What we miss in lockdown

Mike Pass

Supporter
I guess that we are all missing our favourite motorsport sights and sounds. I will be missing seeing and hearing those race cars at the Silverstone Classic and the Oulton Park Gold Cup this year. However even those don't ever get you as close to the action as we were able to do years ago as common sense has been replace by the nanny of the health and safety brigade. BUT.......we still have the Isle of Man TT. Where else can you sit 2 feet away from a bike doing 200mph? So to keep up our spirits in the tedium of lockdown here is a video of some reactions of people at this amazing event.


Cheers
Mike
 

Larry L.

Lifetime Supporter
.......we still have the Isle of Man TT. Where else can you sit 2 feet away from a bike doing 200mph?

There are reasons it's called "The World's Deadliest Motorcycle Race." That's one of them.


- Mr. I. B. Spineless
 
There are two courses that I would love to just get one lap at speed. .Nr1 Isle of Man TT. Nr2 Indy 500.
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
No chance of a full lap at racing speed but in the Isle of Man the mountain section has no speed limit. I have driven it quite a few times in the 40 and as a passenger. With care you can go pretty fast!
There is an event called the Manx Classic which is 3 hillclimb events run over 3 days far cars. Two of them use parts of the TT course. Any car can drive to and from the event for an hour before and after the event. I remember driving over the mountain in company with an aero engined grand prix car and a single seater Cooper. Lots of videos of this event on Youtube of GT40s and other interesting cars.
I was fortunate to be there in the 60s and see Halewood on the Honda 250 six, Agostini etc. Also managed to do "Mad Sunday" where the mountain section is made one way on a 350cc AJS - fairly scary.
Cheers
Mike
 
One of my good friend/colleague's younger brother was killed at the TT riding a 250. Think it was in the early 80's and he was only about 24. Such a shock to all of us.
 

Ed McClements

Supporter
A girl I grew up with did an average 104mph TT lap on a production 250 in the early '90s, and a few years later a 108mph average on a proper race 250. The place still scares the beejesus out of me, though.
I managed 9 minutes-odd round the Nurburgring a couple of times on my Ducati...still got a long way to go before I'm at record-setting speed!
 
1, Goodwood members meet...
2, Spa Classic...
3, my vacation trip, Spa summer Classic & Lemans Classic...
4, Silverstone Classic Retrorun package...

Fingers crossed, but Spa Six Hours is still on the agenda.
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
I was spectating at Quarry Bends in 1968 when Bill Ivy did the first 100mph lap on a 125cc Yamaha - a V4, water cooled, disc valve 2-stroke which revved to 17,000rpm. It produced 336 bhp per litre. Bill Ivy was a real character and very brave. As he came through the last left of quarry bends he slid down the camber of the road into the gutter, bounced out and then flipped the bike over for the final right hand bend - all without backing off one iota. Very brave but he needed the speed to carry all the way down the following straight. He was a good pal of Mike Hailwood and they knew how to party. He crashed his Ferrari in the IOM at Greeba Castle and destroyed it by putting it for a long way down a stone wall. Mike Hailwood who was with him in the car along with two young ladies commented when the car finally ground to halt " never mind Bill, the clock's still working".
Cheers
Mike
 
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