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  • 3 months ago
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00:01Motorcycle racing is a dangerous sport.
00:05But motorcycle road racing is one of the most dangerous of all.
00:14Champions, veterans, newcomers.
00:18All with just three months to prepare for one of the fastest road races on the planet.
00:24The Northwest 200.
00:27The thing they love the most.
00:29That feeling of being on a motorbike, it's like nothing else.
00:36It's the thing that puts them most at risk.
00:39Being that close to tragedy, that's what we chase as an adrenaline junkie.
00:44What happens when riders come face to face with their own mortality?
00:48You put your hand in the fire, enough times you're going to get burned.
00:54Racers and their families weigh up the consequences every time they choose to compete.
01:00When you get on the bike, do you not think of what if?
01:04Are these riders risking death?
01:06Are they truly living?
01:07Are they truly living?
01:09Or are they truly living?
01:17Oh my God!
01:18Do you really understand what living is?
01:19If you never put your life at any risk?
01:21Do you really understand what living is?
01:22If you never put your life at any risk?
01:23Do you really understand what living is?
01:24Do you really understand what living is?
01:25If you never put your life at any risk?
01:27Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
01:42Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
01:52Every year the biking community comes together for a memorial service in Clonus, County Monaghan.
01:58To remember those who lost their lives as a result of a motorcycle accident.
02:06An opportunity for their loved ones to show support for each other in a time of grief.
02:11So God bless us, God be with us, God please bring us into that place of faith and hope, where we'll leave this place knowing that one day we will be reunited with those who we love and who we miss this day.
02:30It has held weeks before the Northwest 200, the largest road racing event in Ireland.
02:41Every May, around 100 road racers from across the world make the pilgrimage to Northern Ireland's north coast.
03:06To take part in one of the sport's fastest and most dangerous events.
03:11The Northwest 200, in terms of spectators, can rise to over 100,000.
03:19The largest single sporting event in Ireland.
03:24For nearly a century the race has been held in a place with deep religious roots and devoted to road racing.
03:31Reverend John Kirkpatrick is the raised chaplain for the motorcycle union of Ireland, a role unique to Irish road racing.
03:40There are riders who come for whom their Christian faith is very important to them and for them just adds so much more to their sport.
03:52You're there to give that support to everyone. Whether they have faith or no faith or whatever they are, it doesn't really matter. We're concerned for people.
04:05Reverend John's role as chaplain is supporting injured riders and bereaved families.
04:12Road racing this week has claimed the life of one rider and left two others critically injured.
04:18This weekend's big event has been marred by accident.
04:21He has struck a telephone pole after coming off his bike at up to 120 miles an hour.
04:27Here we have an extreme sport where people will place their lives at a great risk.
04:37Risk brings in the question of the sanctity of life.
04:42I'm conflicted over the moral issues and questions involved in this sport.
04:48There are riders who have had near fatal accidents who could not wait to get back to the sport.
04:54I would be very surprised if they hadn't some questions in their mind as to the reality of this is painful and is this worth it?
05:15If you're old enough to understand life and death, right, and someone says to you,
05:19you can live to 45, get to do what you want as your dream job and that's it, you're out at 45,
05:26or you can live to 75 or 80, graft your whole life but never really do what you strive to achieve, what would you pick?
05:36What would you pick?
05:38You pick?
05:40I've already picked it on it.
05:43Northern Irish road racer Lee Johnston has been racing professionally for more than 10 years.
05:49I don't know if you believe in God or not but I think people believe in things to get them true things.
05:56He's a champion racer and five-time winner of the North West 200.
06:03See how big the actual trophy is?
06:07Massive.
06:11Oh no, you stink.
06:12He lives in Huddersfield with his wife Christy and son Jessie.
06:17Hi everybody.
06:19Do you want to say hello to everyone?
06:21Have you missed them because we haven't been at bike land?
06:23Hi guys, welcome back to another vlog.
06:26This...
06:28Seen as an influencer in the road racing world, Lee shares behind the scenes footage of life as one of its international stars.
06:36With some of his videos being viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
06:41Live together, work together.
06:44He's very stubborn once you get something in his head.
06:48He's very driven.
06:51But for me it's all I've ever known him do.
06:55So I think it's like, it's just part of him innit?
06:58Did you say when you were 30 you were retiring from road racing?
07:02No, 35.
07:03I think it was 30 and then I think he nudged it up to 30.
07:05No, it wasn't when he met when I was 27.
07:08Yeah, I'm sure you said 30.
07:09No.
07:11You're exaggerating.
07:14At the North West 200 in 2023, things didn't go to plan for Lee during his first practice lap.
07:23Before the crash everything was fine.
07:26I go through all the same routines, warming up, preparing.
07:30I was in the best shape.
07:34I have no recollection of any of this.
07:39I've got none of my own memory, so it's the same as watching a movie.
07:43I think what's done the damage of the bike, the bike hit me and then squashed me to the curb.
07:53I broke my foot in multiple places.
08:04Femur, ribs on both sides, then collapsed my lung.
