This Week: ‘Motorcycle Crash Tech’ Premieres
As a rider, over the years I’ve become keenly aware that there are roads you know well and ride all the time, roads you’ve never seen but find yourself making plans to visit, and then roads that from a mere photograph have a unique power to consume your dreams — because they are not easy to get to or to conquer.
The last several weeks have been a remarkable stretch of time where all of my personal roads, both the seen and unseen, the known and unknown, have blended together to form a wonderful combination of one single and seamless moment where everything feels like it’s exactly where it is supposed to be for right now…
And I can’t think of a better culmination of that sense of purpose than this Thursday evening, when our newest sportbike documentary, Motorcycle Crash Tech‘, premieres on The National Geographic Channel at 9 PM EST.
In May, I briefly wrote about the project but at the time couldn’t go into much detail about it — Tonight I finally can…
After we finished Twist The Throttle, the next inevitable question was what do we want to shoot next? For month we went back and forth, talking about what would be different then Twist and yet still part of the greater sportbike arena… A few truly intriguing ideas surfaced, but they never quite took off or captured enough of our collective attention span… But then lighting struck… While ‘taking a break’…
We were watching a sportbike race, when a rider crashed. It looked horrific. It looked deadly. It seemed disastrous. Yet the rider got up. Shook his head in frustration. And walked away…
It was a scene punctuated by the notion that twenty, maybe fifteen, hell probably ten years ago, would have required an ambulance or a helicopter. But instead suddenly seemed rather matter-of-fact. The rider later quoted as saying it was a run of the mill event. Barely noticeable and simply a function of ‘push the edge’…
Tonight it seems rather obvious that something interesting was there, but at the time it was simply a curiosity — was racing, and by extension regular-riding, really safer today? Have we actually come to a point where we can engineer out the danger?
The answer as many riders know is, yes.
It is something I learned first hand this January when I crashed (an odd occurrence while working on a sportbike show about crashing no doubt!).
Now, of course I’m not suggesting that racing is 100% safe, nor regular everyday riding, neither one is, but the odds of survival should the worst happen have dramatically increased and that’s something I personally find fascinating… So we set out to see the remarkable advancements in racing and riding gear; from the bikes themselves, to the brakes, to helmets, and the actual riding suits.
I hope everyone in the audience enjoys! (Press Release Below)
Umberto rides the F4
New Motorcycle Documentary Premieres on the National Geographic Channel
September 17, 2009 at 9PM ET
“Motorcycle Crash Tech” is an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at the new technologies being used to avoid motorcycle crashes, and prevent injuries or even death when a racer or rider does go down.
Exclusive interviews with racer Neil Hodgson and the legendary Giacomo Agostini describe first-hand what goes through a racer’s mind the moment they know they’re going to crash and vividly recount just how deadly racing was in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. Combining rare archival footage from years past as well as contemporary AMA racing coverage, the film explains the differences between high-sides and low-sides and the extreme forces involved in both types of crashes.
The film captures stunning action photography of world-class test riders Vito Guareschi (Alpinestars, Nolan, and Ducati) and Umberto Rumiano (MV Agusta) in action during what are normally closed test sessions of new riding gear and bikes. Brembo factory riders are also filmed testing the company’s newest brakes on twisting Italian mountain roads and performing incredible braking tests on Brembo’s private test track.
Produced by Cry Havoc Productions, an award winning documentary film company specializing in Moto related films, “Motorcycle Crash Tech” will premiere on September 17, 2009 at 9PM ET on the National Geographic Channel.
Filmed in 1080i high-definition and 5.1 digital surround sound, “Motorcycle Crash Tech” takes viewers on an extraordinary journey across Northern Italy. With rare access to the R & D facilities and research departments at Alpinestars, Brembo, Nolan, and MV Agusta, the film chronicles the very latest technologies being used in motorcycle riding gear, boots, helmets, brakes, and the bikes themselves to make racing and riding safer.
