A Weekend at the IOM TT 2018

[BoxerCup R]

Now then

Feeling the excitement growing and growing during practice week this year I decided on Wednesday night the I would love to go to the Island for the Superbike race on the first weekend of racing, Sat 2nd June. Not being able to find flights from Liverpool, Newcastle or Manchester that got me out fri night and back Sun night I looked at ferry times from Liverpool and Heysham. I decided to ride over to Liverpool and try and get on the 8pm ferry as a stand. Thurs I was looking at e-bay fro people selling ferry tickets and there was a few but all the wrong dates ! Fre morning i rode to work with a rucksack packed light for a weekend away. During the morning I decided it would be better to have a ticket so that i have a space on a ferry, albeit the wrong date and try and get that changed, so i bought one for bike and rider off a lad and set off from work at 15:30. The M62 was busy as food fri afternoon but i made it after lot of filtering for 6pm. There was a great buzz at the ferry port as you can imagine, lots of bikes obviously and everyone in a happy mood. A mate from Southampton was working at Birkenhead and had seen my tweets about what I was trying and came across to see me off



IMG_7305 by John Taylor, on Flickr


There was three other bikes on standby and I went into the office and presented my dilemma, 'no probs,we'll put you and standby and hopefully there'll be room. 8pm and I'm last bike/vehicle/person loaded onto the ferry, I'd got a place



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I'd let a couple of people who always go to the TT know I was trying to come across to see if they could organise some accommodation for me. First response was my Mate Martin, he and Diane go every year for practice week and high an apartment in Port Erin, no probs, I could have their spare room fro the night but then they are leaving Sat so I would have to find somewhere else. Getting off the ferry at 23:30 I rode to the apartment and after couple of beers we hit the sack. I was over the moon, I had got on a very and had a bed in a very nice apartment, thank you very much cause I had set myself up for a tented village or at worst, a bench on the seafront at Douglas

I'm up and out at 05:25 to do a couple of passes over the Mountain before it gets too busy. The mist was hanging around in Port Erin but as I rode North towards Peel up the amazing A36 which is part of the Tarmac rally on the IOM, which is perfecto



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I rose above the cloud and I kept on the A36 through Foxhole and joined the track Ballacraine. I had a real quiet ride round to Ramsey with a big grin inside my helmet as I did my first pass over the Mountain. I got through Guthries and the fog appeared and became very thick, 40mph instead of 140mph thick but luckily it only lasted to The Bungalow and then after crossing the railway lines it disappeared and the rest was clear and bright so I could push on, what a feeling that place gives you, incredible. Obviously there v=was virtually nowt on the road which suited me 'down to the ground' and allowed me to concentrate on my lines and the road rather than any other vehicles or mad bikers Coming down to The Creg I was buzzing, its better than any drug known to man that Mountain, fantastic. I took the back road down to the coast from The Creg and had a ride down to Old Laxey to the sea front and got a couple of pics


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I went for another shot of adrenaline but someone had fucked up and Mountain was closed !! I went back to Ramsay sea front and had a chat to couple of guys for half an hour before going back to the hairpin and it was open again. This time it was a little busier, which was fine but the fog had gone so it was a clear pass. I saw off a couple of sports bikes before coming up to a lad at The Bungalow and we had a good race and I couldn't get passed him safely until out of Brandywell I got on the power early and went round the outside as he hugged the inside and I was passed him before tipping into Windy Corner, AWESOME
I rode down to the start finish and got a pic at the grandstand before heading back to Port Erin for a shower


IMG_7320 by John Taylor, on Flickr



Martin and Diane were all packed and after a lovely shower we headed to cafe bar Two-Six at the back of the airport at Castletown in the fog again. Got give a shout out to that cafe by the way, absolutely spot on breakfast which was my treat as a thank you for the room


IMG_7321 by John Taylor, on Flickr


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They were going to watch at Governers which is easy for the ferry so I shot off to The Creg-Ny Baa via Douglas and the back roads because the course was now closed to all traffic. I parked up at the back of the pub just out of the car park and watched the Superbike race from there


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I got a decent pic of McG as he did his parade lap on the Norton, which sounded fantastic by the way


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tbc..............

[Mitch1100]

Awesome, great photos... thanks for sharing

[nab 301]

Excellent write up , I though you had to book a year in advance to get to the TT

[BoxerCup R]

Cont..............

I contacted a Mate of a Mate who goes every year for the TT fortnight and who I've never met and who stays in the same digs every year near Sulby and he had sorted bed and breakfast for me for that night, happy days. He was watching from Crosby so I thought I would make my way froward round the track to get closer to where he was fro when the roads open after the days track action.

The sidecars were next to head down Bray Hill but unfortunatley they didn't get round and the flag was red flagged because of an accident which red flagged the race but the good news was both rider and passenger were conscious and talking as they were taken to hospital. I decided to go and watch from elsewhere. It was 16:15 and I rode back down to the coast and along to Douglas. Along the prom and round towards Peel road. I followed the bikes and we ended up running along side the track just after Governers Bridge and actually go under the track at Quarterbridge and into the infield, who knew I made my way to Union Mills and settled in the front of the Methodist Church garden grounds with a decent crowd but not overcrowded. There was a sign saying refreshments in the church so I goes for a look. I paid £4.50 at The Creg grandstand for a hot dog but the good ladies of the Methodist Church all make fresh sarnies, buns, cakes and sweets and you can get tea, coffee, coke, lemonade and water all fro next to nowt, what a bonus


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I got talking to a very old guy sat in the grounds as I ate my Salmon sarnie and banana and he was very interesting. He lived a few doors from the church and he had heard the bikes stop and thought the days racing was finished so had set off to get his wife a paper. Unbeknown to him, there was only a delay and so he had made it to the church yard and promptly sat down on a bench and watched the world go by with a smile on his face. They had come to the island in the fifties and had settled there :thumbs:

