June 11 - Douglas, Isle of Man
Ramsey Gooseneck, TT Races, Isle of Man
We're on the Isle of Man, where we've been watching the
TT (Tourist Trophy) races. The races are good, the race circuit is very
fast and very scary. Years ago I wanted to race here, but lack of funds
shot down the idea, and am I glad now! It's a very dangerous circuit,
and spectacular to watch. The race course is a 37 mile circuit which wanders
through the towns and countryside and up into the mountains. It's the
only remaining road race on public streets, and has been running continuously,
with breaks for the war years only, since about 1903.
Billown Circuit, TT Races, Isle of Man
Imagine narrow, winding English country roads, tiny old
towns dating back hundreds of years, then imagine an AVERAGE speed of
130+ mph. All under a pall of rain and fog and cloud - the races were
all delayed as much as a day for improved weather - one race had fog so
thick the riders couldn't see 20 ft on one of the fastest sections of
the course, up in the mountain. Only for the brave or very foolhardy.
Absolute memorization of the circuit, all 37 miles and hundreds of corners,
is a prerequisite to going fast.
Ballaugh Bridge, TT Races, Isle of Man
For this two week period, 12,000 motorcycles are in town
and some 30,000 people (not all on bikes). There is NO speed limit outside
the towns - you can imagine what the roads are like with 12,000 sport
bike riders thinking they're racers! And half of them from the continent
trying to remember which side of the road they're supposed to be driving
on! On the Sunday before the actual race starts they close off the circuit
to cars and allow anyone on a motorcycle to ride it - it's called Mad
Sunday, and invariably there is at least one fatality.
Loch Promenade, Douglas, during TT Races,
IOM
There's lots of other stuff happening as well, all sorts of events and
bike owners club meetings etc. The streets are lined up six abreast with
bikes, and at night when the pubs are going full blast there are heaps
of people doing wheelies and burn-outs, generally the types who give motorcyclists
a bad name everywhere. I'm sure the locals must lock their daughters up
if they can, but obviously the revenue brought into the island from this
annual event compensates for a little noise and nuisance.
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