The Sweet Sound of 5.1
'Motorcycle Crash Tech' Audio Mix
It’s been an incredible few days as we wrap up the last remaining bits on our new sportbike doc for the National Geographic Channel (which I briefly wrote about previously) but none was nearly as exciting as sitting down at Salami Studios in Burbank, California, and hearing the 5.1 audio mix for the first time. While I totally dig the move the High-Def in terms of the visuals, there’s nothing quite as exciting hearing the sounds of sportbikes roaring in real, honest to goodness surround sound. It brings the hair on the back of neck up and makes two-dimensional images seem so much deeper… And honestly, I really dig the images in this show, so that’s saying something…
Hopefully you all will enjoy the show & the audio mix as much as I do 
Air-Schedule coming shortly…
Monday 10pm - Twist The Throttle Episode #6: MV Agusta
Twist The Throttle - MV Agusta
Just a quick reminder that the sixth episode of Twist The Throttle, which showcases MV Agusta, debuts this coming Monday at 10 pm EST/PST on Discovery’s “HD Theater”!
*Channel 76 and 281 on DirecTV, but if you’ve got a different cable system please check your local listings…
*Detailed episode listings are available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Twist The Throttle - New Air Dates!
Exciting news — The first episode of “Twist The Throttle”, which is on Honda, has a new premiere date!
Discovery HD Theater, which is Channel 76 on your DirecTV system, has scheduled the first episode of the eight part series to premiere on Monday, April 6 at 10pm, immediately following American Chopper.
The second episode features Ducati and it premieres on April 13th at 10pm.
More info shortly…
Update: Detailed episode listings are now available on the Discovery HD Theater website here.
Info Below…
Apr 06, 10:00 pm
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Honda
Today, Honda is both a worldwide brand and instantly recognizable name. But in the beginning, Honda is nothing more than Soichiro Honda’s last name.
Apr 07, 1:00 am
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Honda
Today, Honda is both a worldwide brand and instantly recognizable name. But in the beginning, Honda is nothing more than Soichiro Honda’s last name.
Apr 07, 5:00 am
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Honda
Today, Honda is both a worldwide brand and instantly recognizable name. But in the beginning, Honda is nothing more than Soichiro Honda’s last name.
Apr 12, 5:00 am
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Honda
Today, Honda is both a worldwide brand and instantly recognizable name. But in the beginning, Honda is nothing more than Soichiro Honda’s last name.
Apr 12, 4:00 pm
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Honda
Today, Honda is both a worldwide brand and instantly recognizable name. But in the beginning, Honda is nothing more than Soichiro Honda’s last name.
Apr 13, 10:00 pm
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Ducati
TV-PG
Motorcycles weren’t what the Ducati brothers had in mind when they first created a radio manufacturing company in 1926. See how the Ducati’s revolutionary designs have inspired modern pop culture.
Apr 14, 1:00 am
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Ducati
TV-PG
Motorcycles weren’t what the Ducati brothers had in mind when they first created a radio manufacturing company in 1926. See how the Ducati’s revolutionary designs have inspired modern pop culture.
Apr 14, 5:00 am
(60 minutes)
Remind Me
Twist the Throttle
Ducati
TV-PG
Motorcycles weren’t what the Ducati brothers had in mind when they first created a radio manufacturing company in 1926. See how the Ducati’s revolutionary designs have inspired modern pop culture.
Update:
HD THEATER TAKES TO THE ROAD WITH TWIST THE THROTTLE, AN EIGHT-PART SERIES EXPLORING SOME OF THE GREATEST MOTORCYCLE BRANDS IN THE WORLD
Original Turbo.com Broadband Series Makes Its Television Debut with New Footage on HD Theater Starting Monday, April 6
(Silver Spring, MD) – Millions of people ride motorcycles and millions more fantasize about what it would be like to ride these cultural icons of speed, freedom, craftsmanship and personal rebellion. HD Theater’s new series, TWIST THE THROTTLE, takes audiences on a remarkable 36,000 mile journey across the globe to explore eight of the most famous sport motorcycling brands. Each episode focuses on a single brand, showcasing the remarkable history; the behind-closed-door factory, design facilities and R&D departments; and ultimately, what it is like to ride these magnificent machines on some of the most picturesque roads and spectacular racetracks in the world. The brands covered in TWIST THE THROTTLE include Bimota, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha. TWIST THE THROTTLE premieres on HD Theater starting Monday, April 6 at 10 PM ET/PT. Additionally, TWIST THE THROTTLE is narrated by actor Ed Quinn (Eureka, CSI:NY), who is an avid sport bike rider.
