Isle of Man TT?

[Buffalo Bill]

This race has a lot of history, it may be the last remaining true road race from the beginning of motor racing history.
Has anybody here ever been there for the race? It must be like a pilgrimage for bike pagans.
Bill

 

[Agemax]

I did mad sunday in 1989. the good old days with no speed limits anywhere!

 

[Truth]

I've been watching it on HD theater, and WOW! Those guys have serious skills. Much more entertaining than a straight line drag race.

 

[ozman]

a clip you might like

http://www.mcnews.com.au/MotorcycleRacing2010/Historics/Island_Classic/Island_Classic_International_R1.wmv

Oz

 

[Buffalo Bill]

When does the tach fall off?

When does the tach fall off?

That does sound like a large displacement engine, I guess that's why the tach only reads up to 10,000. But he should have taped it down, it seemed to bobble more as laps went by.

 

[Guest]

Tt

Tt

we went about 8 of us back in 1987 ,I said i would go back again one day had a fantistic
week ,never know i might go again.
those were the days when had my 1000 katana.

 

[hampshirehog]

Went every year between '78 and '87 - 3 times on the spanners for Cliff Apperley (unpaid - he was a mate of mine who could ride a lot better than me plus he weighed next to nothing... which was why he could ride a lot better than me.....). Great place, great event (though in my memory it did seem to rain a lot - probably because I was always in a tent). Shame the real amateur days are long gone.

Got married (not to Cliff!) in '88 and haven't been back since. Keep promising to go with my son but haven'r managed it yet.

 

[Charlie G]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNxJrB_8gHk


I get excited about this kind of racing. Nascar and the oval track leave me cold. I'm hoping to get over there next year and see some of this or maybe some of the Irish roadracing. The less commerical the races are the more I think I'd like them. Thanks for the thread Bill you read my mind.

cg

 

[Detroit Diesel Man]

Always loved this Vid..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE7H6f9PVwk

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Did you bring your own bike?

Did you bring your own bike?

I did mad sunday in 1989. the good old days with no speed limits anywhere!

Wow, so how did you get your bike over there?
This Rossi interview after he took a guided ride of the course on a R-1 Rossi replica in '09 is cool. Lot's of utube vids on the Tt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojHoqp8WIQ
Bill

 

[Agemax]

Wow, so how did you get your bike over there?
This Rossi interview after he took a guided ride of the course on a R-1 Rossi replica in '09 is cool. Lot's of utube vids on the Tt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojHoqp8WIQ
Bill

i rode it up to liverpool and they have (had?) a ferry service for bikes

 

[Buffalo Bill]

TT 2002 DVD, Awesome race?Highly recomended!

TT 2002 DVD, Awesome race?Highly recomended!

I just got the DVD of the 2002 event, (because I wanted to see how fast the older bikes I can almost afford were). A stunning race event.
It must be awesome to participate as a racer, or just to ride there, camp and ride the Mad Sunday thing. All that was in the DVD.
Bill

 

[Johnny Drummond]

Hi Gyus, the TT is a unique event in terms of difficulty and distance but here in Ireland-North and South,we have just as long a history of racing on public roads. I grew up beside such a track (now sadly not run) and went to my first race aged 3 and 36 years later I still get to as many as I can ,usually 5 or 6 out of the 16 race season.I have been trying to "encourage" Charlie over for some of the races here that are great value compared to the likes of World Super Bikes or MOTO GP, how does 13 races in a day featuring everything from full works spec superbikes to Manx Nortons for a ?10 entry fee- (you also get a program of all the races of the day and rider profiles as part of this) sound good?, you can in most of the national races (the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix are international events) walk around the paddock and chat to the racers and have a good look at the machines for the best price I've heard of-FREE so go on come over between April and September and have some fun standing a foot away from these machines!- and NO I don't work for the tourist board-OK!!!, here are 2 photos to get you going. Also look up www.roadracingireland.com in Feburary-March to get the dates of all the races.Johnny

 

[Charlie G]

Hi Gyus, the TT is a unique event in terms of difficulty and distance but here in Ireland-North and South,we have just as long a history of racing on public roads. I grew up beside such a track (now sadly not run) and went to my first race aged 3 and 36 years later I still get to as many as I can ,usually 5 or 6 out of the 16 race season.I have been trying to "encourage" Charlie over for some of the races here that are great value compared to the likes of World Super Bikes or MOTO GP, how does 13 races in a day featuring everything from full works spec superbikes to Manx Nortons for a ?10 entry fee- (you also get a program of all the races of the day and rider profiles as part of this) sound good?, you can in most of the national races (the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix are international events) walk around the paddock and chat to the racers and have a good look at the machines for the best price I've heard of-FREE so go on come over between April and September and have some fun standing a foot away from these machines!- and NO I don't work for the tourist board-OK!!!, here are 2 photos to get you going. Also look up www.roadracingireland.com in Feburary-March to get the dates of all the races.Johnny

I've been waiting for Johnny to coment here. I've watched a few of these races ( Cookstown 100, Bush) on u-tube videos and they look to be my kind of race. I've all but booked my tickets. Plan to rent a bike in London tour the west cost of UK and catch a ferry over to N.I. to catch a few of these races. A large commerical event isn't my cup a tea, but these seem to be a scale I would enjoy. check out some of these videos http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=cookstown+100+road+race

cg

 