08:09Broke my shoulder, my cheekbone, my left knee down was the only sort of limb that didn't have some sort of injury.
08:26Injury.
08:27Yeah.
08:30With the 2024 North West 200 just three months away.
08:36Oh, that must be me trying to send you the phone number.
08:38The reality that Lee might be racing there again is starting to set in for Christie.
08:44The North West is one that I'm not going to be able to walk into that paddock and just not have any emotions.
08:51If I went to the North West and had a bit of a wobbler, I'd just think I'd really struggle.
08:57Before his crash, every year between the North West and the TT, we'd come home for like a week.
09:03And my friends and family, like, if I'd seen them or anything, they'd all be like, Christie, you look terrible.
09:10Like, you've lost weight in a week, you look terrible.
09:14And like, even that, on a normal, when it hasn't crashed or hasn't experienced anything like that, I'd struggle.
09:22I've just basically said to him, you know, I can't, I'm not a robot, I can't do everything.
09:28And I've just got to kind of, like, protect.
09:31I need to be mentally strong as well, because if I'm not, then it's just going to make life harder for him.
09:38So, yeah, North West, no, just because there's trauma there.
09:48After nine months of recovery, Lee crashed again and broke his right leg.
09:54He's been invited onto a road racing podcast to update fans on his progress.
10:00No one wants to talk about winning races anymore.
10:03Talk about getting injured and then getting injured again.
10:10Right, are we ready? Yeah.
10:12We're live, we're loud, we're sexy.
10:14On that note, welcome back to the podcast, Lee Johnson.
10:17So, for those that are living under a rock, Lee's now hurt him again.
10:21He's got a cage on his legs.
10:22Can you lift it up? Let's have a bar back.
10:24He's got my snood up.
10:25Since your North West crash.
10:26Pretty heavy stuff.
10:27Is that something you want to talk about?
10:28Yeah, yeah.
10:29This is my job.
10:30This is what happens.
10:31I'm paid to push and we sign up for it, do you know what I mean?
10:34Yeah, we know what's going off, don't we?
10:35Yeah.
10:36So, what is your attitude to this season?
10:39I want to be back for the North West, that's the aim.
10:41We've got less than three months to get ready for the North West.
10:48I have to believe I'm going to be ready in time.
10:51Maria Costello MBE has been racing motorbikes for 30 years and is one of the most successful women ever to compete in the sport.
11:06Taking on the boys is nothing new for Maria Costello.
11:13She made her debut on the North Coast in 2005, having caught the road racing bug.
11:19I look at pictures and go, oh, that's cool.
11:29And I go, oh, that is actually you, Maria, you idiot.
11:34That's Maria the bike racer.
11:37It's a funny thing.
11:38Am I her every day?
11:39I don't know.
11:42Seems like a long time ago, a lot of this.
11:4530 years this year.
11:47It's bonkers, isn't it?
11:50I didn't see myself as a defiant child.
11:53Looking back, yeah, because it caused all sorts of agro.
11:58Poor mum.
12:00But in 2023, Maria lost her mum to cancer.
12:06She had been caring for her mum during the last few years of her illness.
12:09Mum pushing to stop me did make me want it more.
12:16The more she pushed, the more I pushed back, the more I wanted it.
12:21It's funny how that works, isn't it?
12:24I thought she was trying to take something away from me.
12:27She was trying to protect me.
12:28You just don't see that at the time when you're young.
12:30My mum was just terrified of anything that could hurt a daughter, I suppose.
12:43Rightly so.
12:47Maria has just three months until the North West.
12:50But she is taking time out of her preparation
12:53to sort through some of her mum's belongings.
12:55This is quite a picture.
12:59I don't know what it is about when you crash.
13:02You're always happier if somebody's captured it.
13:06I have broken over 24 bones.
13:10Worse being my femur twice.
13:1530 years in, after all these broken bones,
13:19I feel really lucky that I've got something in my life that I love.
13:25It obviously gives me something that I need.
13:29Road racing makes you believe in luck.
13:32But I don't...
13:34I don't think about a god.
13:36I understand that it probably would give people comfort,
13:42because it's community.
13:44But I think my community is racing.
13:46Construction worker Kevin Keyes has been racing motorbikes since he was seven years old.
13:57He works with his dad, Ron.
13:59He also shares a passion for motorbikes.
14:02Very disarming looking Kevin Keyes.
14:05What a cracking start.
14:06He's going to be absolutely delighted to come home and lift the Leinster 100 trophy.
14:11But racing on custom made circuits is different to racing on public roads.
14:16Now riders completely okay as a crash.
14:18I go to work on a daily, you know, drive a digger, finish concrete.
14:28That's boring.
14:30Real life's boring, isn't it?
14:32What do you do?
14:34You go to work, you go to sleep, you go to the gym.
14:36I don't understand the people that don't have something to chase.
14:43I don't understand what they're getting from life, but they're obviously getting it from something else.
14:47But they probably don't understand why I do what I do.
14:50This year, Kevin will be trying road racing for the first time.
14:57When I look at the road racers, I get a big buzz standing watching.
