As I travel and share stories about the Isle of Man and the TT, I always tell people that if you only go the Isle of Man and only watching fast motorcycles, you are missing half of the experience. This small island nation is a truly an amazing place to explore. There are rugged coastlines, lush National Glens, rolling hills, historic churches and cemeteries, as well as the an amazing waterwheel built in 1854.
I could go on and on, but I will just share a few photos and you can start planning your days off at the 2020 TT.
The Lady Isabella in LaxeyThe Lady Isabella in LaxeyThe Lady Isabella in Laxey Ballaglass Glen near Ramsey Ballaglass Glen near RamseyEntrance to Marine Drive – just a few minutes from DouglasMarine Drive – just a few minutes from DouglasA 12th Century Viking CastleThe rolling hills are incredibly quiet on non-race days. Sometimes you forget you are on an island.
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.
Daley Mathison on his BMW S1000RR Superstock flying over Ballagary
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.
As I travel to BMW Dealers in the US and give my presentation the TT Experience, I always dedicate a few minutes to the sidecars. Sidecar racing is a bit difficult to describe until you see it. It’s much like the rest of the TT but more so. I always describe it a cross between Star Wars and insanity.
Just look at this photo, doesn’t it look like a speeder?
Flying over Ballaugh Bridge just like the solo riders, the sidecars are an amazing test of the riders, the passengers and the machine. Their graceful flight belies the impact of the landing. (#5 – Pete Founds & Jevan Walmsley).
The passengers, appropriately and affectionately called Monkeys, must have strength, flexibility, balancing and an unyielding trust in their driver. The have very little to hang onto in trying to balance the weight distribution and counteract the force of turning, the passenger lays out and has turbulent landing.
Just a few yards down the course, they pick up speed with the passengers tucked in and they are gone.
Ben and Tom Birchall below have won the last 8 sidecar events at the TT, and on Monday they made it #9. They move as a unit, smooth and graceful and FAST! Really, really FAST!
If you find this short post intriguing, check out the video 3-Wheeling!By my buddy Chris Beauman.
With a single lap of 37.73 miles and 264 turns, there can be no doubt that part of the TT is survival for both the men and machines. Although not the fastest point of the race but one of the clearest illustrations of the physical demands of the race is at Ballaugh Bridge.
Coming over the bridge at over 60 mph, everyone is launched into the air.
The following sequence is from Monday’s Superbike Race and to give you an idea of speed, these are continuous shots at 12 frames per second.
Dominic Herbertson up out of the saddle launches over Ballaugh BridgeDominic’s moto touches down, he is further off of the saddle. Touchdown and his bike almost bottoms out. Dominic’s suspension rebounds and he is still high on the saddle.Now full gas, front wheel lifting and rear tire compressing.
This sequence is less than a 1/2 second out of the race. Now think 6 laps for the big bikes. 226 miles with 1,584 bone-shaking, bike-bashing turns, with miles and miles of rough roads in between.
Amazing athletes, amazing machines and really no surprise when one breaks down on the side of the road.
WOW – two days in a row! That, in and of itself is enough to bring a smile to visitors to the 2019 Isle of Man TT. With a positive forecast Gary Thompson, the Clerk of Course created an ambitious schedule of racing and practice to run throughout the day and evening. Roads closed at 10:00 AM and reopened for 90 minutes between 4:30 and 6:00 to allow people to get home for work and then closed for another evening race.
The first Superbike started just a few minutes late due to a non-race related medical incident.
I spent the morning and afternoon at the iconic Ballaugh Bridge, just past the 17-mile mark. Where I have shot in the past and know the marshals.
Peter Hickman has passed Michael Dunlop on lap 2 of the Superbike RaceLanding after flying over Ballaugh Bridge, puts incredible stress on both men and machines.
Having had some issues with his Superbike at Sunday’s practice combined with turning in some of the fastest sector times of the week on his Superstock bike, on Sunday night Peter’s Smith Racing crew turned his Superstock bike into a Superbike. One of the really cool parts of the rebuild is that Peter’s new S1000RR – had a Road Bike Engine in it!
After being a few seconds behind in the initial sectors, Peter consistently gained time on race leader Dean Harrison.
A red flag after a tragic incident on the course shortened the race, Hickman was in the lead and declared the winner.
Peter and his Smith’s Racing Team (photo courtesy of IOMTTRACES.com)
The good weather and celebration was muted due to the tragic death of Daley Mathison on the third lap of the course. I will have another post about Daley next week.