Using spectacular 1080i high-definition and 5.1 digital surround sound, TWIST THE THROTTLE takes viewers directly to challenging racetracks like Kawasaki’s Autopolis on the island of Kyushu and Honda’s top-secret proving grounds in California’s Mojave Desert. For the first time ever, outside cameras were permitted on Yamaha’s private test track, Fukoroi, in Hamamatsu where TWIST THE THROTTLE put two of Yamaha’s newest sports bikes to the test. In addition to exclusive access to these private test facilities, the series travels on the open road through picturesque locales like northern Italy’s Futa Pass. Originally an ancient Roman road linking Florence to Bologna, the Futa Pass has over 200 curves carved into the mountainside in just a 20 mile stretch.
In addition, TWIST THE THROTTLE journeys through the history of each brand through interviews with the people behind their unique design philosophies. The series features an exclusive interview with
Massimo Tamburini, considered to be the “Michelangelo of Italian motorcycle design,” who created some of the most iconic motorcycles including the Ducati 916 and the MV Agusta F4. Normally a recluse, Tamburini unlocks the doors of his design studio to reveal how he creates “mechanical art” and why he believes machines have souls. Additional interviews feature some of
the most important names in the motorcycle world telling each brand’s remarkable story including:
• Honda’s Masanori Aoki, BMW’s David Robb and Yamaha’s Atsushi Ishiyama
• Former racing World Champions Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey, and Kevin Schwantz
• Current American road racing stars Mat Mladin, Neil Hodgson, Miguel Duhamel, Ben Bostrom, Jamie
Hacking and Reg Pridmore
• Legendary motorcycle journalists Nick Ienatsch, Mark Hoyer, Mitch Boehm, Clement Salvadori and
Mark Tuttle
About HD Theater
The first 24-hour high-definition network to broadcast all of its content in brilliant 1080i and 5.1 digital
surround sound, HD Theater offers compelling real-world and motorized content from a wide range of
categories including adventure, technology, nature and world culture – all designed to provide viewers
with the highest-quality television experience available. .
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction
media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 170 countries. Discovery
empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks,
led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery
and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified
portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit
www.discoverycommunications.com.
We’ve Got Air Dates!!!
Twist The Throttle
A somewhat crazy week ended with a bang — well, not a bang exactly, but we did get some great news…Twist The Throttle now has official air dates!
NETWORK:
DISCOVERY
HD
THEATER
AIR
DATES
&
TIMES
(NOTE:
ALL
TIMES
ARE
’LOCAL
TIMES’ )
MONDAY,
JANUARY
5TH
10PM
- HONDA
MONDAY,
JANUARY
12TH
10PM
- DUCATI
MONDAY,
JANUARY
19TH
10PM
- BMW
MONDAY,
JANUARY
26TH
10PM
- KAWASAKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
2ND
10PM -
SUZUKI
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
9TH
10PM
- MV
AGUSTA
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
16TH
10PM
- BIMOTA & ALPINESTARS
MONDAY,
FEBRUARY
23RD
10PM
-
YAMAHA
Quick Update on the Twist The Throttle front — Discovery HD Theater has decided to push the premiere of the series back until later in the 1st Quarter of 2009 in order to give it more promotion on both TV and in the Mags.
Unfortunately we don’t have the new air dates just yet but I’ll post them as soon as the new schedule is announced.
A Sad Day Indeed… Massimo Tamburini Retires
It is a sad, sad day for motorcyclists everywhere now that word has officially hit the streets that the greatest motorcycle designer of all time has announced his retirement.
Sad because as of December 31st there will be a gigantic void standing at the absolute pinnacle where art and function meet.
Massimo Tamburini has been more then just a ‘designer’ — He didn’t just build bikes for riders around the world — Rather he has been a sculptor who has repeatedly crafted fantasies that we as consumers didn’t even know we wanted. Over the years what his pen has produced has been universally revered as simply being magnificent, yet to only acknowledge his brilliance based solely on the bikes he’s been responsible for doesn’t do him justice.
Instead one has to look at the direct connection that his ideas have had on every other sportbike manufactured by the more mainstream motorcycle brands. His visions have been the baseline inspiration for every other designer out there and while others have jumped from one fad to the next or been constrained by dollars & sense, he has quietly continued to refine his dream and with each minor revision pushed his bikes one step closer to perfection…
Twist The Throttle Launches!
It’s been a very exciting morning thus far — Late last night we found out that the online portion of our motorcycle documentary series, “Twist The Throttle“, launched on the Discovery Turbo website!
‘Twist The Throttle’ is an inside and behind-the-scenes look at eight of the major and/or most storied motorcycle manufacturers in the world, including; Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati, MV Agusta and Bimota.
(more…)