15:00And I'm like, oh, that's class, you know.
15:05Being that close to a scary word to say, but tragedy.
15:10That's what we chase as an adrenaline junkie.
15:14How much more can we get?
15:18Yeah, this is my St. Crissor medal.
15:21My sister bought me this when the news broke out that I was going to go road racing
15:26just to keep me safe.
15:30Definitely things mean a lot to me, you know.
15:33Since she's given it to me, I haven't taken it off and I won't be taking it off.
15:39Kevin lives nearby his childhood home with his partner, Sarah.
15:44Both are devout Catholics.
15:47They have one son called Caden.
15:49And his new venture is a focus for the whole family.
15:53Do you want them to road race?
15:55Hmm?
15:56Do you want them to road race?
15:57Erm, no, I don't.
16:00Definitely not.
16:02Erm, it's not my choice.
16:04I find it weird, cos I'm like, you're not thinking of your family,
16:08you're not thinking of if something happened.
16:10I feel like, wow, that's just crazy.
16:13You know, he's doing something that brings him so much peace,
16:15but it's causing me so much worry and stress.
16:19And it's one of the most stressful times in my life not knowing, like,
16:22is he going to be okay?
16:24Is he going to come back?
16:26Yeah, I'm on, I've got off.
16:28Your turn.
16:30Adrenaline's a mad drug.
16:31Like, what it does to your body is crazy.
16:33You're bringing for a drive?
16:34Yeah.
16:35Like, you do rev it.
16:38Like, I remember even, like, racing with injuries,
16:40you know, you'd be barely able to put your glove on.
16:43As soon as that adrenaline gets pumping through your body,
16:44you don't feel your wrist any more, and you're in...
16:47You don't feel any pain, but you come back in, you're back to earth,
16:50and that's what I mean, like, getting in that little mind frame,
16:52getting in that bubble, everything goes.
16:54Physical pain, emotional pain, it's just...
16:57It's amazing to the place.
16:58You're sitting in your car doing 80 kilometres an hour,
17:03and that's the speed limit, but you close that road,
17:05and you're getting a bike, you can do 200 mile an hour down there.
17:08It's madness, isn't it?
17:11I can't wait to see what the madness is about.
17:14You going to race it?
17:16Yes.
17:17You going to race?
17:19Yeah.
17:21Can we go one more time?
17:22Yeah.
17:29The confliction people have is right from the very beginning.
17:34If you begin on the short circuits where it's not as extreme,
17:38but as you maybe move onto the road circuit,
17:41which have increasing history of danger,
17:45you will be conflicted.
17:52Although Reverend John has never raced motorcycles,
17:54he has been a lifelong fan of road racing.
18:00So it's a different era, isn't it?
18:04That was on the way back from the Northwest 200.
18:07I think I was living in free fall back in those days.
18:10I wasn't thinking very far.
18:12Just go data time.
18:16All I know was I wanted to go as hard as I could.
18:18But the reason why I wanted to go fast was because I find a great deal of joy and thrill in it.
18:26That's a sense of...
18:28I don't know how you describe that. That's elation.
18:35Today, Maria has come to collect a new van and to bring her race bike home.
18:39Oh, she's there!
18:41Yeah.
18:42And there's my race bike.
18:44Yeah.
18:45This is my little baby.
18:47Last time I rode this was when I got knocked off.
18:50Her bike has been in storage since she crashed at the Isle of Man in 2023.
18:56It's nice to see her again.
18:58Yeah, as well.
19:00It is my pride and joy.
19:03She just doesn't look like my pride and joy because she needs a bit of love.
19:08And she needs to prepare it in time for the Northwest 200.
19:12Is that how you're doing it?
19:14Don't scratch my van. That bumper's only just been painted.
19:18Just mind off here.
19:22Don't have kids. Don't have debt.
19:24I don't want the 9 to 5 and the house and the car.
19:27That isn't what I've ever looked for.
19:33I don't like admitting that I'm getting older and it's physically a bit harder.
19:40You know, it was a big milestone last year.
19:43Yay, I'm going to be 15.
19:45It's going to be great.
19:46It was the worst year of my life.
19:49I was living with my mum and looking after my mum.
19:51She couldn't get out of bed.
19:54Her life felt so hard.
19:56I think I kept myself out of normal life for a long, long, long, long time
20:01with my racing and then, bang, it was all pulled in front of me.
20:10It was a year since mum passed away, only very recently,
20:14and it was as raw as if it was the other day.
20:16But actually, I'm back training.
20:21I'm doing a lot of things that I need to be doing that I want to be doing.
20:25Oh, my God.
20:27I don't know what it's going to be like doing my first road race without mum.
20:33That is definitely...
20:35I'm thinking about that.
20:37It's going to be really different.
20:39It's going to be really different.
20:40It's February, and Lee has come to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield for a check-up on his broken leg.
20:50Right now, best-case scenario is getting the cage off at the end of April and then the Northwest at the start of May.
20:57So I've got, like, a week to spare.
20:58So we're going to get an x-ray first, which I've managed to talk my way into because I'm not supposed to get one for, like, another two weeks.
