IOMTT Report: Weather Wet, Pubs Fill The Void
Everything else is just waiting
With a solid week of clouds, mist, and rain, the only records broken so far at the 2019 Isle of Man TT are in the alcohol consumption class. With practice and qualifying virtually wiped out, TT Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson has confirmed that the first TT Race day has been bumped from Saturday to Sunday, with Saturday becoming an additional day of qualifying. My sense is we may not see much of anything until Sunday, with the qualifying and races intermingled and compressed to next week on consecutive days.
Oh, well, the pubs are dry, and the craic as good as ever. I normally work as an IOM TT Marshal in and around Bray Hill, sector 1 of the 37 and ¾ mile course. It is an iconic spot, a steep downhill between the TT Grandstand/ start line and the 1st milestone. Riders are pinned from the get-go, reaching up to 185 MPH by the time they scrape the pavement at the bottom, heading up to Ago’s Leap and beyond.
This year, I’m hosting a number of visitors from the US, and have scaled my Marshal commitment back. So, I wandered around during the single dry evening practice on Tuesday and shot some handheld video from various spots on Bray Hill. Incorporating some on- bike and start line footage from a few years ago, I assembled this short hack- quality video to show what it’s like to view the TT from Bray Hill. I’ll be at Bushy’s and The Queens Pub later for discussion.
More by Andrew Capone
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Let's face it--barstooling is a time-honored motorcycling activity that usually involves being dry, warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. The important thing is chronology--ride first, barstool later. Never vice-versa. As long as we keep the order in the proper sequence, a good time will likely be had by all.
I just read Daley Mathison died while racing today. Is there any other sporting event with a comparable fatality rate?