PART ONE
The crowds disperse to the four corners of the earth, taking with them, unique memories, great images and wonderful,happy thoughts----
Already our body clock is counting down to June 2000
I have arrived home, not a little tired, with a car full of plastic bags, contents of which are giveaways, information,specialist literature, and receipts.....GAWD, I dare not look at my receipts--their twins will rear their ugly heads when my plastic card statements crash through the letterbox later on this month !!!
I always enjoy my food and drink while I am on the ISLAND and I and my entourage ate at some exotic places while we were ON the Island.....All venues made us most welcome and attended to our every whim..I particularly enjoyed the service at the HOTEL STAKIS
(In year 2000 it has become the HILTON)
Furthermore, we can watch Charlie Williams, Andy McGladdery and the rest performing in the "RADIO-TT glass box" (without being put off your food) as part of Radio TT's excellent contribution....If your face fits, you may even be invited to profess words of wisdom actually live on air, as I did, when I promoted the Production TT APRILIA story..
Peter Fordeman, the German commentary translator was recommended by me to Radio TT. Radio TT was looking for someone to extend the service to the huge continental fan force and I met Peter purely by accident..As it happened he was a good talker and is now part of the TT commentary team...
My group and I arrived by Seacat on the Sunday before Practice week----late, after delays in Liverpool so it was dark before we docked..
Once we had disembarked, we drove once along the prom, to see the bikes, or lack of them, parked outside the hotels (or lack of them )
And, Oh look, there is that Suzuki rider from last year, waving at us !!!
There were very few bikes yet but as the week progressed we could see the gaps filling rapidly so by the weekend there was no space on the prom for any more...
Furthermore what we initially saw as an empty prom, slowly filled up with the sideshows; "The Wall of Fear", bungee-jump cranes, simulators and minibike race courses..
Also, some people who did not want to pay hotel tarriffs took up station on the prom in their vans..
BUSHYS has a very long marquee set up for travellers seeking to quench their thirsts---for this is a major meeting area for those requiring sustenance..
Outside Bushys you WILL see the BURNUS RUBBERUS, the NUDUS RIDEOUTUS and the BRALESS NICKERLESS PILLIONORUMS which may affect some eyesights if you are not careful !!! IT's all in the best possible taste !
We even witnessed nude bungee jumping---not a pretty sight--however the kids of the family where we were staying saw a bit of it (NOT the nicest bit either !) and were highly amused !
The early morning practice came all too quickly (we use two alarm clocks !) and we could soon sort out the men from the boys when it came to getting up and out at that ungodly hour--Some certainly could NOT identify, at first, with this heathen ritual....However as the week progressed everybody got into the groove--and then the organisers throw a spanner in the works, bless 'em, for one morning no one had to get up by design (see programme)and then one morning we had been told the night before as we left the press office, that the weather just might be unsuitable for practice..So the spectators, riders and officials had a lie in, to find the bad weather had gone through DURING the night and practice COULD have gone ahead after all.
It is a beautiful time to get up to see motorcycles going round the TT course--that would be my penance-getting up at 4.15 AM, on the Isle Of Man, to see fast motorbikes doing continuous early morning practice.......
So the middle Saturday dawns and it is Formula One day
--We expect a full day of racing..The weather is not quite 100% but it is started on time
We are watching the riders get away--right up to our new friend Dwight Mitchell (from the USA) and then suddenly, officials come from nowhere waving RED flags to stop the race
It is not until we see a video on T.V. that evening that we realise just how lucky Paul Orritt has been...
Lucky Paul indeed--the debris from the fence and from his motorcycle lay across the racing line so the race had to be stopped...
Our other pal Blair Degerholm was one of the following riders to be first on the scene !
The flagman on Bray Hill was almost taken out by the sliding bike and Paul, having baled out, lay in the road, with arm injuries, thanking someone up there for letting him survive to fight another day..
Dwight Mitchells face was a picture which said "why me ? " when the red flag was waved up his nose...After all that adrenaline build up it must have been a big wind down.