21:10How's it all going then?
21:12Yeah, good. I've got...
21:13Good, all right?
21:14Yeah, really good.
21:16They're going to look at the x-ray and then go DNA.
21:20Yeah, yeah.
21:22I want to see progress to, like, taking this thing off my leg, because they told me three months, but that was automatically two months in my head.
21:30So if I see progress today, that's me being more right than them.
21:35Been a bit nervous about this, to be fair.
21:39Good or bad, we're going to get some facts.
21:43Do you think it could come off in, like, a month?
21:46There's no point as taking a frame off until it's healed.
21:49And I've never had a patient with your kind of fracture where it takes less than three months to heal.
21:55Sorry.
21:57Yeah, erm...
21:59Yeah, but that doesn't mean that this couldn't be the first.
22:02All right, that's true.
22:05Nature is nature.
22:07You can try to push it along, but sometimes it's got its own rules.
22:12See you later.
22:15I feel okay.
22:16I feel like there's signs of progression and that's all...
22:20That's all we want in it.
22:24My whole life's in a rush.
22:30Gonna wake up and be old.
22:31He's never apologised as much as you did when you...
22:42He was so nice.
22:44He was, like, literally, like, apologetic and kind and, like, I was like, oh, my God, something's going on here.
22:51It's all the drugs they were on.
22:52I couldn't laugh because my ribs were all broke, but if someone said something funny, I'd start crying.
23:01And then if it was, like, someone said something average, I'd cry.
23:05And that went on for weeks after.
23:12I'd get upset and then I'd go, well, I have no right to be upset because I've done this and this is my fault and my problem.
23:18So why am I sitting here feeling sorry for me when, do you know what I mean, it's I've chose this and I've let everyone down and I've crashed the bike.
23:26At that point, I realised he was probably never going to retire because I thought if this is what he's going to be like when he retires without racing in his life, like, it's not going to work, is it?
23:43Even after his accident and he was like, I'll never race again, I thought, well, that's not going to happen.
23:47With only a few weeks to the North West 200, Kevin's decided to do a trial run at the first race of the Irish season, the Cookstown 100.
24:04Nervous this morning. It'd be hard to go to sleep last night now even just thinking about it, but I think that's natural for any parent with their kid going road racing.
24:15He's just buzzing to get going and looking forward to it. I wish I was as calm as him.
24:25He definitely has a few guardian angels, Laurie. It helps you do dangerous things now, the thoughts that there is someone there looking out for you.
24:35We do believe there's something thereafter for us too. I wouldn't like to think there's nothing there that that's just it.
24:42Gone. It's over.
24:45His dad, Ron, partner Sarah and son, Caden, are all preparing to.
24:50I'm nervous for Cookstown because I don't know the track.
24:53If he was to come off the bike, like, you know, God forbid, I wouldn't know where he is on the road.
25:01I wouldn't see what's actually happening. I wouldn't get to him as quick, I suppose.
25:04And I'll be praying, whether it's out louder in my head and mumbling away to myself, I'll be praying the whole time.
25:15With so few National Irish road races left, the shorter Cookstown 100 is an opportunity for Kevin to get some experience before the bigger Northwest 200.
25:25You're ready to go. You're always last. I know. Won't be this again.
25:35As the race day approaches, Kevin and his family set off north across the border.
25:40I'm relaxed at the minute, but as soon as I sit on the road and get to go for the first time, I'm going to get nervous. I know I am.
25:49I just can't wait to get on the road tomorrow.
25:50For over a century, the Cookstown 100 has been run by volunteers, passionate about road racing.
26:02The Cookstown 100 is an iconic Irish road race.
26:09It's not like some of these big races people have in their mind. This is something really quite unique.
26:14Farms, churches and businesses open their doors to the crowds as the circuit weaves through country back roads in an area steeped in religious tradition.
26:27We have never raced on a Sunday. Our bikes have never been out on a Sunday.
26:32It's just grand as religious beliefs that you don't race on a Sunday.
26:37Though it's a smaller race, Cookstown will test whether Kevin has what it takes to become a road racer.
26:47The circuit is about a little over two miles long.
26:52Around the very short and tight corners and narrow roads.
26:58It's raw Irish road racing and quite often the weather is raw as well.
27:03Not ideal conditions. Rain continues to come down. It might just delay this for a little while.
27:12Held in April, weather can make the racing conditions here unpredictable.
27:17The rain makes things slippy even in your car, you know, so it's not very ideal.
27:24The risk of all automatically just went from here to here in the space of ten minutes because of a rain shower, you know.
27:31If you don't feel right, you can't force these things. You have to listen to yourself or else, like that, it could go seriously, seriously wrong.
27:44But this is Kevin's only chance to road race before the North West.
27:51Despite the changeable conditions on the track, he decides it's worth the risk.
27:55It's more real now, but here in the mall and I have that sickness in my stomach now.
28:08What I just stood on the side of the track and I could feel my hands shake.
28:29Honestly, I want them to do well and I want them to be up there, but I also want them to go home too.
28:45Yes, it's over.
