Here in the Philippines, we have a saying, “kalabaw lang ang tumatanda” which basically means that only the water buffalo working on the field gets old, while the old farmer that employs it remains strong.
The same goes for the motorcycle rider. While age can slowly catching up on us, it still is just a number, and can’t stop us for doing what we love.
If you believe this, then the video above should be no surprise. It was originally uploaded in 2018. In it, a 72-year-old rider clocks in a 7-minute lap time at the world-famous 21-kilometer Nürburgring in Germany, onboard a Ducati Panigale V4.
No slouch
There's no information about the mystery super lolo. The only thing we can surmise is he's a UK resident, judging by the indicated speed on his bike, because it's in miles per hour (mph) and not kilometers per hour (kph).
Furthermore, it's not even his bike. He borrowed it from his son. Most impressive of all as that this feat was accomplished during an open tourist day. This means the Nurburgring is open to anyone willing to pay the entrance fee, whether pro or amateurs. Anyone driving on the track during these days has to follow standard road rules and keep right except when passing. This explains the "keep right" sticky note.
In spite of these challenges, this old timer managed a 7:30 lap time. For reference, that's just 20 slower than the current Nurburgring production motorcycle lap time record set by Andy 'AndyPath' Carlile onboard a Yamaha R1M.
It's just 10 seconds slower than the all-time four-door saloon nurburgring lap time record set by a Jaguar XE SV Project 8 driven by a professional driver, and 10 seconds faster than the all-time front-wheel drive car record set by a Honda Civic Type R (FK8).
Last ride
What makes it a bit a tearjerker is the fact that this is one of the last rides of this super lolo.
He shares why in the description of his video:
“Due to a serious heart condition and a hypoxic brain injury, I have to give up motorcycling at the ripe old age of 72. With stiff shoulders [and] aching back and dodgy knees, I managed my final laps on my son’s awesome Ducati V4 Panigale. My failing eyesight and excessive flatulence didn't slow me down as it’s an extremely fast lap,” said the rider.
That's certainly one of the best ways to mark your retirement from riding.
Will you still ride your motorcycle when you reach 72?
