Hot Laps: The Top Six Fiery Bike Moments

After seeing Taylor Mackenzie’s Team WD40 Kawasaki set itself on fire and force him to quickly eject onto the grass at last week’s Snetterton BSB round, it got us thinking.

What are some of the other great, explosive incidents in bike racing?

Naturally, when throwing ideas around the office, we did set ourselves a few caveats. Anything suggested had to have not caused any major or permanent damage to the rider and/or anyone else, and they had to be on YouTube so that we could compile a list of the best ones to put online.

So here, ladies and gentleman is our cobbled together selection of fiery racing moments…

 

Akira Yanagawa, World Superbikes Race 1 at Monza 1998

 

 

 

Colin Edwards riding the much-maligned Aprilia Cube at Sachsenringin 2003 (jump to 1:42 secs)

 

 

 

Vince Whittle and Adam Hitchcock with Noriyuki Haga riding through the flames at the BSB Oulton Park warm-up lap in 2004

 

Bonus Fact: Hitchcock was MCN and Bike magazine’s Advertising Manager at the time – he’s now a helicopter pilot (which could well be safer!)

 

 

Yonny Hernandez taking quite a while to realise that his MotoGP Pramac Ducati is on fire during the Argentina round in 2015:

 

 

 

Tom Sykes going ‘bang in Moscow’ at the Russian 2013 WBSK

 

 

 

 

Stephane Mertan’s bike being ridden by a flaming ghost whilst at Philip Island SBK in 1992.

 

 

Have we missed any?

 

Let us know in the comments below.