28:46Yes, it's over.
28:49Newcomer, Kevin Kaye, the winner of the Silver Egg Theory. Fantastic results.
29:00Happy with his performance, Kevin's decision has paid off.
29:04He's won his first Cook's Down 100.
29:06With the North West in two weeks, back home in Edendare, Kevin and Sarah discuss their experience of the race.
29:31When you get on the bike, do you not think of Kaden, me, like, you know, what if?
29:36I know, it's weird that you're nervous because you're thinking about it, but then when you take off, you can't think about it.
29:48You have to be so focused in the time that you can actually worry about what's going on around you, if that makes sense.
29:54You just feel that sense of freedom, you know, nothing in the world can get in the way, one of you.
29:59Yeah.
30:02Have you ever felt that free?
30:04No.
30:06No, it sounds like an amazing experience, something that everyone would want to feel.
30:13Should I race or should I not race?
30:17You're weighing up on your one hand, I love this sport, but you're also conscious of what it may do to other people around you.
30:26I think most likely the worst time of conflict will come when someone close to you is killed.
30:33The Hudson's are a road racing family.
30:47Sons Rob and Jamie followed their father into racing until tragedy struck at a road race in Northern Ireland in 2017.
30:59Road racing this week has claimed the life of one rider and left two others critically injured.
31:04Jamie Hudson had struck a telephone pole after coming off his bike at up to 120 miles an hour.
31:14His brother Rob Hudson was also caught up in the crash, but his injuries were not serious.
31:19Nobody goes out to race attempting to be foolish and do silly things, you know, and to put their lives or the lives of other people at risk.
31:32Nobody's doing that. That's why they call them accidents. They're not intended. They happen.
31:37Me and Jamie. It was our first race at the Ulster Grand Prix as newcomers.
31:46We were both enjoying the race. It was good. There was a lot of overtakes and things like that and it was good fun.
31:51The bike I was riding at that point, it was a decent bike, but it wasn't the fastest in a straight line.
32:00Before that race, I said to my dad, I'll try my best, but if we're getting left behind after a couple of laps, I'll just pull in.
32:09And the first race we had a really close battle and different emotions take over, the competitive edge and adrenaline and things and I didn't pull in.
32:20I was in front of the group and as we came up to the corner where the accident happened, I lost control of my bike.
32:27I think the front just slipped away from me.
32:31I just slid off into some bushes which slowed me down and I came to a stop.
32:35I didn't see what happened after that. I think another bike may have clipped Jamie and trying to take avoiding action.
32:44Which led to Jamie hitting something at the side of the road and unfortunately losing his life.
32:55You know, you just pray and pray, don't you, that it's not going to be as bad.
32:59You just pray for miracles, don't you, you know?
33:01His dad, Jim, was at Jamie's hospital bedside when his son passed away.
33:10His mum, Carol, was home in Wigan.
33:13In the aftermath of his death, both grew stronger in their faith.
33:17There is a plan for everybody. You know, I'm not frightened of dying because I think, well, I'll be in good company.
33:27I think they'll all be up there together.
33:30Yeah.
33:31I have all this on when I'm racing, so I've got my dog tag.
33:37And then this here is made with Jamie's ashes in it.
33:42So every time I go and do a lap, he's with me, close to my chest.
33:47And then the St Christopher, which is religious and hopefully could bring me good and safe luck.
33:53Someone's looking down on you to keep you safe.
34:02You don't stop believing because everything's for a reason, isn't it?
34:05You know, if I had to make the mistake in that corner, you know, then the accident wouldn't have happened.
34:20I think about every day, you know, what could have been done differently.
34:25If I did what I said I was going to do and pulled in, I just definitely wish I had.
34:30When Rob came home, he said, I'm sorry, Mum. I said, it's not your fault.
34:49Well, it's not his fault, is it?
34:52It's just a tragedy, really.
34:54It's a big loss. Rob has been struggling just a little bit sometimes and it's not good if you don't speak it.
35:04It's just all festers inside your head, doesn't it?
35:10That's life. You don't know what's going to be around the corner, do you?
35:14You don't go to a restaurant and you think, oh, I might crash here or I will crash here.
35:20It doesn't turn to your head and if you thought that, you should never really get on the bike and go and do it, you know?
35:29When you experience personal loss and tragedy in racing, going back again is a hard question.
35:37We ask ourselves, why do we keep going back to something which can be so painful and so difficult sometimes?
35:43Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, is England's only remaining road race.
36:01Situated just five minutes from Scarborough's beachfront, the circuit hosts a number of road racing events across the season.
36:16Lead us and guide us to where you want us to go, Lord.
36:18And help us so hard to be there, to be able to help other people.
36:25Yes.
36:26And to tell them, Lord, that Jesus loves them.
36:29Thank you, Lord. We pray in Jesus' precious name, Lord.
36:32Amen.
36:33After Jamie's death, Rob continued in the sport, but has never returned to race in Ireland.
36:44His first race of the season is at the Spring Cup at Scarborough.
36:49The first road race that he and Jamie ever competed in.
