazing is that some of these spectators are intoxicated with significant levels of alcohol which just makes a bad situation potentially a lot worse

I wonder if those who think the thread is a needless one were the parents of one of the victims yesterday would they hold the same view?????

I am not saying rallying should be banned but there are certainly one or two things that could be done to make it safer for the spectators

bocerty wrote:slightly surprised at one or two responses here and the way they appear to make light of the loss of life. If you were to stand on the hard shoulder of a motorway close to cars doing 70mph you'd be arrested yet for some strange its deemed safe to stand inches sometimes centimetres from cars doing speeds well in excess of 70mph. Whats even more amazing is that some of these spectators are intoxicated with significant levels of alcohol which just makes a bad situation potentially a lot worse

I wonder if those who think the thread is a needless one were the parents of one of the victims yesterday would they hold the same view?????

I am not saying rallying should be banned but there are certainly one or two things that could be done to make it safer for the spectators

I'm taken to revisit this thread and re-instate my original opinion...
An event, a motor racing thingy, claims lives. Spectators in this instance sadly....My sympathies to their families...

A poorly conceived thread, even more poorly posted to by the instigator and equally negatively responded to by posters, who took the old tack of remonstrating with the poster.
Thread posters should be able to stand by their threads, discuss their opening post, whether it's gaining traction or not and engage....

Alarmist, eye-catching topics are fine, provided they have back-up commentary....

Next.....

Does the happenings at the Jim Clarke Rally change any views that have previously been posted on here? For me I have to say yes in regards to rallying now but I stand by what I said before for road racing.

I lost a direct relative in a rallying 'accident' over 10 years ago and the Jim Clark Rally incidents just brought back all the sh1t memories to me, a member of my family uttered the words 'ban it to f*ck' to me tonight for the first time ever and I agree with them. Dying doing, or viewing something you love is a scant consolation to the empty chair in the corner for the rest of your life, and upon reflection it's just not worth it.

People are banned from doing many things because it isn't safe, and these should be added to the list.