Cheating death, that’s it. That’s why Harry Houdini attracted huge crowds. Punters would rock up wondering if this was the occasion in which the mad fucker would ice himself.... Death has always fascinated us. And we’ll always be drawn to people who dice with it.
I don’t think anyone disagrees with that & I’m sure he’s not wishing anyone dead, but broke’s original post, although he later softened the point a bit, went way beyond that. I love the racing, the tactics, the team decisions & so on. If there’s an accident & everyone walks away, sure that’s fun but it’s absolutely not the reason I watch. I fundamentally disagree & he doesn’t speak for me. Yes but that’s not the point that was originally made. It was that we’re not honest if we say we don’t watch it to see an accident with “very serious” consequences & that no one watches racing to see the tactical changes? The implication is there that for the millions that (still) tune in every week to watch F1, all that is of interest is a life threatening crash. It ain’t for me nor my group of friends that (still) love the sport. If it is for you, OK, personally I find that odd but I’ve heard the argument before. Just don’t agree with it & find it all a bit sad but each to their own I guess.
There is people in the world that do watch it just for the crashes though. I think that’s always been the case tbh. f1 as an example, it’s not really competitive nor exciting to watch. There’s not really much generally in the way of prangs either so all in all it’s become bland hence it dying out :/ I’ll admit that I watch shunt videos on YouTube now and then. But I never watch fatality vids. I want to watch something that is impressive, physical and pushes man and machine to the limits. Not something that looks less challenging than trying to brush my dog.
Agree overall, I still find it interesting to watch, though not a patch on Moto GP, particularly this year!
People used to turn up to the Tower of London for a family day out to watch someone get their head removed
Plus in its hey day, it saved the country a fortune on divorce settlements for Henrys wives, and jail costs of other undesirables.
There will always be a certain number of ghouls who hope that someone crashes but I think they are in such a minority that it may as well be disregarded, especially now they have the likes of Liveleak etc where they can skip the racing part and get straight to the gore. Contrary to popular belief, even in the days of the Roman games the death of a gladiator was the exception rather than the rule. For one thing, they were very expensive commodities who took years to train and build up a following, but also the crowd preferred the frisson that came from the flirtation with and escape from death rather than the death itself. I would say that at last part of the excitement of racing is that same tension. I think it was you who quoted Murray Walker as saying that road racers wouldn't be interested if it was made safe, and I can understand that mentality. Is that part of your reason for taking part in motorsport? I know that part of the reason I ride bikes is because they're dangerous not in spite of it, likewise I used to play American football and I boxed for the same reason. It sounds like wanky zen bushido BS, but I think it's some sort of existential need to confront fear and overcome it. Men have been genetically engineered by millions of years of darwinism to enjoy risk as you weren't much good to your tribe as a hunter or warrior if you didn't, so it's only natural that we seek an outlet for that in today's increasingly sanitised society and a few decades of nannying can't undo millions of years of evolution. Here's a short and readable academic paper on the psychiatric aspects of extreme sports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5798939/
I’m an oddity as I love bike racing but the idea of riding on the edge isn’t currently an interest to me. I absolutely love it. But I’m in a different stage of life presently and it doesn’t seem worth the risk vs the enjoyment which means whilst I enjoy riding, I am happy or atleast learning to be happy circulating (not that easy haha) and enjoying it for what it is. Fun. I can’t see me returning to motorcycle racing anytime soon.. I proved to myself what I felt I needed to and within reason for the risk I was willing to take for a hobby that’s not going anywhere career wise I’d achieved what I set out to. To go any further would mean a lot more money and a lot more hospital visits haha! euro trackdays etc probably though. And I have an ‘offer’ on the table to race a classic touring car if I want and can justify the cost which is subsidised but still a cost none the less. when I was racing bikes especially, I found it became too serious once expectation became a thing. I actually stopped enjoying it and really started missing just turning up and riding around without a care in the world. I also had fairly large ‘downs’ the week after a race meeting. Speaking to loads of people in the paddock, it actually seems really common but it was pretty shit. I guess the taller the peaks .. the larger the falls.. car racing I love, it’s very much in my blood. But give me club racing anyday over the National stuff. It’s so damn boring as a spectator sport otherwise. But I guess to answer the question, if it was safe would I do it? No I wouldn’t. I’d find it boring. Wouldn’t get the rush from it. There’s something about dancing on the edge of catastrophe that makes you feel oh so very alive
I was watching the highlights last night and when the crash happened it was the first time in years that I actually moved from the usual reclined seating position to leaning forward to get closer to the telly (while exclaiming out loud "FUCKINELL") and couldn't keep my eyes off it for ages after. Some spectacle. The last time I was sat watching open-mouthed like this was Spa '98. If there was more of this sort of thing, the TV audience would be huge. A full five screams rating from me.
I know what you mean. I've always wanted to give racing a go, not because I think I would be remotely competitive, but simply to experience it, though I get a bit of a fix through doing "arrive and drive" karting sessions now and again (Lewis' old stamping ground Rye House is my local track actually). I think I mentioned in this thread or perhaps another, that I made enquiries about Desmodue a while back but couldn't find the funds and just as importantly, the time as I had young kids and was studying part-time. I did sign up for the one off Cafe Racer Cup last year and this, but last year I lost my entry because an email that needed a reply ended up in spam and I missed it, and then this year, Covid. Fingers crossed it will be back on in 2021 though. Re: the "downs". My (criminal) work used to be seat of the pants stuff, and while not physically dangerous - though sitting in a cell arguing with someone charged with attempted murder when armed with nothing more than a pen probably was quite risky - it was an adrenaline rush with high stakes and I often used to really "crash" afterwards. It's addictive though, and when I stopped practising in that field it took me ages to adjust to other work. I often wonder how professional sports people cope when it's all over by their mid-30s and they have to do something else instead even while still pretty fit and active. I guess that is why you have journeymen players who gradually slip down the leagues, ending up like Neville Southall, still at it in his 40s playing for a non-league team even though hugely overweight and tbh, embarrassing himself. I can see Rossi going the same way, though probably without the weight gain.
Going ‘cold turkey’ isn’t easy. But I’m coping by having many other things on the go and also knowing I can come back to it if I wanted. It seems to be holding at the moment at least . Ah yes, I rolled a senior max over the tyre walls at stadium at Rye house years ago