36:51From when the accident happened to now, I've never took a season out.
37:00It's all I know to do to kind of keep busy and focused on moving forward, really.
37:06Rob Hodson on the SMT Yellow Heart makes his way into the middle of the front row.
37:12One of the most recent members of the 130 mile an hour club.
37:17When I get to ride off down the racetrack, it's kind of like a bit of a release and a bit of freedom.
37:37You're not thinking about being guilty.
37:40You're just focused on getting down the straights and around the corner as fast as you can.
37:44You know, I continue because it seems like a waste.
37:48I've got the ability to do it, and if I just stop, then it's kind of like we lost Jamie for nothing.
37:55Here come the leaders once more, powering in the firm bends.
38:01This year will be eight years since we lost him, and I've achieved more than I thought I would in racing.
38:10I'm just doing as proud as I can, really.
38:15Come on, guys! Come on!
38:17I've had accidents where I've come off straight into a wall, bounced off, the bike's gone over my head.
38:31And I've walked away with just a very small injury.
38:39Before I get a chance to stop, it might stop me.
38:41But, yeah, that's the game we're playing at the minute.
38:44In pain, we can experience the reality of God in a very powerful way.
38:57I would say in my life as a minister for the last 40 years,
39:04I think that God has become real to more people in pain than in any other situation.
39:11This is my local church where I got my communion and baptized.
39:32This is where we've grown up.
39:34I believe in God.
39:37I believe you're protected by guardian angels and the ritual of praying and whatever's out there.
39:46This is a special little place, you know, where we lay our boys to rest.
39:54In 2019, Kevin and Sarah lost their twin boys in pregnancy.
40:00With just two days to go, Kevin visits the twin's grave before he sets off for the Northwest 200 for the first time.
40:09We were both so young at the time and, you know, it was something that we were going to cherish together and end up being one of the toughest times of our lives.
40:21And it's hard because, you know, I look at Caden, my little son, he's at the age, like, should be playing with his brothers now.
40:30And it's just sad, like, that we can't play with them every day and see them grow up to be people and, you know, what could they have been?
40:38I've seen some dark times and lonely times, you know.
40:47I like to be the happy-go-lucky guy that just is fun to be around and I struggle with it because this is hard to accept, you know.
40:59You'd just like to think someday we will see them again.
41:05I think it's a nice thing to think about that there is somewhere else, there is an afterlife, you know.
41:11That's not just over.
41:16I like coming up here before a race weekend, like talking to them, telling them where we're going, what we're going to be doing.
41:22How I want them to help me this weekend, keep me safe.
41:26And then when I say my little prayer before getting the bike, I call a couple of guardian angels.
41:32But they always say at the end of it, this is it, boys, let's go, let's have fun, let's enjoy the ride and come home safe.
41:41That, to me, is me bringing them my journey and them keeping me safe.
41:52Before Maria departs for Northern Ireland, she takes a moment to reflect on the things she did with her mum before her race.
42:03People are always saying that she's always with me.
42:10I just wish she was always with me.
42:13She visits a Buddhist retreat, somewhere they often spend time together.
42:22I found it difficult initially because it felt like it was mum's place.
42:28But this place gives me lots of good memories.
42:37Grief made me want to lock myself away.
42:40I didn't want to interact with anyone.
42:42I didn't know how to interact with anyone in grief.
42:47Because it's just so painful.
42:52She absolutely was part of my racing.
42:55Suddenly it felt really strange.
42:59That I didn't have her trying to stop me.
43:03I didn't have anyone to go up against.
43:05I didn't have anyone to defy.
43:11I miss her not wanting me racing.
43:15That's it.
43:16I miss her worrying about me.
43:20I...
43:23Loved her fiercely.
43:25I miss Lee.
43:36This is Jesse's heroes.
43:38And that's me there.
43:39That's the cage on my leg.
43:41And a cap on.
43:43Lee's leg hasn't healed in time to get the cage off.
43:45He won't be racing at the North West 200.
43:50I think disappointed would be the biggest understatement of possibly the year.
43:59I don't even know what the right word is.
44:02I think...
44:04Frustrated.
44:06Erm...
44:08Yeah.
44:13I've been going to the North West since I was a kid.
44:15I suppose when you're a kid it's like superheroes aren't they?
44:18These guys putting these suits on.
44:19I think how amazing it must feel to be able to...
44:23200 mile an hour on a motorbike.
44:26Every kid that goes to the North West dreams about winning the North West.
44:30For like 10, 12 year old me that was yeah.
44:34Like this would be cool.
44:36And then winning 5 North West.
44:3912 year old Lee.
44:40You probably say why haven't you won more?
44:45My dad didn't race.
44:47All he has to say was if someone beats you because they've got more talent then...
44:53That's fine.
44:54You take it on the chin and you shake their hand.
44:56But getting beat because you weren't fit enough or you didn't put enough effort in.
45:01That's not acceptable.
45:03I think that's probably where a lot of the drive comes from.
45:05I obviously wanted it myself but you're obviously like...
45:08The best thing you can do in the world is try and impress your dad isn't it?
