FEATURE I 2022 ISLE OF MAN TT: PART 2
P104
After a little while, I realized
it was Purslow who had gone
down. It's rare for someone to
survive a crash at Ballagarey,
yet we all held out hope. But the
longer we waited, the more ap-
parent it was that this was a very
grave accident indeed.
The news filtered through a
few hours later that Mark Purs-
low had lost his life. One of the
fast up-and-comers of the TT
who had tasted success at the
Manx Grand Prix, Mark was liv-
ing his dream when it all came to
an abrupt end. He was 29.
It was my first brush with
death at the TT, and, sadly,
wouldn't be the last.
LIVING THE TT
DREAM
Qualifying night five was one of
those nights that will stay with
me for the rest of my life. Four
full laps, including two flyers,
with the little Suzuki and I gelling
like dance partners. Lap four
was pure ecstasy, catching and
passing multiple riders from
Union Mills to Governor's Bridge
for the first time and pulling away
like they were doing to me only
yesterday.
With no red flags, no crashes
for anyone, I rocked out a
117.07-mph lap to finish 22nd
for the night, one place behind
my old sparring partner from
CVMA, Chris Sarbora. I was
utterly beaming. That lap was,
categorically, the most fun I've
ever had on a bike. I started to
feel like I belonged, that I could
do this. I was capable of be-
coming a TT rider.
This euphoria, however, was
quashed the following night. I
rode terribly, got too full of my-
self, and couldn't go as fast as I
did the night before, when every-
Out of Sulby Bridge on the final
lap of the second TT. By now,
everything was starting to click.
