WOW – it has happened, I am on the plane headed home and the last three weeks have flown by like the motorbikes hitting the end of the Sulby straight, and the 2019 Isle of Man TT is in the books.
My hope is it will be remembered not for the rainy days but the incredible skills of the riders, the tireless efforts of their crews and the perseverance of the marshals as they were at their stations waiting for the racing to commence, only to have another day canceled.
There is a spirit to the Isle of Man, part of it comes from the community that is part of nature of living on an island and part is showing off for the TT. For weeks before the riders, crews and spectators arrive homes along the course and throughout the island are trimming hedges, painting homes and preparing to show off the Isle as the it becomes the center of the Road Racing universe.
I am truly one of the lucky ones, I have had pleasure of making some amazing friends over the last three years.
- Rob, a Deputy Sector Marshal and good friend.
- Pete & Jen, my amazing hosts who set an high bar for making visitors feel like family.
- Allan ‘Kipper’ Killip, who began as a Traveling Marshal in 1962
- Jim Hunter, a Traveling Marshal (#2)
- Malcom Wheeler, who with his wife Julie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at this year’s TT, where they had spent their honeymoon. Malc was on the podium 3 times in the mid-80’s.
- Trevor Denning, Deputy Chief Technical Officer
- A Senior TT Party that starts the day with bacon baps and has an amazing view of the course.
- A 50th surprise birthday party,
- Dozens and dozens of dedicated marshals.
And of course the riders –
- Peter Hickman
- Michael Rutter
- Lee Johnston
- Sam West
- Dominic Herbertson
And with the mighty come the fallen, I had also gotten to know Dan Kneen who was killed in 2018 and Daley Mathison who perished in a crash this year. No one will every really know what happened, but all should remember the amazing spirit and skills of these two young riders, who passed doing that they loved.
For 2019, we have also had the chance to see the newest Superbike how it would fare alongside the time and race tested machines. The all new BMW S1000RRmade its TT debut and quickly proved to be the fastest cat in the jungle.
Needless to say, there are a lot of stories to share. I hope that if you follow my blog, you will come and see for yourself what has enticed generations of motorcyclist to make the pilgrimage to the Isle of Man.
Stay tuned, my plan is to post a new blog every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks or until I run out of things to share.
Please send me a questions or topics of interest you have and I will try to respond.
Make Life A Ride 