45:10Do you know what I mean?
45:11Like oh look at me.
45:15My dad died of cancer.
45:16So...
45:18He got diagnosed when he was 50 and he died when he was 52.
45:26I know he's not here anymore so he's not physically telling me but...
45:30He'd probably tell me that there's a whole lot of life after what I'm rushing for right now.
45:35If everything's going really well, if the wind is on your back you don't question anything.
45:44But when things are difficult then you do start to question.
45:47You have to.
45:49Because the pain causes you to ask questions.
45:52This sport, more than maybe many other sports, individuals have had to ask themselves those questions again and again.
46:04Once a year the sleepy towns of Port Stewart, Port Rush and Cold Rain become the three points of the thrilling Northwest 200 circuit.
46:21Known as...
46:22The triangle.
46:32The Northwest has some very long straight parts of the circuit.
46:37Machines are able to get up to speeds in excess of 200 miles an hour.
46:42If the sheer speed and noise isn't enough to excite the crowds, the Northwest is also home to the largest mass start in road racing.
46:50All of the bikes begin together as soon as the lights turn from red to green.
46:59Everybody goes as fast as they can.
47:10But it's a very exhilarating thing for some and very frightening to watch for others.
47:20I mean I'm trying to do that, guys.
47:21You're alright, guys?
47:22You're alright, guys.
47:23You're alright.
47:24Thanks.
47:25Do you like this?
47:32You're alright.
47:33Yes, mercy reigns, unending love, may seem great.
47:44Sunday at the Northwest 200 for us as chaplains begins as a day when we have a pre-race service.
47:51Sometimes people say to me, why do you have a service at the Northwest 200 or any race for that matter?
47:58What's the point?
47:59And I say, well, you know, it's really good to pray for this event and people who are involved in it.
48:05God does care about every person.
48:08And even those that don't care about Him yet, He still cares for them too wonderfully.
48:13I know that racing can touch you in all sorts of levels, but this touches you even deeper than any race can.
48:18As it's his first time at the Northwest 200, Kevin must attend the safety briefing before he's allowed to race.
48:28You're all newcomers. You have many, many years ahead of you at the Northwest 200.
48:33So just come the first year, qualify, enjoy the event, and that's all you necessarily have to do.
48:38We don't tolerate anything outside the regulations, so just want to make you aware of that.
48:43Fully briefed, Kevin can now fulfill his dream to race the Northwest 200.
48:50Away from the race paddock, he takes time with those he loves before he takes to the track.
48:56Kids are a great example, like, being in the moment.
49:07Like, I have two angel babies, you know, and I just call them guardian angels, you know, and I say a little prayer before sitting on the bike.
49:13And I just ask them to come with me, keep me safe.
49:16I believe if I didn't say that prayer, something would happen, something would go wrong, it wouldn't work out for me.
49:22So I believed, yeah, that they're with me every step of the way.
49:28Newcomers sometimes don't realize just how fast it is.
49:32They don't realize that the speeds are so incredible.
49:35I think that can take some riders by surprise, because when you're going so fast, it takes a long time to slow up.
49:45If you get your breaking wrong, you can be a danger to yourself and to others.
49:50Being in control of what you're doing right now is massive.
49:56The present's where you are, and you can't change the past, you can't predict the future, so to be in that moment is quite important.
50:05It's me there is an afterlife, and I believe the afterlife can protect the living life.
50:18Nathan, let's go and get this fuel.
50:21Back at the northwest, Maria is preparing for her first road race without her mum.
50:27Awesome, see you later, I'll have some strawberries.
50:30Now then, yeah, you.
50:32Hello.
50:33We're here, we're here.
50:34We did start working on the bike a bit late.
50:42Race bikes are temperamental machines, and at speeds of 200 miles per hour, mechanical error can make the difference between life and death.
50:51That's bad, isn't it?
50:53As long as you're sorting it, I'll let you just work away.
50:58Mechanics fine-tune them right up to the moment before each race.
51:02Can't be building, can't be changing shells and that now, just have to clean everything.
51:06Yeah.
51:07Yeah, just shout whatever you need then.
51:10Ah, OK.
51:15Yeah, sir.
51:16What's that?
51:17You know what that is?
51:19It's that Derby, is it?
51:20Just off the deer, Lee.
51:21Forgot about that.
51:22Oh, three, yeah.
51:23That was the one you rode without falling off.
51:27Oh, did he hear that?
51:27I've not shot him.
51:28Even though Lee hasn't made it back as a racer, his popularity in the sport has landed him a job as a pundit.
51:34Hey, OK.
51:35Yeah?
51:36Oh, my word.
51:37What are you laughing for?
51:38I've got feelings, you know?
51:40No.
51:41Lee, we had hoped to see you racing at the North West this year after your crash at the event last year.
51:46How much are you looking forward to the racing?
51:49Yeah, obviously that was the main aim and it always will be that.
51:52I don't want to be racing motorbikes, but unfortunately the next best thing is here with you guys and I'm really looking forward to that as well.
