Ok, here comes an odd one …
This one is not about software-technologies or software-engineering or software-craftmanship or management or leadership.
This is about another passion of mine: Motorbikes and motorbike racing. Specifically road-racing.
For those of you who know nothing about road-racing and want to learn and understand more I recommend to watch Road.
The exec summary is that all racing started on open, public roads. Later purpose build tracks started to emerge and are obviously the much safer option to conduct a race. For motorbikes and cars alike.
The first Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (IOM TT) race happened in 1907. That race was never moved to a track. It still happens today. On open, public roads. And there are about 20 other races that happen every year on these public road courses. Racing on these public road courses is called road-racing. It is very dangerous. There are no crash zones. If you crash you crash into a tree or a house. At 100 miles per hour. Small mistakes can have big consequences. There are fatalities. All the time. Every year.
To be a (good) road-racer you need to have a certain mind-set and an ability to focus at will on the task at hand. You also need to have a certain approach to life. What makes life worth living? Why do people risk their lifes to fly to the moon, climb mount everest or El-Capitan without a rope? And is there value for mankind in seeing that impossible things can be done for the first time? Is there value in breaking records? My opinion is that there is value for mankind to experience that impossible things can be done (and risk lifes while doing so).
This week a record was broken. The previous record for the most TT wins was 26 and was held by Joey Dunlop, by many perceived to be the greatest road-racer of all times. Joey died in 2000 age 48 while racing on a short-track in Tallinn, Estonia. This week his nephew Michael Dunlop did win his 27th TT race and is now the road-racer with the most TT wins. How significant this was/is is hard to explain. You need to watch Road and need to know that by now William has died too. It takes an unbelievable amount of determination and skill to get to where Michael Dunlop went this week.
Respect!!!