Isle Of Man TT

I suppose what I like about the TT is that it’s raw. Number one, it’s untouched, it’s still what has been for over 100 years now and probably the mecca for motorbiking. Really, it’s the only untouched piece of motorsport out there and for that it’s uniquely special, unsanitisied. And in this day and age when everything is risk-assessed, uninsurable or has some outsider wanting to have their say on how it should be run, the TT seems to have escaped through the Isle of Man being under it’s own laws or judiciary, or whatever the term is for it, and I fucking love it and that’s the way it should be.

It’s got to be hard for the families that lose people there, but the people who enter into it know the risks and are fully aware of it and that’s definitely the story told when you look through the visors of the riders at the start line, you know, maybe the look of a warrior going into battle. And you know what, that gave me the same feeling, the same rush as going to the start line myself. Being able to mill around the bikes as they’re all coming to line up for their position on the grid… unbelievable, so unique, I just cant explain it, and you know the riders are to be admired.

People ask me would I enter the TT? I like to think I’ve got the balls to do it and that it’d feel like the country roads we’ve all used as our racetracks in the past. That’s a romantic thought but the answer is no, these guys are a breed apart. You know the balls, the bravery, and to be able to line up and keep your head together, and then straight off the flag to twist the stop and be gone. The atmosphere at the TT is just second to none, it’s truly like a festival and to be fair its almost like a different crowd to the circuit racing and I love it for that too.

It reminds me of my first time at Le Mans 24 hour, you definitely feel like the whole island embraces it and are very proud of it. So it was a great experience and one you’ve got to go and have. And its one of those things, once you’ve been, you wanna go next year. This was my second time and definitely not my last. There was only a couple of laps of racing cos of the weather, and a couple of guys binned it so they cancelled the day, and now I’m really hungry to go there next time and see a lot more racing.

Talking to the racers, there’s some guys there that I know, some I’m getting to know, some that I don’t, but what blows you away about them all is their down to earth approach. I’m not saying they’re all mild-mannered janitors, cos they’re not. They’ve got the fire, you hear stories about each and every one of them, and they’re definitely wild. But there’s no flexing when they get off the track because they know what they do and man they do it fucking well.

Flinty