Is motorcycle racing too dangerous?

It is a sad fact of racing that some accidents prove to be fatal. It's one of those things we have to accept. Possibly the tragic accident at Mallory wouldn't have happened had there been more run off in that area, but there can't be anymore run-off added to that part of the track. So what do we do - stop going there?
EFFBEE

All sports and activities are coming under increasing pressure from the health and safety lobby, and riding motorcycles carries a level of risk that is largely determined by the rider. We choose to undertake these activities, and our freedom to do so must be preserved.
NOGGERS

Racing is dangerous and those of us who race accept the risks. I fully support the principle that racing should be made as safe as reasonably possible but I wish people would get away from the idea that this should be pursued at the expense of the quality of the experience.
TOMCAT

The main example would seem to be Mallory. I have witnessed a number of very unpleasant accidents here and I honestly believe that this track requires improvement if the bigger bikes are to race here.
LILY

Racing is dangerous. We know that, the riders know that. It's part of the excitement and appeal of the sport. However, there comes a time when a given circuit can be too dangerous to compete upon given a vehicle's power and speed.
EL GORDO

Surely in this day and age you can do computer simulations to test any potential changes to a circuit before anyone picks up a spade?
NIQUE

We have excellent and dedicated marshalls in the UK, the backbone of safe racing. We have quality. But what we don't have is quantity.
ANTEATER

Club racing may be well supported "darn sarth" but up here in the frozen North there is only a small pool of people involved in racing and despite best intentions, most are one-man operations who find it difficult to provide marshalls. Without attracting 'new blood' to the organising side of things it's going to collapse up here
ANTEATER

I don't think we are complacent about the safety at British tracks, but some of the tracks are just too small for racing now, and should be dropped from the calendar. We should accept that the sport is dangerous and fatalities are, unfortunately, going to happen. But we need to ensure that the possibility of injury is reduced to an absolute minimum.
NINJASQUADDIE

The first time I raced on the IoM they told us at the briefing something that has stuck in my mind. "This is not a dangerous place to race, but it is a dangerous place to fall off." Stating the obvious you might think, a bit like "the throttle goes both ways" but sometimes the obvious can stare us in the face and we still don't see it until somebody points it out. You will never make circuits totally safe and it's a mistake to try. If you start boycotting tracks that haven't got miles of runoff everywhere you're going to run out of places to ride soon
TOMCAT

Are the risks acceptable? Of course they are - nobody forces you to ride on a track, you do it through choice, and if you do not find the risks acceptable, then you shouldn't be there.
WOBBLER

People ride bikes because they love riding. Racers race bikes because they love racing. If you thought about what could happen, you would never do anything.
WOOWOO

I race at both Mallory Park and Darley Moor (two circuits that keep being mentioned regarding safety) and will continue to do so because I love doing it and accept the risks. But that doesn't mean that I accept the tragic losses that could have been avoided with better planning and with rider safety being top priority
STUD69ER

Unfortunately some track owners seem to have the same attitude to track safety as they have to track facilities which is appalling. But it all comes down to freedom of choice
in the end.
SAJA

RESULT:

Riders accept the risks of racing: 15
We're complacent and need to do something about it quickly: 0

It's unanimous: Racing motorbikes is a risky game and, unfortunately, sometimes terrible consequences happen. As riders, we know this is part of racing bikes and accept it.