40th Anniversary TT ride

[Andy J]

I had high hopes when I started planning a personal celebration of the 40th anniversary of my first TT finish back in 1985 on Ray Peacock’s Corsa.
Although there wasn’t much chance of having the same bike available to ride again, apparently it’s been off the road for many a year, there was a strong possibility of one of the ‘factory’ race bikes, on which the Corsa road bike was based, being ready forre me to use. However, due to Keith Nairn’s unplanned and unfortunate medical predicament, work on the bike wasn’t completed in time; so I opted for what I consider to be the ‘modern’ incarnation of the Laverda triple, my ‘Should have been a Jota’ Tre Tornado.
The forecast for Friday of race week (the day of the race 40 year’s ago) was good, with dry and sunny conditions predicted from sunrise, so I set my alarm for 6am (a throw back to early morning practice all those year’s ago) and was on my way to the start line by 6.30am. Overnight rain meant the roads were still mostly wet, but nothing to worry about given the maximum speed you can legally do, in this modern safety conscious age, is limited to 50mph for most of the TT course.
Traffic was fairly minimal, unsurprising given the hour, with only a couple of other bikes out and about on the ‘restricted’ section of the course and I made good progress when no one was looking.
However, as I sauntered along the Sulby straight, at approximately a sixth of the racing speed, I caught a glimpse of the electronic traffic board and something I was hoping not to see flashed up. When I got to Ramsey, which was just gone 7am, my fears were confirmed, the mountain road was closed as a result of some twat crashing a few minutes before 7am.
With no chance of a quick reopening of the road I had to abandon riding the mountain section and returned home, some what dejected, along the coast road.
A further attempt to complete the lap on Sunday afternoon was also dashed by a car going up in flames at the Gooseneck (and no it wasn’t an EV) a short time before I reached Stella Maris, damaging the road surface beyond a quick repair. In fact repairs aren’t due to be completed until late tomorrow, after the road returns to two-way traffic. So a pretty dismal TT 2025 all round.
therefore, I guess I will have to have another try in 10 year’s time!

 

[piranha-bro2]

Race day, wet course, can't have been all that much fun on the big Corsa, Andy!!

 

[Sir Sidney Ruffdiamond]

I had high hopes when I started planning a personal celebration of the 40th anniversary of my first TT finish back in 1985 on Ray Peacock’s Corsa.
Although there wasn’t much chance of having the same bike available to ride again, apparently it’s been off the road for many a year, there was a strong possibility of one of the ‘factory’ race bikes, on which the Corsa road bike was based, being ready forre me to use. However, due to Keith Nairn’s unplanned and unfortunate medical predicament, work on the bike wasn’t completed in time; so I opted for what I consider to be the ‘modern’ incarnation of the Laverda triple, my ‘Should have been a Jota’ Tre Tornado.
The forecast for Friday of race week (the day of the race 40 year’s ago) was good, with dry and sunny conditions predicted from sunrise, so I set my alarm for 6am (a throw back to early morning practice all those year’s ago) and was on my way to the start line by 6.30am. Overnight rain meant the roads were still mostly wet, but nothing to worry about given the maximum speed you can legally do, in this modern safety conscious age, is limited to 50mph for most of the TT course.
Traffic was fairly minimal, unsurprising given the hour, with only a couple of other bikes out and about on the ‘restricted’ section of the course and I made good progress when no one was looking.
However, as I sauntered along the Sulby straight, at approximately a sixth of the racing speed, I caught a glimpse of the electronic traffic board and something I was hoping not to see flashed up. When I got to Ramsey, which was just gone 7am, my fears were confirmed, the mountain road was closed as a result of some twat crashing a few minutes before 7am.
With no chance of a quick reopening of the road I had to abandon riding the mountain section and returned home, some what dejected, along the coast road.
A further attempt to complete the lap on Sunday afternoon was also dashed by a car going up in flames at the Gooseneck (and no it wasn’t an EV) a short time before I reached Stella Maris, damaging the road surface beyond a quick repair. In fact repairs aren’t due to be completed until late tomorrow, after the road returns to two-way traffic. So a pretty dismal TT 2025 all round.
therefore, I guess I will have to have another try in 10 year’s time!

Can see a GPz900R behind you - in 85 they just cleaned up i think ?

 

[Andy J]

Race day, wet course, can't have been all that much fun on the big Corsa, Andy!!

Rain & hail showers to contend with at various times during the race, mostly on the east side of the course, but generally dry roads so not so bad conditions as those in Ramsey or at the Creg. So all-in-all I did enjoy the race even if the bike took some manhandling to get it through the slower, tighter corners. However, the wind protection from the big screen was a definite benefit on the fast sections. It’s just a shame I had so little practice, and none other than one open roads lap on the Corsa, as I’m convinced I would have been far higher up the standings had I had more time on the bike.

