I was recently watching a show about board track motorcycle and car racing. About three minutes into this show, a historian mentioned that when riders crashed on the boards, they’d often get “splinters” that completely pierced their limbs. The tracks were so steeply banked, when motorcycles crashed the bikes would often careen into the stands and wound spectators. The newspapers started calling the places, “murderdromes”. That’s bad PR. One year, four former Indy 500 winners were killed across the country on board tracks…the longest of which was more than two miles in length.
I immediately thought, “This is the most dangerous racing ever!” Then I thought about stuff like Group B rally cars that didn’t kill as many people but they were brutally dangerous, the Isle of Mann TT motorcycle race, Jack Pine motorcycle racing, Top Fuel motorcycles of any shade and stripe, hydrogen peroxide rocket drag cars, and on and on and on. I was then mired in a macabre quandary about what form of racing was or is the most dangerous in history. Then of course I got to thinking about the most dangerous single race. The Indy 500 is up there, but so are a LOT of others. Here’s where you come in. We needs answers to these questions!
BangShift Question Of The Day: What Is The Most Dangerous Form Of Racing In History? Bonus: The Most Dangerous Race?
The Isle of Man TT, 37 mi. at 130+ mph over country roads lined with stone walls, fences, trees and people.
i agree with John.
Board Track M/C racing by a country mile . No comparison . Back in its heyday …. it wasn’t a matter of IF someone would get killed at an event …. but rather how soon and how many … as well as how many spectators would be involved as well . Even if one didn’t die in the crash 9 times out of 10 they’d be seriously mangled what with 14″ slivers of wood embedded in their bodies etc . Seriously ….. M/C board track racing makes the Isle of Man TT look like a trip to Disneyland in comparison as dangerous as the Isle of Man TT is .
Yep. Hard to top the combination of motorcycles, no safety gear, rickety track surfaces, and spectators sitting right at the edge of the track.
submarine races.
Use condoms.
Drag Boat racing is up there 250+ mph on water
i would have to say the isle of Mann TT has got to be the most dangerous race as there is way to many variables that can take a rider out very quickly and the weather conditions are insane
Drag boat racing.
I’d have to say the most dangerous race was any USAC race held at Langhorne during the 60s…