A rain day today but the forecast and the schedule look good for Wednesday.
With apologies to both Dr. Seuss and The (Manx) Cat and the Hat, for the most part the 2019 Isle of Man TT has been too wet to play.
Practice was supposed to be Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Although previously unscheduled, there was practice on Sunday and again on Tuesday but even though the roads looked good at the start and here in Glen Vine, up on Snaefell Mountain, the visibility was so low the medical helicopters wouldn’t have been able to fly.
But that was for Friday, let’s rewind a bit.
I am here at the TT to collect and tell a few stories about the oldest, fastest and most dangerous race in the world. Mostly, I do this with my camera. This year, my favorite video producer Jon Phillips has joined me for a week at the TT. In addition to shooting stills, our plan was to shoot video interviews with some of the riders that I got to know last year and create a YouTube Channel to share some of the drivers’ insights with fans in America.
This is special year, and it will be even more special if the weather clears. This will be the TT’s introduction to the brand new and amazing BMW S1000RR. When first introduced in 2009, it was revolutionary. The new model is NOT an evolution, but total redesign. We will have lots of comments from top drivers. Including Peter Hickman and Michael Rutter.
Stay tuned while we get the edits done over the next few weeks and in the meantime, here are a few photos.
A few early morning photos and conversation with Michael Rutter about his lap on the 2020 S1000RRFor Sam West it’s still a work day, sitting here between his Superbike and Superstock S1000RRLee Johnston eager to get out on the Mountain Course.Peter Hickman, the World’s Fastest Road Racer is riding the new S1000RRWhen you’re fast, there is always someone trying to chase you down.What’s the last thing to go through a bug’s mind, when your going 192 on Sulby Straight? Wasn’t that Michael Rutterrrrrrr?
The 2019 Isle of Man TT began as I am sure so many others have done over the last 110 years, in the rain. The roads were scheduled to be closed at 6:00 PM on Saturday and with the on and off rain throughout the day, everyone was wondering if there would be fast bikes on the roads tonight and how long they would be out until the conditions changed again.
At about 4:00 it was official, the first day of practice was canceled and it felt like there was a collective sigh of relief and the teams quietly went back to settling in and getting ready.
May / June weather on the Isle of Man always has a good probability of rain and as such, the practice and race schedules have contingencies build it. Practice would be Sunday at 1:30 and even with a delay until 2:40, the island suddenly roared to life.
Solo and Sidecar Newcomers we first out on the course for a sighting lap and then followed by Super Sports and Lightweights.
Newcomers wear orange bibs in the practice sessions.Riders line up for Practice Session #1, for Super Sports and Lightweights.Ashcourt Racing’s Lee Johnston relaxes while getting ready for the sessions to start. Michael Dunlop flies through on a hot lap on his Honda 600.
One more day to wait before the big bikes come out onto the course.
The most recent entries in my Competitive Image blog were from the 2017 Isle of Man TT and now as I prepare for the 2019 TT, it is time to get started once again.
Yes, I had the best of intentions of doing more posts earlier, but it always seemed like – I just have to clear a few things off of my desk, get some quiet time and think for a bit. Now, two years later I have cleared a few things away, which have been replaced by stacks of other things and my quiet time is all too often followed by a nap.
One of the big changes for 2019 is that I have become a BMW Motorrad USA Approved Presenter. Although I could have never dreamt this when I first arrived at the TT in 2017, I now travel to BMW Motorrad Dealers around the US and present a 90-minute multi-media presentation entitled The TT Experience.
Lots of race images, stories from my interviews with top riders and a behind the scenes look at the oldest, fastest and most dangerous motorcycle race in the world. I hope this shot gets your attention and I can continue to share images and stories that make you feel like you are in the action and on the course at the TT.
Having said that, the odds are that if you are looking at my blog you have already been to one of my presentations and signed up to be kept informed.
There will be lots more to follow – I PROMISE! Instead of waiting to do a long blog post and letting my procrastination take over, I will likely have shorter posts with a couple of quick photos to give you a daily idea of what life is like at the TT.
I will also be starting a YouTube channel to host interviews, I am planning with some of the top riders
For now, just a short introduction and a few photos and a caveat. As you might be able to tell by the blog name MAKE LIFE A RIDEit will be both TT and BMW Centric.
I hope you enjoy it and pass it on to friends with similar interests.
Make Life A Ride 