FEATURE I 2023 ISLE OF MAN TT: PART 1
P84
Andy and Richard with a smile
and a thanks.
I pull into the pits and just
as I'm about to utter the words
"I can't do it," I see there're 18
minutes left on the timing board,
and I have enough time for one
last lap. Perhaps my last-ever
lap of the TT.
Right. Helmet on. A tank of
the Isle of Man's finest premium
pump gas goes into the BMW,
and as I roll down the side en
-
trance to pit lane, I punch myself
in the side of the head. It's now
or never.
"Stop being a f'ing wanker
and ride the god damn motor
-
cycle! Stop being a bitch!" I yell
to myself. The look on the mar-
shal's face next to me indicates
I yelled a little too loudly.
Clutch out. I roll to the end
of pit lane and boost the BMW
down Glencrutchery Road.
Fourth, fifth, sixth gear. Full
compression at the bottom of
Bray Hill. We're off.
The more I really ride the
Marlboro-liveried Kibosh BMW,
the better it responds. I'm still
not getting full revs in sixth gear
•
••
I assure him I know that's the
case, we hug, and it all feels sad,
but amicable. This is the last
time Darren and I speak.
IT'S NOW
OR NEVER
Before I know it, I'm firing the
Kibosh Racing BMW S 1000 RR
down Bray Hill without having
even revved it in the pits prior.
It's so much longer, taller and
more stable than the CBR and it
has a motor on it that makes the
Honda feel like a 750.
One lap down and I'm trying
my best to speak German and
understand what the bike is tell
-
ing me, what it wants me to do
and how it wants me to do it.
But, and I'm ashamed to ad-
mit it, I'm scared.
By the time I get to Ginger
Hall I realize I've been riding
with my finger on the clutch for
the last 10 miles or so, wait-
ing for something to go wrong.
I'm riding tight, far too tight for
the rigors of the Isle of Man
TT Mountain Course, and I tell
myself to just enjoy this final lap,
pull in and hand the bike back to
