Seems we’re back. Bit of a sickening message on the screen along the lines of “Due to recent events we have switched the live racing off”.
I watched it on D+ last night and it freaked me out. Luckily they have an option to go to the start of the race, so I chose that and all was well. Shout out to Harrison De55oy on another top step in Sportbike!
And I know this won’t go down with the cadwell fan boys on here but the superbikes barring how close it was between Kyle and Brad in race one and Kyle and AI in race two was no better than Balaton Park as a spectacle. Bikes are too big for the circuit.
From a spectator’s pov I like Oulton & Cadwell whilst I’d never thought of it previously I think they might have had more of the very serious incidents. I dislike Silverstone and Thruxton not because there seems to be less serious accidents I just haven’t been so enthused when visiting.
I must confess I always watch the highlights from there thinking, enjoy it while it lasts. It does look very aberrant. But I would miss it. It's the one track I've ridden (ok wobbled around), on my old 750SS, with everything blasting past me on the straights. Which allows me to say things from the comfort of my armchair like "ah yes, very tricky the Gooseneck, you can easily be on the wrong line there", to no one in particular.
I’m not sure you can really comment on “the spectacle” unless you experienced it yourself there, on the day.
This is the first year in probably 10 or 12 that the Helimed hasn’t flown a casualty out. Still a couple of quite major injuries though. Andy
Not sure if you’re being flippant or not? Are we talking spectacle as in watching a motorbike do a wheelie over a *hill or something a bit more novel like overtaking because unless the tv didn’t show it, race one was a complete one line procession and the only movement/spectacle on the leaderboard was when Danny Kent and Billy McConnell fell off and race two was in much the same pattern. Roll on Donny for some real racing imho. (And as a side note how the fuck does anyone sit there and watch the bmw cup or whatever it’s called?! That is most definitely NOT a spectacle wherever you’re sat imo).
It looked unbearably hot too so I was quite glad to be sitting in front of the tv with a cold beer and my feet up
That’s because you weren’t there. The 848/Tri-Options Cup replacement entry level racing for today. A stunning success of marketing over substance. When it started, you got a ready to race bike from BMW for £11500 with entry, fuel and tyres to find. An absolute money maker. Routinely there are grids of 42 riders, many of whom are make weights with a band of loyal supporters. If you disallowed ex-racers with history like Richard Cooper from taking part, the racing could be a lot closer and there are some real characters, many of whom come back week after week with absolutely no chance of fighting for anything but not being last and when they aren’t, they feel as though they’ve won the lottery. As a marshal, I hate the bike, 205kg of dead metal that routinely self destructs when it hits gravel or tumbles on grass. Andy
Sitting in the shade of some of the many trees at Cadwell watching the BMW Cup race was a better option than sitting in a queue to get out of the gate for half an hour when its only half an hour's ride home It was very warm, meaning I didn't change viewpoints as often as I would normally but you can get fairly close to the trackside unlike Donington or Silverstone where you need binoculars to see the bikes. I have not been to any other circuits for years because the £100 plus for each of the 6 to 8 days out that I used to spend now goes on my annual trip to the TT. Been a Cadwell Fan for 40 years and have heard the discussions about Superbikes having outgrown the track for probably half that time.
I guess we all perceive something different depending on our own prior experiences and preconceptions, but for me, of all the UK circuits that I know and love well, TV most comprehensively fails to convey the challenges Cadwell makes on the riders. From the elevation and camber changes all around the circuit, the flowing nature of the circuit with a clear rhythm to a fast lap, and how that is affected by the battles in a race, how it is the most physically demanding race on the calendar with such rapid direction changes and no respite at all. It also can’t convey how close the spectators can get, or how many great viewing points there are. Standing pretty much anywhere, but for me especially at hall bends, coppice, chris, or the gooseneck, watching a train of 2 to 10 talented riders inches apart using all of the track, running over the white line on entry, apex and exit, clawing the speed from the track and their available grip, with so much power and momentum to manage is spectacle enough. Watching how a race develops, who can push hard when, and who is at the limit, seeking out and making overtakes only when the opportunity presents because if you lose the flow you lose more time than you gain. If that doesn’t send a shiver down your spine, you are either not watching quite what I am watching, or you are watching on the TV then commenting on a spectacle you have not actually experienced.
