FEATURE I 2023 ISLE OF MAN TT: PART 2
P106
my fate is sealed for me. I shift
from third to second gear, but
the gear linkage doesn't return.
The lever stays up, so as I go
for first gear for Governor's Dip,
the slowest corner on the track,
the linkage falls off completely.
Little do I know at the time, but
it's game over.
The very recently retired
Dave Hewson tries valiantly
to put the linkage back on but
as it has come off, the splines
have been burred, and thus the
presence that cannot be repli-
cated anywhere in racing, and
my nerves are a bit squeezed
as I pass the "Rider and Ma
-
chine Only" sign.
I just want to get this thing
underway, but a shocking start
is a sign of things to come. I
can't get the BMW's clutch to
release smoothly, and it takes a
few seconds for drive to arrive
at the rear wheel, making me
look like a right dunce in front
of the packed grandstand.
Earlier that day I got abso
-
lutely smacked with hay fever
thanks to the blooming, gor-
geous Isle of Man, and my eyes
are constantly watering on the
first lap. I forget to blink occa-
sionally and when I do, floods
of tears stream down my face
as my eyes rehydrate and my
vision blurs up. Not ideal.
I'm back to riding tight, too
tight for the rigors of the Isle of
Man TT Mountain Course.
But as I come into The Nook
at the end of the second lap,
FAIR PLAY,
MR. HICKMAN.
FAIR PLAY.
T
ake the next 18 minutes out of
your day and watch this lap.
This is the fastest recorded
lap of the 37.73-mile Isle of Man TT
Mountain Course, courtesy of the
great Peter Hickman on his FHO Rac-
ing BMW M 1000 RR.
The lap is from the second Su-
perstock TT in which I finished 31st.
Hickman pulled this magic time on
the final lap as he took the win by 17
seconds from Michael Dunlop and
Dean Harrison, who was nearly a
minute behind at the flag, such was
Hickman's searing pace.
The video is a study in how to
ride a big bike around the greatest
racetrack in the world. Hickman
pulls time everywhere, but the real
magic is in how he uses the motor's
midrange to short shift into sixth
gear as early as possible in so many
sections, which allows him access
to the monster top speed numbers
the BMW is capable of.
I take my hat off to you, Mr. Hick-
man. This is a lap of for the ages.
It's all over as the BMW's shift linkage cries enough.