[Johnny Drummond]

Heh heh heh, you didn't think I'd miss this thread did you Charlie?, glad to hear you plan to come over, how did you get on with my suggestion of renting a classic bike?. The only advice I can give you is to bring sun screen&good waterproofs and carry them to each race as you can need both on the same day!,if you just want to go to the smaller events-the North West attracts 100,000 plus every year either of the races you mentioned are good starting points pity the Cookstown is in April and the Bush is in June! as I said to you before if you want to see both types of race ie. National and International in the same small time frame come in August as the Armoy races and the Ulster Grand Prix are on consecutive weekends, there is a whole week of events and practice sessions at the Ulster leading up to raceday so you can come back home from the Bush on Saturday and then go to Dundrod( the village beside the race circuit) on Monday to get around the course on Monday.It should also be of interest to any fan of the TT to see if you can find pictures of it's most successful rider Joey Dunlops memorial garden, they have now added one for his brother Robert beside, his which is in Ballymoney beside Joey's bar-and we WILL be going there if you make it Charlie-ok?.Johnny

 

[Buffalo Bill]

Those Irish races sound just as fabulous!

Those Irish races sound just as fabulous!

Sorry to hear about Robert Dunlop, just got to know about him from the TT 2002 DVD. In that he talks about how his bike was the fastest in the NW 200 and so could win the TT. But it developed a cracked head, so he only finished 3rd, (not for the rest of us to feel disappointed if that were our result).
Do they let the public sample the courses on their own bikes?
Bill

 

[oldgrumpy]

Tt races ....

Tt races ....

hi guys ,,,the story goes as such... that joey dunlop.. who was a true road bike champion,, he used to actually walk the course to check the road,, anyway,, he came to australia and visiting queensland ,,somewhere a dealer racer loaned him a road reg. bike to ride soooo joey rode off.. and pretty soon his was pulled up by a upset cop ..that came up to him ,,and said who do you think you are,,, joey dunlop... with ,,,,er, yes i am,,, and needles too say the story did end well at that time ... regards david

 

[Buffalo Bill]

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice?

They say lightning never strikes the same place twice?

hi guys ,,,the story goes as such... that joey dunlop.. was pulled up by a upset cop ..that came up to him ,,and said who do you think you are,,, joey dunlop... with ,,,,er, yes i am,,, and needles too say the story did end well at that time ... regards david

Oops, I heard the same story about Sterling Moss…
Or did I see that in a Road and Track cartoon?
I bet it'll' never happened to me! :evil: …

 

[Johnny Drummond]

Hey guys back again now that my little girl has gone to bed!,Yeah there are lots of stories like that here about Joey, my favourite was told by Liam Beckett(his mechanic) they were trying to set up the Aaron slight engine that Honda gave him for the 2000 TT, and he left the house to go up and down the road and went screaming past the police, no lights or any legal niceties so he went into someones farm yard to wait for a dressing down, but was surprised that no-one showed.That's because the police had gone to his house and said to Liam "Joeys just gone past us,absoluty flying.We thought about chasing him but new we'd never catch him-wish him luck from all the lads in the station for the TT"!!.Robert died 2 days after he crashed in practice for the North West 200 in 2008, unfortunatley for his family it was caught on webcam that the television had set up for the races.His son Michael went out on the saturday and won the 250 race on a bike that his dad set up for him,when he crossed the line everyone and I mean everyone was in tears, the course commentator was so choked up he just stammered for a few seconds then went silent.Yes Bill you can ride the circuits-because for 362 days a year mums take their kids to school,the postman delivers letters-you get the idea, so if you know how they go you can ride them as many times as you like!! that is one of the many reasons that racing is so popular here,some people even buy specific houses so they can sit in their garden and watch the guys rub their leathers on the walls/gateposts on raceday.Johnny

 

[Charlie G]

Heh heh heh, you didn't think I'd miss this thread did you Charlie?, glad to hear you plan to come over, how did you get on with my suggestion of renting a classic bike?. The only advice I can give you is to bring sun screen&good waterproofs and carry them to each race as you can need both on the same day!,if you just want to go to the smaller events-the North West attracts 100,000 plus every year either of the races you mentioned are good starting points pity the Cookstown is in April and the Bush is in June! as I said to you before if you want to see both types of race ie. National and International in the same small time frame come in August as the Armoy races and the Ulster Grand Prix are on consecutive weekends, there is a whole week of events and practice sessions at the Ulster leading up to raceday so you can come back home from the Bush on Saturday and then go to Dundrod( the village beside the race circuit) on Monday to get around the course on Monday.It should also be of interest to any fan of the TT to see if you can find pictures of it's most successful rider Joey Dunlops memorial garden, they have now added one for his brother Robert beside, his which is in Ballymoney beside Joey's bar-and we WILL be going there if you make it Charlie-ok?.Johnny

Joey's Bar ....Now that sounds like a plan. Still working on the classic bike hire. Most of what I've found rates as high as newer models, of course we're talking Bsa, Triumphs and Nortons. Not what I really need. An old SV 650 would be fine. Great stories about Joey Dunlop.

cg