VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P109
something I'll always cherish
(I'm part of the illustrious father
and son TT racer club), and I can
look back on the two Finisher's
Medals from this year as well
as from last year with pride and
lament the two I didn't get due
to mechanical problems.
One thing I can take away
from the TT this year is despite
the mechanical problems, I didn't
crash either the Honda or BMW
bike, even though the chances of
doing so were very real. The fact
the BMW's gear linkage broke at
The Nook and not somewhere
like Hillberry a couple of miles up
the road is good fortune in the
extreme, so although I failed to
finish, the TT gods were smiling
on me that day.
The 2023 TT also showed me
just how good guys like Peter
Hickman, Dean Harrison, David
Johnson, Michael Dunlop and
the rest really are.
I know how hard I was trying
but I wasn't prepared to squeeze
it that little bit harder, and I'm
okay with that now.
What the guys at the front of
a TT race do on 1000cc bikes is
so special, so utterly incredible,
I feel I only now truly appreciate
it having been in the same race
as them.
We live in a time where the
world is changing—most would
say for the worse—and I have no
idea how long the TT will con
-
tinue. It is a relic of a past time.
You'd never get it going today if
it didn't already exist.
I implore you: if you haven't
yet done so, go and see the
Isle of Man TT for yourself. It's
an experience you'll not get
anywhere else in the world.
The people are wonderful, the
hospitality endless—same as
the beer—and you're in a world
where motorcycling and motor
-
cyclists are the majority, if only
for two weeks.
To say I've raced a 1000cc
bike at the Isle of Man is some
-
thing I'm very proud of and I
don't mind saying so. I also
don't mind saying that I am not
of the same ilk as the gods of
modern-day TT racing. I am but
a tourist in the Tourist Trophy. I
am the TT's humbled son.
CN
scheme as my all-time racing hero,
Wayne Rainey.
Dave Hewson, who decided to call
it a day after Raul's crash, became
the spare parts and advice man for
my BMW team. His help was abso-
lutely invaluable. He never com-
plained I was asking him—again—for
something, and always had the time
to answer any of the dumb questions
I asked. Thanks, so much, mate.
Shaun Anderson, the man who
gave me an awning to put my Su-
zuki under last year when my team
packed up and left, also needs men-
tioning for his tips and advice on how
to go faster. Sorry I didn't mate.
Also, thanks to one of my old-
est mates, Simon Hallam, for all the
background work we did this year, as
well as just being there when things
got tough. During those times, you
can count your real friends on one
hand, and Simon, along with Oscar, is
definitely one of them.
Finally, thanks to Sean Finley,
Jesse Ziegler and Kit Palmer, and
Ryan Nitzen for his video editing
skills, for allowing me to chase this
dream of racing the Isle of Man TT.
Without their support, there's no way
any of this would have happened. But
I did promise them a hell of a story,
and I think I delivered.
The Kibosh Racing Team with riders
(on bikes from right of Richard Wilson,
Rennie, Shaun Anderson, team owner/
manager Andy, and Gary Vines.
What a great group to be a part of.
