Posted on 08/25/2020 6:44:15 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
This is terrifying.
Viñales was traveling at 210 km/h (roughly 130 mph) when he realized his brakes failed and was headed directly into the wall. With some space around him, Viñales fell off the side of his bike and trusted his suit would protect him better than any alternative option.
The rider unquestionably made the right call, as he skidded off the track in relative safety, while his bike plowed into the wall at full speed and burst into flames. It takes a tremendous amount of poise to see a situation with no good outcome, and have the guts to jump off a bike going that quickly.
... Obviously the bike was trashed, but Viñales was fine in a situation that otherwise could have been so, so much worse.
(Excerpt) Read more at sbnation.com ...
“It takes a tremendous amount of poise to see a situation with no good outcome, and have the guts to jump off a bike going that quickly.”
Not really. Harrowing but it’s irresistible instinct.
Takes a tremendous amount of dumbassery to get yourself in that situation in the first place.
But yeah, given where he was at that point in time, good show!
Part of the secret is to not start tumbling that’s when you break things. Land flat and slide.
His breaks failed.No dumbassery involved.
I did the same thing on a dirt bike riding down a dirt road that intersected with a busy county road. I was only doing about 30mph and laid
it down. The bike slid across the county road into a ditch and was like me, a few scrapes but otherwise fine. The alternative was to possibly get taken out by a car.
Badass
“Maverick Viñales”
“I feel the need....the need for brakes!”
Harrowing but it’s irresistible instinct.
I’ve been on a bike at simular speeds a few times.
Never once felt any inclination to unload?
Ever.
Something weird about this story. MotoGP bikes, and bikes in general, have independent systems for rear and front brakes. It’s hard to imagine a single failure that would effect both systems. However even if both failed, dumping the bike still seems like a bad idea. Simply releasing the throttle and pulling the clutch is going to cause the bike to slow, not to mention downshifting. Seems like a panic move, but it’s hard to see the corner that was coming up.
Considering the amount of time he had to make a decision, really amazing. I might have tried to low side the bike entering the corner far too fast, not just bailed out.
Been watching MotoGP for decades, never saw anything like this.
That said, he had been having trouble with his brakes for some time before. Winding up that sort of speed with brakes getting weird?
Should have headed for the pits, mechanical things do not normally fix themselves.
Have you had to decide between ditching and slamming into a wall?
The souls who jumped from the World Trade Centers never before felt the inclination to leap from a building. Ever.
On a bike headed for a wall or in a skyscraper being chased by flames your autonomic nervous system takes control.
independent systems for rear and front brakes.
YES!!!
The front does about two thirds the work but the run lots of rubber???
Both at the same time?
Clearly enemy action!
Or something very strange.
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
Whew! Scary stuff. 30 isn’t slow.
In reality you could slip and fall in the bathtub, with your logic no one should ever bathe.
“That’s what he does for a living, race motorcycles.”
Oh, I thought he was just out joy riding.
(What, you expect me to read the article before spouting off?)
“Simply releasing the throttle and pulling the clutch is going to cause the bike to slow, not to mention downshifting.”
I have a Ducati and a lot of riders put “slipper clutches” in them that limit the amount of engine braking. Don’t know if this class of bike might use one.
your autonomic nervous system takes control.
I have been in a couple of ‘hot spots’, have the scars, gongs and even a set of nice license complements of the state (free).
Also, two alive days to celebrate.
My autonomic nervous system certainly pumped up my heart rate and some other internal stuff...
What I did or attempted to do was a result of conscious thought, until the lights went out.
Then the ANS takes over.
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