It’s an astronomical number that’s caused by racers flying off jagged cliffs, hitting light poles, walls and fences and also hitting some of the thousands of enthusiastic spectators who continue to gather in spite of the danger. To date, 248 riders have been killed on the course since 1907, including one in this year’s race. The TT nets speeds of over 120 mph, as high as an insane 205 mph. Though cars race on this storied island, the TT is a motorcycle race that’s been going on for over a century - and the time-trial style race doesn’t use a track, but rather normal driving roads on the 37.7-mile Snaefell Mountain Course, which means there are no safety measures whatsoever. If ever there was one location crafted by the car gods solely for racing, it’s the 220-square-mile Isle of Man, located smack in the middle of the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Due to massive blood loss and in spite of transfusions, he died an hour after the accident. The crash not only caused internal injuries and broke both of his legs, but tore off his left arm. He was pinned so badly between one of the front wheels and the wall that it took 20 minutes to extricate him. Memorable Tragedy: Way back in the 1933 Indy 500, Billman was driving his Duesenberg Kemp-Manix Special and lost control of the car in a turn and slammed into the outside wall. Ever since the first race in 1911, 40 drivers have met their fate on the big oval track, most of them wrecking in one of the four low banking turns. It’s the epicenter of American motorsports, and to race on it is a risky privilege. The 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is essentially two long straightaways with big sweepers at each end - giving these open-wheel race car drivers opportunities to go extremely fast, putting their lives in danger on every one of the 200 laps required to meet that magic 500-mile number. If speed is related to danger, then the the Indy 500 rightfully earns its reputation as risky with track speeds approaching 240 mph. Dakar Rallyĭespite being protected by little more than his Nomex suit, Stan Fox survived this crash (though he'd never race again). Each is fraught with its own cocktail of risk, but racers continue to seek them out, for the thrill of victory, despite the tragic consequences of defeat. The following races have, over time, proved to be most dangerous of all, and not just because of speed. And just because racing technology and safety have come a long way doesn’t mean the risk has been diminished. And, over the years, many drivers have fallen, including greats like Ayrton Senna, Antonio Ascari, Dale Earnhardt, Bruce McLaren and Jo Siffert. Enter a turn too fast, lose control of the vehicle at high speed, get fatigued at the wheel, have a mechanical failure, or just get taken out by another driver, and things turn tragic quickly. They want the thrill that goes hand in hand with danger, and often those seeking this risky thrill are drawn to motorsports.Īt the speeds many racing competitions run, there’s injury and death lurking at every corner. But some people aren’t simply prone to running into inadvertent danger they seek it out. Hit the boxing ring with a semi-pro, dangerous. Ride that bike race with thousands of other amateurs and a 15 percent grade downhill, dangerous. Step into an intersection while checking your Twitter feed, dangerous.
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