 

[Andy J]

Can see a GPz900R behind you - in 85 they just cleaned up i think ?

Yes, they more or less did if it hadn’t been for Geoff Johnson, who appeared on the stage at the awards ceremony with a specially prepared t shirt that read: ‘Who can catch a Kawasaki? Geoff Johnson on a Honda.’

 

[CLEMTOG]

are you saying that there is now a 50MPH limit from Ramsey to the Cre,g Andy, no mad Sunday is not a bad thing, but surely not speed restricted mountain section? glad my bi-anual trips meant I missed this one, and 2023, although not exactly for the same reasons, the stupid thing is this, I cannot book my return home ferry for 26 yet because I stay a week after the racing is done, I can book the trip out, because I stay a week before practice starts (4 weeks in all), it s just such a daft system.
CLEM

 

[Andy J]

Well I finally managed to finish my lap around 9.30pm this evening.
I had a pretty clear run over the mountain with only a couple of vehicles to clear heading the same way as me, but there were a fair few bikes and cars to contend with heading towards Ramsey, with several of them passing by just at the wrong moment, so I couldn’t chose the optimum racing line all the time. However, it was still an enjoyable ride and I’m now feeling more content than I did a few days ago. I also wore the same old racing leathers I used in the race 40 years ago, so pleased about that too!

 

[Andy J]

are you saying that there is now a 50MPH limit from Ramsey to the Cre,g Andy, no mad Sunday is not a bad thing, but surely not speed restricted mountain section? glad my bi-anual trips meant I missed this one, and 2023, although not exactly for the same reasons, the stupid thing is this, I cannot book my return home ferry for 26 yet because I stay a week after the racing is done, I can book the trip out, because I stay a week before practice starts (4 weeks in all), it s just such a daft system.
CLEM

If you reread my post you UFB you will note I say ‘most’ of the course, not all of it! The mountain section from just past the Gooseneck through to Kepple Gate, save for coned area around the bungalow is still totally derestricted. However, there apparently was a suggestion by the Chief Constable that next year there will be a ban on ‘undertaking’ slower vehicles/bikes i.e. on the left hand side. I guess a number of the accidents during this and previous years has been due to vehicle collisions performing this maneuver and the police want to stop it happening.
This is all well and good, but how then will they deal with the wankers that sit in the ‘outside’ lane or on the racing line crawling along at 50-70mph when everyone else is doing twice that speed?
For example, I came across a ‘foreign’ bike, two up, on the mountain mile, on one of my only two trips over the mountain when it was one way, sat in the middle of the r/h lane slowly touring along admiring the scenery. They made no effort to move over to the left but kept on chugging merrily away on the right. After a few hundred yards I got fed up waiting to see if they were going to move before undertaking them. If the new rule applies next year then there is going to be a lot of pissed off sports bike riders if the same kind of inconsiderate riding/driving means they are stuck behind a slower vehicle. I can also envisage a few disgruntled locals deliberately driving in such a way in order to disrupt the ‘fun’ other road users are deriving from the one way system, somewhat like the cyclists that ride on the mountain road in protest at being barred from the mountain during the TT and MGP.

 

[RGS1000RGS]

If you reread my post you UFB you will note I say ‘most’ of the course, not all of it! The mountain section from just past the Gooseneck through to Kepple Gate, save for coned area around the bungalow is still totally derestricted. However, there apparently was a suggestion by the Chief Constable that next year there will be a ban on ‘undertaking’ slower vehicles/bikes i.e. on the left hand side. I guess a number of the accidents during this and previous years has been due to vehicle collisions performing this maneuver and the police want to stop it happening.
This is all well and good, but how then will they deal with the wankers that sit in the ‘outside’ lane or on the racing line crawling along at 50-70mph when everyone else is doing twice that speed?
For example, I came across a ‘foreign’ bike, two up, on the mountain mile, on one of my only two trips over the mountain when it was one way, sat in the middle of the r/h lane slowly touring along admiring the scenery. They made no effort to move over to the left but kept on chugging merrily away on the right. After a few hundred yards I got fed up waiting to see if they were going to move before undertaking them. If the new rule applies next year then there is going to be a lot of pissed off sports bike riders if the same kind of inconsiderate riding/driving means they are stuck behind a slower vehicle. I can also envisage a few disgruntled locals deliberately driving in such a way I order to disrupt the ‘fun’ other road users are deriving from the one way system, somewhat like the cyclists that ride on the mountain road in protest at being barred from the mountain during the TT and MGP.

