Peoria TT is tomorrow afternoon. Henry Wiles is going for #14 in a row.
My usual enthusiasm for this race is dampened by the
death of AFT Singles racer Alec Muth who succumbed to his injuries on Thursday which were the result of a multi-bike crash at the end of his heat race the Black Hills Half Mile 10 days prior. Muth death is the fourth in the AFT Singles class since September of 2016. Alec Mith was the oldest of the four though still just 22 years old. Others have suffered very severe injuries.
All of these incidents were the result of the Singles racing in such tight packs that when something happens there is no place to go. Racers either get run over of have severe collisions with other bikes. None of these incidents have involved walls or unprotected areas of the track. Poor track conditions at Santa Rosa contributed to at least one of the fatalities though racers were also packed closely together in that instance. I'm sure a similar incident will happen again if something doesn't change. I'm not sure what the answer is. The promoter of the Springfield Mile has excluded Singles from event for the last several years due to safety concerns (Singles run a TT in May and a short Track in September at Springfield on a different part of the same fairgrounds).
The Twins class doesn't have as many incidents like this but the four rider crash in Texas that sent Stevie Bonsey nearly twenty feet in the air proves the top class isn't immune from pile-ups. The Twins riders are more experienced and they do tend to get a bit more strung out around the track so one crash is less likely to collect other bikes and riders. The track at Phoenix deteriorated so badly during the evening last May that some of the Twins riders pulled out of the race during the Main event.
It seems counterintuitive but the problem may not be that 60hp Singles are too powerful, rather they are not powerful enough. The bikes may be too easy to ride fast which creates the big packs. Maybe abandoning the Singles for the Production Twins category limited to framers with tightly controlled engine regulations. Near stock Yamaha and Kawasaki twins would be cheap to build and maintain. The more challenging bikes may spread the pack out a bit. Or maybe mandate airbag racing suits and abdominal protection?
Anyway, sorry for the long post. Just very frustrated with these deaths and injuries. Racing is dangerous but that is not a reason to keep pursuing safety measures even if it means big changes.
Peoria Schedule - All Times Pacific
Free live streaming on FansChoice.TV and the American Flat Track Facebook page.
8:30am - practice and qualifying
12:00pm - Heats
12:50pm - Semis
1:45pm Singles Main Event
2:20pm Twins Main Event