51:59There's some cracking racing in line here with two or three guys willing to go head-to-head for all the races, so I'm really, really excited.
52:10I do like getting to be that strong, confident Maria.
52:28When you click your visor shut, that's who you become.
52:34That feeling of being on a motorbike, it's like nothing else.
52:40I've got nerves because I want to know I can get back to that feeling.
52:54I want to know I can still do this.
52:57It's not just about going fast, it's...
53:00It is about going fast.
53:02Once you shut that visor, you're in that little head space on your own.
53:20At one with yourself, at one with your bike and in control.
53:24It's peaceful, you know.
53:25And that maximum, just getting to the edge, to me, that's living.
53:33That's happiness.
53:33It is hard to understand from the outside, the danger, the hurting yourself, getting back on a bike after hurting yourself.
53:51How do you explain that to somebody else?
53:52It's because what I get to do on the bike feels so good.
54:02I want to get back to there all the time.
54:05It's this amazing feeling.
54:07Hold on super tight.
54:18Do a thumbs up.
54:21My heart's giving in.
54:23I'm not sure.
54:23Is it running or racing?
54:26Ready, steady, go.
54:28Woohoo!
54:29Delighted.
54:29Finally got to do it.
54:34Finally.
54:36How was it?
54:37Well done.
54:38Big hug!
54:40Big hug!
54:41Smart.
54:41Yeah?
54:42Smart, yeah.
54:43Do you want a drink?
54:56I think you did well.
54:57Kind of the one that kept pushing him from, he was that height, to go faster, faster.
55:03He's a good head on his shoulders.
55:05I think he can decide when it's time to stop.
55:11I think Kevin's wearing his as well, so.
55:16We could say it helps.
55:18We're all going home safe and that's the main thing, to be honest.
55:21We could say it's time.
55:21All right.
55:22We'll be out tomorrow.
55:23I like that.
55:24I like that.
55:25Yeah, it looks alive.
55:26I secretly wanted a top ten.
55:28We were so close.
55:29Yeah, there's always next year and the year after.
55:32And the year after.
55:33And the year after.
55:34And the year after.
55:35Sarah, you take off one helmet.
55:36One helmet off and get him on.
55:37One helmet off and get him on.
55:38What's going on?
55:44It's Kate's turn.
55:47You ready?
55:48You ready?
55:57Woo!
55:58It went much better than last year.
56:01And, er, yeah.
56:03I'm in one piece.
56:04The bike's in one piece.
56:05What a bonus.
56:10It's given me a lot of things, racing.
56:14God, just, you know, the amount of people I've met.
56:17And racing is a lot about the people.
56:20You?
56:21Yeah, good to see you.
56:22Good to see you, dude.
56:24Life's too short.
56:25Now's what counts.
56:28Every...
56:29Every moment.
56:30Every relationship.
56:31It all counts.
56:37They're in there.
56:38Oh!
56:39Oh!
56:40Oh!
56:41That is terrible.
56:42McLean came in too.
56:44There were three race-stopping red flag crashes.
56:48Another red flag.
56:49But one stood out.
56:55Remarkably.
56:57This rider survived.
56:59With little more than minor injuries.
57:03I do believe that when we pray for people.
57:06That there are times interventions happen that we cannot see.
57:09This rider going through the air.
57:12Yeah, that's a miracle.
57:14There was something incredible about that.
57:16And whether you actually will ever attribute that to the Heavenly Father.
57:22As I will.
57:24If I was that person.
57:26I'd be thankful.
57:28I'd be humble.
57:30And I'd be saying,
57:32I wonder why I've been spared.
57:33This is where we crashed here.
57:39I think...
57:40Well, I know this is where we crashed.
57:42But we must have ended up...
57:44Like, gauging off the cameras and stuff.
57:46Like, right in there.
57:47Somewhere on this corner.
57:53You can't choose pain.
57:54But you can choose suffering.
57:55Because the pain happens in the accident.
57:57Doesn't it?
57:58But the suffering is...
57:59You can't choose pain.
58:00You can choose suffering.
58:01It's an accident.
58:02Doesn't it?
58:03But the suffering happens after.
58:07People see me as just a motorbike racer.
58:09Or, no, I'm somebody's dad and husband.
58:13And at some point the wheels are going to stop turning.
58:15And, you know, they're still going to be there.
58:18And then real life begins.
58:31Oh.
58:32Oh...
58:33lose their nerves!
58:34Whatever!
58:35Don't mess me up in.
58:36You buried her but it's woman's body.
58:37Yes.
58:38Don't mess me up in life.
58:40To be able to irritate.
58:41Too bad.
58:42You, it doesn't go outside.
58:43I remember to be ostrac into being problem.
58:44You are so confused!
58:46Theseomo ред financial company.
58:47It ever felt better and more.
58:48And they were allowed.
58:49And theyuirом.
58:50You were able to trust us on the cliff.
58:51How did it niyePeople come true?
58:52Do you want to queue?
58:53When if we were69,
58:54The marker goes on comigo.
58:55You can't return to myself too.
58:56You have to do something..."
58:57Did either.
58:58Even say,