I may be mistaken for believing that the Mountain section, although one way, is still two lanes, and the right hand lane is for overtaking. If I am correct then perhaps a little more spreading of knowledge might help those that drive on the right. There was more 'links fahren bitte' on 'Radio TT' this year, which was common and with signs everywhere when I first started going to the TT, but has gradually shrunk back over the years.

This years TT was 'interesting'. I went over to the island on the 24th May, and the journey was going swimingly until I was marooned with the rest of the passengers on the Manannan on the 20:45 sailing about 4 miles out from Douglas due to engine failure for an hour and a half. At least being trapped in a good imitation of a cork bobbing on the briney saved me and my mate from putting up the tent in a deluge and could be viewed as a 'benefit', in a glass half full way. The rest of the practice week (and a bit) and race week, was mostly spent examining the weather, and spending the day in expectation of information concerning when the roads were going to close so I could go marshalling at Hillberry. Given the variable rain, and the gusting winds, there was more waiting about than getting out on the bikes and enjoying the island. Interestingly, concerning the proliferation of 40/50 mph speed limits, on the Sunday after TT fortnight finished, we rode up to the Point of Ayre and surprisingly there more unrestricted limits than down in the south of the Island. I haven't been up that way for a while, but the roads are, in general, in better condition than a lot of the island's roads, and I'd include the TT course in those.

 

[chrisk]

Did they have to hand crank the Manannan started? “All hands to the engine room”

 

[Andy J]

I may be mistaken for believing that the Mountain section, although one way, is still two lanes, and the right hand lane is for overtaking. If I am correct then perhaps a little more spreading of knowledge might help those that drive on the right. There was more 'links fahren bitte' on 'Radio TT' this year, which was common and with signs everywhere when I first started going to the TT, but has gradually shrunk back over the years.

This years TT was 'interesting'. I went over to the island on the 24th May, and the journey was going swimingly until I was marooned with the rest of the passengers on the Manannan on the 20:45 sailing about 4 miles out from Douglas due to engine failure for an hour and a half. At least being trapped in a good imitation of a cork bobbing on the briney saved me and my mate from putting up the tent in a deluge and could be viewed as a 'benefit', in a glass half full way. The rest of the practice week (and a bit) and race week, was mostly spent examining the weather, and spending the day in expectation of information concerning when the roads were going to close so I could go marshalling at Hillberry. Given the variable rain, and the gusting winds, there was more waiting about than getting out on the bikes and enjoying the island. Interestingly, concerning the proliferation of 40/50 mph speed limits, on the Sunday after TT fortnight finished, we rode up to the Point of Ayre and surprisingly there more unrestricted limits than down in the south of the Island. I haven't been up that way for a while, but the roads are, in general, in better condition than a lot of the island's roads, and I'd include the TT course in those.

Unfortunately, mixed messages seem to circulate over the years regarding the operation of the one way system during the TT. A few years ago I heard a traffic officer saying ‘normal’ traffic laws applied even though the road was one-way: I.e. no crossing double white lines as they signified a potentially hazardous section of road. However, I don’t see much evidence of that being enforced, or the 40mph limit at Windy Corner. Logically, the r/h should be for overtaking only, and only if you are exceeding a certain minimum speed to help minimise the inevitable re-end incidents that occur due to the high speed differential between those plodding along at 50mph and the wannabe racers doing 150mph plus.
It took the avoidable incident involving the road inspection car and Steve Mercer before the ACU introduced the patently logical ‘keep left’ rule for bikes and cars during red flag stoppages, and vehicles/bikes moving around the course. Hopefully, any new rules introduced for the one-way system will be equally logical whilst still maintaining the opportunity to ride/drive quickly and use all of the road.
As for ‘keep left’ signage/messaging, it’s still in evidence, although there are a few new multi lingual signs that have appeared recently in what I think are peculiar locations. However, I presume someone thought they were needed.
I agree with you about the north of the island being a nicer area for riding your bike away from the circuit. I often turn off the course at Ballaugh and join the road at Ballaugh Shore that runs parallel with the TT Course to Ramsey. The surface is generally - other than going through St Jude’s - better than the TT course, and in most places derestricted. And quite a bit of the coast road that runs from Ballaugh to Bride has been resurfaced, so that’s not a bad ride out either.
Bad luck about being stuck on the Manannan. At least it sounds like you didn’t have your bike trashed like some unfortunate travellers who had their bikes chucked around on one bumpy crossing.

 

[RGS1000RGS]

Did they have to hand crank the Manannan started? “All hands to the engine room”

Fortunotely not! Though I did hear a crew member asking if anyone had a set of jump leads..