(We thank TEAM USA for their kind hospitality at their race headquarters)
Jim Moodie used my clean 'kerchief to dry himself off of the perspiration (thanks Jim) but he did not race again that day...
What can anyone add to the accolade this man received in 1999 ? He DEMOLISHED the opposition at the NW200 and did the same at the TT---(and later at Macau !)
What a rider--WELL DONE INDEED..
NEXT RACE
So it was a very full beer tent after the two Saturday races-
(we watched them at the start, then went to Quarter Bridge, and then to Kirk Braddan---all good places from which to watch the different racing lines)
After the races, once the road opening car had passed, I took a first-time-attending journalist round the course--It was such a beautiful evening--
Fernanda Ramos from Portugal has actually RACED in Macau and has visited the TT this year in order to assess a possible "racing" visit in the future--She and I joined the course at Ballacraine after the car had gone through to open the roads again.We were nicely ahead of the traffic and made very good time to Ramsey--
Unfortunately, on the rise just after Ramsey Hairpin we were "first-on-the-sceners" at a major Fireblade decking incident, the result of which was various Germans lying and wandering in the roadway..!!!.
Used to this situation after simply years of similar experiences, I leapt out of my hazard-light flashing car already dressed up wisely in my fluorescent bib, to redirect the traffic round the crash.
My special thanks to the Marshall on the B.M.W. who stopped to give his help and to the many two-wheeled fans who actually took notice of our flailing arms. The Ambulance and Police arrived very quickly and thanked us for helping (and getting red in the face and breathless....)
Fernanda was most impressed with the quick response !!!!
As it happened, the crash had prevented anyone going on up the mountain following the incident because the road after Ramsey had been sealed off at May Hill, so I had a fairly unobstructed run over the top, chased only by the ambulance with a rider in a neck collar within, and also by a german-driven police car !....Good way to see the TT course indeed
They caught us up at Keppel....... !
MAD SUNDAY ?
MY ADVICE-
"watch and laugh"
We went up to Creg-ny-Baa at about 11 am.,to,er, observe and study (?)----but not until we had set off with a bunch from the start area to travel with them as far as Ballacraine----
Well, there are corners, and traffic coming in the opposite direction.....Do you think that this lot CARED ???
Our sensible lot pulled out at the CROSBY HOTEL, had coffees, then went back to the crossroads at the top of Bray Hill. We went on up to ONCHAN turned left then rode via the old CLYPSE COURSE to the CREG where we had a great lunch in the restaurant with free Red Bulls and a merry joke or two care of
Ex TT Winner Roger Marshall and his Merry Band..
I sat dribbling (or was it drooling ) and reminiscing about the days when the Creg car park was chocabloc with BUSES (YES FOLKS---BUSES !!) bringing the crowds from all of the hotels in Douglas, up to this famous vantage spot...
How things have changed
Well, we sat for most of the afternoon, watching all the blow-up pillion passengers, the colourful cartoon characters and the pretenders to the Dunlop throne--Keep on dreaming you lot---
In the evening, we added even more inches to our wasteline with another fine Stakis dinner with all the wines and extras----by now, what used to be the round bar----(happy memories) is full to bursting point with the newly arrived fans who have missed the exciting F1 and first Sidecar races but are all hyped up to see the standard TT race week with the Blue Riband Senior on Friday to come....The Casino is now doing a roaring trade and there is a lot more home grown and imported totty to be seen !
We have firework displays and beach racing and the Honda Bike Shed has the Babes(?) on show--And what a selection......In between simulated pitstops we have young (and perhaps a shade older) ladies dancing and cavorting in various states of dress......the music gets louder and wilder and the conversation becomes harder to hear. Your Joey Dunlop T-Shirt sticks to your back and it is difficult to see through the smoke and the steam....
-------WHY AM I LYING ON MY BACK ON DOUGLAS PROM ?
As the dawn breaks with special effects over Douglas, we make our way back to the residence and we wonder what the rest of the week holds for us
IT'S BEEN GREAT UP TO NOW !
WHAT ! IT SURELY ISN'T BREAKFAST TIME ALREADY !!!!
This TT Fortnight is going far too quickly--
PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR HEAVENS SAKE !
