Sunday Feature-As Close As I Will Ever Get To Racing A Manx

Sunday Feature- !948 IOM TT

Great video explaining a bit of the course as well as landmarks. Nice little movie.

Sunday Feature- H.P. Muller at the 1954 German G.P. on NSU Rennmax

Sunday Feature- 1934 IOM TT with J. Guthrie

Sunday Feature- 1955 Giro d' Italia

Sunday Feature- 1/10th the Capacity of My Bike but Faster!!

Sunday Feature at Spa Francorchamps with Geoff Duke

How A Tragic Crash Could Save the World

Please watch the video and then read on.



For me, motorsport combines the arts of engineering and design with the human element to create the purest expression of human achievement. It's allegorical. It's a clear expression of intellect and physical effort in the pursuit of competition. I watched this video several times and was struck by two things. First, I can only imagine the sheer horror of the situation and wonder what I would have done. I like to think that I too would have parked my car and struggled to free my friend from the inferno. Secondly, I wonder if that conviction to a higher ideal still exists in our sports heroes of today.

Purley clearly places the ideal of selflessness above that of self-glorification. Is that still true today? If you follow the Tour de France, you'll know that Alberto Contador, last year's winner, is being villified all along the course for capitalizing on Andy Schleck's mechanical misfortune in the 2010 Tour.  His abandonment of the ideals of good sportsmanship has cost him dearly this year.

Sports is not the only human endeavor in which the recent sacrifice of higher ideals has manifest itself. The worldwide finacial crisis finds its roots in personal greed above fiduciary responsibility. Politicians focus more on the their personal legacies rather than their constituents' needs. Purley's story is one of doing the right thing regardless of personal consequences. Perhaps the world would be a better place if more people follow that example. Part of my attraction to vintage motorsport is in part due to those romantic ideals and fortunately many of my friends in the hobby share that perspective.

Sunday Feature

This is a bit more recent than my previous posts. It features the famous Laverda V6 racing in the 1978 Bol d'Or.

Sunday Feature

This video is absolutely awesome. the videois of a hillclimb race on the island of Jersey in 1954. It features ane EMC (the subject of a previous post) and miraculously enough a Model 7 Dominator. How could you spend three minutes or so any better but by watching this. Great Stuff!

The Sunday Feature

This a great film from the early days of motorcycle racing. What is intriguing is that it features a road race in an era mostly associated with board track racing. The end of the film has great shots of the racers and their bikes. A fabulous glimpse into the golden days of motorcycling.

The Fortnight Feature Returns

Fortnight Feature- Daytona Beach 1949

Fortnight Feature

This really isn't a video but a montage that really hits home. Having recently lost my father and having been blessed three weeks ago with the birth of my son, I am particularly touched by this piece. As ephemeral as modern life is, I look to classic motorcycling as a sort of continuation of the lifes of our forebears. Working on my bike forces me to look back, employ techniques, and appreciate the workmanship of an earlier age. I hope I can hand down to my son the same legacy presented in this beautiful piece

The Fortnight Feature- Hailwood and Read at IOM 1978

The Fortnight Feature

These Czech films are the balls. You got to love push-starts, dustbin fairings, high speeds on cobblestone roads, and crowds right up to the track edge. Oh yeah, don't forget the jazzy sound track. I could watch these for hours!!!!!

The Fortnight Feature- 1959 Czech Grand Prix

Great video but you need to know a little Czech. If you take a close look you will notice that some of the guys in the pit are wearing the latest in flame retardant swim trunks!!!

The Fortnight Feature

For the readers in Germany, this little movie will be a treat since the narration is in German. I love 125cc bikes even in its modern MotoGP incarnation. This movie features the dolphin-nosed fairings that are the coolest

Rocinante Mecanico Boxing Day Double Feature

If you're like me and recovering from some Christmas merriment then sit down a while and enjoy these wonderful films. The first offers a bit of education about the race and all the heroes of the TT are present. Makes you wish you were there!!!!

The Rocinante Mecanico M.C. Sunday Feature

What I want for Christmas!!!! Great footage and the commentary is fabulous.