VOLUME 59 ISSUE 27 JULY 6, 2022 P113
However, my favorite part of
the track was the Mountain.
After so much time in the trees,
the Mountain takes over and
you're suddenly on a totally dif-
ferent racetrack. The dark of the
overhanging branches gives way
to enormous vision with no real
blind corners, and when you
crest the highest point of the
track at Hailwood Heights, all of
a sudden, gravity is working with
you and the speed increases
exponentially. You're throwing
gears at the bike all the time
as you roll down the mountain
towards the Creg-Ny-Baa hotel—
it's a glorious, other-worldly
feeling.
Loved and feared in equal mea-
sure, the TT Mountain Course
takes absolutely no prisoners and
punishes those who make even a
slight transgression. Broken bikes
and bodies are a common sight at
the TT, but you must tell your-
self, "There's someone helping
that guy." Put it out of your mind
and attack the next part of the
course—or you could be next.
In that sense, the TT Mountain
Course is the absolute motor-
cycle equivalent of Mount Ever-
est—this is the greatest challenge
in racing.
So, how did I do over two
weeks as a TT racer? Stay tuned
next week for my blow-by-blow
account of life as a TT rookie.
CN
