IOM accident.....

A local Taranaki rider goes down hard........


Bike ace fights for life
GLENN McLEAN and Fairfax - Taranaki | Thursday, 7 June 2007
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BILL DALE

Shaun Harris, seen here in action this week, has regarded the Isle of
Man circuit as his favourite.
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Top New Plymouth motorcyclist Shaun Harris is fighting for his life
after an horrific crash at the famous Isle of Man races.

Harris, a former two-time winner on the Isle of Man, suffered multiple
injuries when he came off his bike at Union Mills yesterday and was
taken to Noble Hospital.

Harris is on life support with fractures and internal bleeding. His
condition is listed as critical.

His partner, Fiona, is understood to be on her way to Britain. The
couple have a four-year-old daughter, Petra.

The 43-year-old was believed to be travelling at more than 230km/h on
the third and final lap of the 37-mile circuit when he crashed.

He was racing a Yamaha in the 1000cc Superstock TT (Tourist Trophy)
race, which was won by fellow Kiwi Bruce Anstey.

Manawatu Evening Standard editor and Isle of Man race enthusiast Paul
Taggart was at the race when the accident occurred.

He told the Taranaki Daily News last night a large Kiwi contingent at
the event was stunned by the news.

"People just have to carry on," he said.

It seemed sadly appropriate that the New Zealand national anthem rang
out over the track after the race.

Harris' accident was the first serious accident of this year's racing.
The event, which is celebrating its centenary, has claimed 200 lives in
its history.

Mr Taggart said the spot where Harris had his accident was not known as
a blackspot.

"They (corners) are all notorious when they are travelling at that
speed, but any corner you fall off can be potentially fatal."

Race organisers ensure the best medical treatment is on hand for the
race, with head trauma and crash specialists stationed at the hospital.

Two helicopters are also on standby throughout the races to carry the
injured to hospital.

Mr Taggart said the area where Harris had crashed was close enough for
an ambulance to transport him to hospital reasonably quickly. "He was
there within minutes. The hospital staff have had a lot of practice."

The hospital would not release any details of the injured rider's
condition, with any information solely released from the race organisers.

The winner of 12 New Zealand titles, Harris has long regarded the
daunting public-road Isle of Man circuit as his favourite and enjoyed
great success there in 2003, winning the 600cc and 1000cc production TTs.

He has been racing there off and on since 1991 and his fastest lap until
this year had been at an average speed of 198.93km/h.

In recent years, Harris had scaled back his racing and ran his own team,
helping young Kiwis, but he decided to come back to the Isle of Man this
year.

"The island has been the scene of my greatest triumphs as well as much
heartache in the past, and I want to make sure there are a few more
triumphs before I eventually retire from racing," he said this year.

When Harris announced his return, the chairman of the TT Steering
Committee, David Cretney, said: "Shaun Harris is an iconic TT rider and
is one of the few people to win two races in one week. He is a colourful
character and is popular with the fans."

He first raced the island circuit in 1991 and was well known to many
involved in the race.

Mr Taggart said he was a favourite, after his exploits in 2003.

"His most famous efforts were when he won it and when he rode the
Britten bike, which was in the early '90s.

"People really respected him here for what he achieved."

Harris often spoke of the dangers the race held but said he was more
confident now given his experience.

"You get 12 months in between each event and I doubt there's a day goes
by that I don't actually run a lap in my mind," he said, after winning
in 2003.

The Isle of Man is regarded as one of the most dangerous circuits in the
world. Casualties include multiple New Zealand champion Robert Holden
from Wellington, who died in a crash in 1996.

On Jun 6, 5:12 pm, "Andrew"
<yogig.no.spamm.spam....TakeThisOut@hotmail.nospamm.com> wrote:
> "BrianNZ" <b....TakeThisOut@itnz.co.nz> wrote in message
[snip]
> > Fingers crossed......Iv'e watched him race on the local street circuits
> > and he thrives on it. if you find the IOM scary, see if you can find some
> > footage of the Irish street racing....bordering on insanity!
>
> Watch the Joey Dunlop DVD.http://www.blockbuster.com/catalog/movieDetails/208976
> It says autoracing, but it's motorcycle; trust me.

Also recommended:

http://www.dukevideousa.com/Motorcycles/DVD/Street%20Racing%20except%2.../DVD%20

It's a two parter. The first deals with three up-n-coming
Irish road racers ~1980, one of whom is Dunlop. ( Spoiler
at the bottom of this post. ) The second part deals with
Dunlop and his Vfours.

-- Michael

Spoiler Below - you are warned!

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V

Of the three racers profiled, two of them died after
the filming. Racing accidents. Joey, of course,
died much later...