P132
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
R
acing improves the breed?
Breeding improves the
race? Improving breeds
the racing? All or none of the
above are true, it all depends on
interpretation.
My personal justification for a
lifelong interest in motorbike rac-
ing veers away from mere boyish
hedonism. Of course that's the
main thing: The danger, the
speed, and the basic idiocy of
risking life and deploying vast
engineering resources simply
to get back where you started
quicker than the next guy. (I
mean, why not just stay there?)
But I need deeper justifica-
tion. For racing to be worth
something. To be useful. To
contribute to the advancement
of mankind.
Of course this was once true.
Days of yore races like the TT
led to great strides in perfor-
mance and reliability.
As engineering and metal-
lurgy gained further refinement,
along with some cross-breeding
from the aero industry, motor-
cycle racing helped pioneer
such innovations as aluminium
cylinder blocks and heads, and
BREEDING, BLOW-UPS AND
THE FEAR OF FAILURE
