revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Only just picked up with the races, love Brno such a great track. Bez is a twat and is trying to do himself out of a title at the moment. Martin isn't doing himself any favours either. I'd have said it was a fight between them for the title but they've let Marc get within 40 points of the lead and that's a silly thing to do. Nice seeing Pecco getting in a decent ride but still hard to know if it's just a flash in the pan. Ai was great, hope he wins one soon.

mangocrazy wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2026 6:18 pm

Noggin wrote: Tue Jun 23, 2026 5:13 pm Who was the BSB/WSB rider decades ago who refused to ride the TT if it was included in the series - which meant it wasn't ?
Road/street circuits on a bike are a completely different mind set than track circuit racing

The example I can remember dates back to the 1970s, when the Isle of Man TT was included in the Grand Prix calendar. Barry Sheene famously rode about 2 miles in Practice, fell off at Quarter Bridge and vowed never to race there again, a promise he kept. The first year I attended the TT for the full practice and race week was 1970, which was a black year for fatalities - six as I recall. One of them was Santiago Herrero who was leading the 250cc World Championship class prior to the TT. His death sent real shockwaves round the Island.

Two years later Gilberto Parlotti (a close friend of Giacomo Agostini) was killed during the 125cc race in weather conditions that would see the race cancelled today (heavy rain, fog, mist, low cloud). Ago was very upset and vowed never to race there again, and was also true to his word. That trickle of riders refusing to race at the TT quickly became a river and 1976 was the last year that the TT had World Championship status.

Do you think we are jinxes? The first year I went 2003, I arrived at the track and parked opposite the fire station as all the vehicles were heading onto the track for the David Jeffries/Jim Moodie. Although DJ was the only death that year, for the first time at a TT and being there solo, the atmosphere in the campsite and bars was difficult

Noggin wrote: Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:50 pm Do you think we are jinxes? The first year I went 2003, I arrived at the track and parked opposite the fire station as all the vehicles were heading onto the track for the David Jeffries/Jim Moodie. Although DJ was the only death that year, for the first time at a TT and being there solo, the atmosphere in the campsite and bars was difficult

Not sure about jinxes, but fatalities on the IoM used to be regarded as 'it goes with the territory', which it does of course. I went on a day trip to the TT in 1968, but for 1970-1972 I went for the full two weeks. It took a while to come to terms with the 1970 fatalities, particularly Herrero who was leading the 250cc championship at the time of his death, but I still returned the next year and the year after. But Parlotti's death in 1972 and Ago's subsequent boycott of the event affected me and I stopped going. The atmosphere on the Island was pretty grim that year.

But then I was lured back by the 1978 return of Mike Hailwood who had been my idol since the mid '60s, and that turned into a yearly pilgrimage for the next 16 years. Hailwood's return was massive, and seeing him win the F1 race is probably the high point of my motorcycling life. I was watching through tears of joy as he swept past my viewing spot at Glentramman on the final lap.

Then came the Joey Dunlop years, followed by Steve Hislop and Carl Fogarty and the last race I watched at the TT was the epic 1994 Senior TT when Hislop and Fogarty were going at it hammer and tongs for 6 laps. Neither deserved to lose that race, but in the end Hizzy just squeaked it. I was watching from Cronk ny Mona, Signpost and Bedstead corners and the shapes that Foggy's OW01 was making round Bedstead were seriously scary.

In the end I decided that losing two weeks of my precious holiday allowance each year to the TT was too much and it was time to do other things. The continuing death toll was also having an effect and every time the rescue helicopter took off you wondered whose time might be up. 1989 was a particularly grim year - 8 fatalities, including top names like Steve Henshaw and Phil 'Mez' Mellor. I'd seen Mez, his wife and baby in a cafe we regularly frequented, went over to say hello and had a great natter with him. A few days later he was dead, his wife was widowed and his baby would never really know him. That was hard yards.

The TT gives and it takes, but for me the taking got too much.

@mangocrazy - yup. All of that. Probably why I agree so strongly about the street circuits for MotoGP

I used to use my holiday for TT and Manx from 2003 for a few years, I marshalled so ended up with friends I saw each time.

Then nephew and niece were born in the states and I needed holiday to go see them