Looking at that Isle of Man footage reminds me that there are aspects of being 25 I’m glad to have left behind. I made it out alive and for that I’m grateful
Bob Price was not 25.
He was 65 years old, owned a successful auto repair business, and, at the time of his death, in 2014, had been racing on the Isle of Man since 1992. Nobody just shows up to race in the SuperSport or Superbike class at Isle of Man, if you are on the circuit on a bike when the streets are closed for the race, you are literally somebody who has a history of success in that class. If you watch the film, you can come to understand just how much power these machines make, you are never more than a 1/4 twist of the throttle from having the front wheel in the air, and the front brake can easily generate enough force to cause the back end of the bike to lose contact with the road. In either case, you are technically out of control. The riders are out of control, often.
He knew what he was doing, had been doing it a long time, and clearly loved the sport. I doubt he felt a thing during the crash, the coroner said he died of blunt force trauma and a broken neck.
Beats the hell out of 15 bedridden years in a skilled nursing facility.
Best,
Ted
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I’m less concerned with dying than I am with dying with my boots on.
