Andy J
Hero member
- Location
- Isle of Man
40 years ago Laverda UK/Slater Bros made history at the TT by winning the Manufacturers' Team Award in the Formula 2 race.
The race had been delayed by a day due to the weather so it was run on Thursday 5th June rather than the scheduled Wednesday afternoon.
Back in 1980, when the postponed race was run the following day, competitors still had to contend with wet or damp conditions for most of the race. I only had the sTTrong winds, a 40 mph speed limit and numerous roadworks to worry about as I performed my one-man act of celebration.
Setting off at approximately the same time as the race would have commenced on June 5th 1980, my single lap took about the same time as the whole 4 lap race; but setting a fast lap time wasn't really the point of the exercise, it was an act of remembrance.
Back in 1980, Peter 'PK' Davis, Mick Hunt, George Fogarty, Lennart Backstrom, Bernard Murray, Roger Winterburn, Ray Knight and Roy Armstrong (who unfortunately was the only Laverda rider that didn't finish) slipped and splashed around the mountain course for an hour and three quarters, but none of them stopped to take photos or call in for a chat at Tony East's Motorcycle Collection in Kirk Michael.
It's a shame the bigger celebration I planned for later in the year isn't going to happen, but sometime in the future I will make up for it in some way or another.
Photo 1 is of my 1978 F500/Monty near the start line on Glencrutchery Road
Photo 2 is 'PK' at Quarterbridge in the wet in 1980 courtesy of FoTTofinders archive
Photo 3 is Roger and Richard Slater with one of the original 1980 TT bikes believed to have been ridden by Swedish rider, Lennart Backstrom
Photo 4 The award
The race had been delayed by a day due to the weather so it was run on Thursday 5th June rather than the scheduled Wednesday afternoon.
Back in 1980, when the postponed race was run the following day, competitors still had to contend with wet or damp conditions for most of the race. I only had the sTTrong winds, a 40 mph speed limit and numerous roadworks to worry about as I performed my one-man act of celebration.
Setting off at approximately the same time as the race would have commenced on June 5th 1980, my single lap took about the same time as the whole 4 lap race; but setting a fast lap time wasn't really the point of the exercise, it was an act of remembrance.
Back in 1980, Peter 'PK' Davis, Mick Hunt, George Fogarty, Lennart Backstrom, Bernard Murray, Roger Winterburn, Ray Knight and Roy Armstrong (who unfortunately was the only Laverda rider that didn't finish) slipped and splashed around the mountain course for an hour and three quarters, but none of them stopped to take photos or call in for a chat at Tony East's Motorcycle Collection in Kirk Michael.
It's a shame the bigger celebration I planned for later in the year isn't going to happen, but sometime in the future I will make up for it in some way or another.
Photo 1 is of my 1978 F500/Monty near the start line on Glencrutchery Road
Photo 2 is 'PK' at Quarterbridge in the wet in 1980 courtesy of FoTTofinders archive
Photo 3 is Roger and Richard Slater with one of the original 1980 TT bikes believed to have been ridden by Swedish rider, Lennart Backstrom
Photo 4 The award
