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?

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.

[gshub]

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?

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!

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...+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