There was tow laps of qualifying for the Superstock/ Supersport/ Lightweight & Newcomers up next but to be honest it wasn't the most exciting place to watch, I wanted speed and close up, so I had a look at my sat nav and there was a way I could get over to Barregarrow just before Kirk Michael and so off I set. I took the narrow, poor surfaced road past West Baldwin Reservoir which then climbed up and over a hill and it took me through snow gates and over a cattle grid to join the B10. Now this road was a lot better and a little bit special after what I'd just rode on. It shot down towards the west coast with almost perfect tarmac and a series of mega bends with good width and vision, I had to stop and take a photo


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I rode down to Barregarrow, parked up and watched the ZeroTT (no interest by the way, infant zero interest) then not long after the shortened re-run of the Sidecar race began. These boys moved and it was great to not only see fast bikes but hear them come for about a mile, screaming flat out before they shoot past inches from you


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The midges appeared after the sun went down a little in the sky so I donned my buff to keep them from irritating the food out of me



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There was a nice GSX1100 parked up in the field car park


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After the race finished we all qued to get out onto the circuit and go to our various destinations round the island. I was meeting Strutty at Ginger Hall Hotel and so didn't have too far to ridebtu it was like Mad Max. It was as if everybody thought they were in a race and there was a lot of traffic, cars, bikes, vans, campers, you name it it was on the road ad there was some very dodgy manoeuvres and overtakes but I got to Ginger Hall without incident


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Thee was a great mix of nationalities in and around the pub and there was a great party atmosphere. I got a bottle to drink while I waited and chewed the fat including having a broken French/Englich conversation with a father and son, the father being on a HP4, impressive bike


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Strut arrived and after we introduced ourselves he said his nephew was taking his wife and child back to the digs and he would come back and join us. I didn't want to drink another beer and then ride to the digs even though they were only 4-5 miles away so I asked the barman and he said I could leave my bike round the back of the pub up against a garage door next to a Royal Enfield which I duly did.



IMG_7340 by John Taylor, on Flickr




It was hot in the pub and I changed from bike jeans and boots to shorts and trainers and we ........... got on the drink :drunk: Strut's nephew arrived after a couple of pints, we put my gear in the car and the next thing I had us all on pints and whisky chasers, it was a fantastic night as you can imagine. The juke box was rocking and the place was buzzing, a great night was had by all. Now I still can't remember how we got to the digs or where the hell they were but I slept like a log and didn't wake till 07:10 which is late for me but I was told we got in at 02:00 so that was a lat'un I was still, well, lets say merry and got on with our hosts 'like a house on fire' recalling my weekend. They had a lovely place, worth about £ 2.5 million, really nice and the breakfast was superb. I had heard the night before, god knows how I remembered, that there was a ferry at 09:15 and so had to make my way over the Mountain quick sharp to stand a chance of getting on it if possible. The lady said she wanted £25 but I gave her £30 and said "you saved my neck, take the £30, she was very happy and so was I. Strutty took me and y rucksack to Ginger Hall and I picked my bike up at 08:55. The sun was beating down and it was gonna be a glorious day. I made my way to Ramsey ad headed up the Mountain. Now it was Mad Sunday as it is fondly known and so it proved to be. The first part went by in a flash but there was all kinds of styles and abilities and all sorts of bikes plus cars in the mix too. The cars were't problem cause you make sure they have seen you on their mirrors and get past them quickly then forget about them cause they are history. There are cones to slow you down and which bring you into one lane for safety at the Bungalow. Once past that I shot out of a group and got my head down. I caught a group of sports bikes and unfortunately one of them binned it big style just before Brandywell. I just saw this bike at the front of the pack start barrel rolling along the road, unbelievable. We all slammed the anchors on and came to a stop. He was out cold with arms and legs pointing here, there and everywhere, not a pretty site. All his Mates where there plus other members of the public so I tip toed through them and headed to the ferry. The ferry was still in dock as I pulled into the car park and as I rode up to the booth I shouted "Can I get on that ferry ?", "To Belfast" she said, "Er, no says I" Doh ! Any way I went into the booking office and asked if I could go on standby for the next ferry but she did better than that, she changed my ticket without charge fro the 8pm ferry to Heysham that night, excellent.

I rang friends in Castletown and rode down to see them taking couple of photos of the beautiful island as I went




IMG_7344 by John Taylor, on Flickr



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We decided to go to Peel so I went the coastal route via Port Erin and would meet them there



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Peel


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The mist decided to try and make an appereane but it soon buggered off


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Seaside of the Castle

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After a bite to eat and their son coming to meet us on his Blade I decided to make my way round the circuit and do another run over the Mountain before heading for the ferry. The Mountain was closed from Ramsey to The Bungalow so I rode back to The Sulby Glen Hotel and took the superb little gem of a road, the A14 up to the Bungalow and fined the madness there I had a good clean run and had a quick race with a Blade and having 'dogged' him into Windy Corner I made my way to Douglas Promenade. I saw a Desmosedici, Superleggera and Panagale S together on the prom, great sight and sound :thumbs:


Waiting to board the ferry

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I got talking to a guy from Carlisle on the ferry and we spent the sailing talking about all things TT and bikes and blasted up the M6 at a steady 90 together until I peeled off for Brough. I joined the A66 at Brough and the fog descended, brilliant at night with a black visor :wacko: but it got better, if you can call rain better than fog atlas I could pick up the pace and clear my visor rolling my head side to side


I pulled into Scotch Corner with 5 miles left in the tank at 1am

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and pulled onto my drive at 1:27am. What a brilliant, off the cuff weekend, one to savour and remember for a long time