Pictures from here, there & everywhere

A few images and video from Sunday’s Armed Forces Day parade in Douglas. Meant to get these up earlier but got held up as usual. Well, better late than never…

Watch Video on YouTube

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A few images & video from the 2010 Parish Walk. More to follow during the day – I’ll post an update at the time. As with all my stuff, if I snapped you anywhere, feel free to use the pic on your facebook page, blog, etc. The first batch are 80 pictures from the start at the NSC:

UPDATE 1: Quick video from Peel added, see second one down. More later.

UPDATE 2: More pictures added, total now 135 and one more video. That’s all.

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One of the very few good points about mostly working nights (and there really aren’t many good points – it mostly sucks, big) is the fact that messed up sleeping patterns often allow for early morning activities, such as going for a walk, camera in hand, at 3am.

I didn’t even notice it was summer solstice yesterday – just looked like a nice morning. So here’s a few pics from around 4am-ish. No Druids were harmed during the taking of these pictures.

Another couple of YouTube finds from the Mountain Road during TT 2010.

Number one looks like some well meant waving-down gone wrong:

Video: YouTube

Number two shows another mishap near the Gooseneck:

Video: YouTube

Usually, parade laps at the TT are a rather relaxed affair, with the likes of Rossi, Lorenzo or Capirossi slowly making their way around the mountain course while leisurely waving to the crowds. Not so Cameron Donald. When the Aussie TT racer got a chance to take the ultra-quick Suzuki GSV-R 800 MotoGP racer for a lap as part of Suzuki’s 50th Anniversary TT celebrations, he was anything but parading – he was having fun. Fun to the tune of 202mph at the end of Sulby straight. Good on ya, mate!

Video: YouTube

Video: YouTube

Video: YouTube

I don’t usually do the whole news and blogging thing – I’m more comfortable  taking and posting pictures rather than writing about things, but I’ve just noticed something that I had to write down, even if it’s only to get some feedback on if I’m right or wrong, so here it goes.

As I’m sure all TT followers know, the races this year sadly claimed the lives of two competitors: New Zealander Paul Dobbs and Austrian Martin Loicht. Both riders came off during the second Supersport TT race.

As far as I can tell, Martin Loicht’s accident means that TT Zero has claimed its first victim in its first year. I only noticed that while reading an entry in the blog of SERT racing, the Swedish team that took part in TT Zero:

In order to be qualified as a rider for the TT Zero, you have to complete the track faster than a specific time with a petrol bike. Martin had a rider, but wanted to do it by himself. Sadly, during one of the qualification races there was an accident and he died.

If I’m not wrong, then he lost his life trying to qualify for TT Zero and electric motorbike racing has experienced its first fatality as a result – even if it was indirectly.

One last gallery for this year and that’s it then. Just some pics from the grandstand area:

Firstly: Sorry to any Manx speakers for the play of words – I hope it doesn’t get me banished to the Calf of Man…

Just before TT this year I bought a little highspeed camera thingy – thinking it might come in handy for photos and whatnot. On the photo front, the box was absolutely useless – you couldn’t get a sharp picture of a snail with it, nevermind a bike at any speed – but it also does video and that seemed to work a little better. Obviously I couldn’t include race footage, but pointed it at some of the things next to the races instead. So if you missed the parade lap whizzing past, it’s also in there in SloMo:

Video: YouTube

Yesterday I tweeted the first image of Guy Martin’s bike after his off in the Senior TT on Friday. (As it’s not my image, I won’t post it on this site, but it’s still here at the time of writing). Below are a few images of the actual location of the incident, taken at Glen Vine on the way back to the Grandstand on the day.

Obviously, all debris and the bike have already been removed, but the damage that is still visible indicates a heavy impact. For those unfamiliar with the TT course: Glen Vine is basically a very fast sweeping right hander – the first two images are taken against the course, the others in direction of travel. It appears that part of the pavement / stone wall at the side was obliterated during the incident.

Interestingly, Hell for Leather reported that Martin may have been wearing a Dainese D Air system in the race. If correct, the airbag system may well have prevented worse injuries.

Now, these vids aren’t mine, but YouTube finds. Just thought I post them here.

First one: Rider sticks it in the hedge just before the Gooseneck on Mad Sunday in what looks like a failed attempt to immitate a lawnmower. According to the video description, he walked away from it:

Video: YouTube

Video number two doesn’t contain any actual footage from the incident, but still serves as a stark reminder that it only takes one mistake to swap a seat on the Grandstand for a bed in Nobles. The description reads as follows:

“Binned it at Guthries Memorial on Mad Sunday 2010, 90mph, Four Days in Hospital, Seriously damaged the blood supply to left foot, Broken 4 bones (dont ask me which ones ???) Smashed me left arm and damaged the nerves and tendons to left arm Lucky am still here thow!! Ride Safe”

Video: YouTube

Number three shows a crash during Lap 1 of the Senior TT at the Creg. Looks like it was a minor off, with only a bruised ego (and a damaged bike) as a result. Can someone confirm the name of the rider involved here?

Video: YouTube