FIRST PERSON/OPINION By John Joss (A letter to the National Geographic Channel) RE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC “Thrill Zone” show on motorcycle racing To Whom it May Concern: As a writer, commentator and announcer on motorcycle racing for many years, I want to register my extreme disappointment and distaste for the wretched job Michael Hoff Productions and announcer Marlon Singleton did in your “Thrill Zone” program on motorcycle racing safety that ran on your channel today. Beyond the relentless and gratuitous repeats of crashes, and the amateurish scripting and announcing that was full of breathless sensationalism and gee-whiz exclamations, you failed to note–except for the discussion of helmets– the many important safety measures that make motorcycle racing much safer in an era of escalating speeds. Only the informed and measured commentary of interview subjects such as Al Ludington and Aaron Yates made the program tolerable. Examples omitted: On the track, the continuous surveillance by trained, expert flag marshals, the presence of trained, experienced medical teams, and the introduction of what is called “Air Fence” that dissipates the damaging effects of sudden violent stops (against, for example, haybales). This last effort, spearheaded by ROADRACING WORLD (the leading U.S. road race publication) has saved countless riders from severe injury and has been contributed by hundreds of organizations and individuals in motorcycle racing to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars on tracks nationwide. Continuous concern for safety has led to the creation of rider teams who survey tracks and endeavor to get dangerous track sections made safer, for example in the re-engineering of the Laguna Seca track for MotoGP and the current rebuilding of Road Atlanta. In addition, the newest rider gear helps protect the rider and save him or her from injury: Leathers, of course, but with armor in the forearms, elbows, shoulders, hips, coccyx, chest and back; boots with extra shin protection; gloves double and triple sewn so that they do not come apart when they hit the track. Except for helmets, you did not even bother to mention rider protection. By the way, Andreas Meklau did NOT low-side because of oil on the track. He was braking too hard with the bike leaned over, which causes ‘low sides.’ Lean angle and grip are inversely proportional, both in braking and in acceleration, and since the race had not run many laps and there had been no incidents at that corner, there was little possibility of oil there. And you misnamed a Ducati 888 as a Honda RC30 for no apparent reason. But the list of your hapless technical errors and omissions is endless. This project is not worthy of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC name and is a profound embarrassment to informed enthusiasts. Please feel free to correct me if I am in error in any of the statements in this letter. And also feel free to call if you want this subject treated professionally and correctly. John Joss Los Altos, California