Isle of Man Centennary

[HDTboy]

There's quite the thread for Shaun, they say he'll be woken up friday your time, if you could print the thread off and take it in he'd be able to see who's been bad mouthing him.

Good to hear from youse, it's been a few days

[Matt Bleck]

Chur bro, good report it is too!

[Kornholio]

Nice one Jon boy.... I hear there is another party at your place this weekend

[wybmadiity]

Can't wait till you guys get back and have the footage/photo BBQ
Take care and hear from you again soon.
to Tash

[TONO]

Finally a bloody report from the eye-tie.
Good 1 Jon well done, nice to hear your having a ball.
Hope your taking care of Tash, being sensitive to her needs you little twerp Thanks for the Txt
Enjoy the rest of the trip & take care.
Remember once you have kids it all becomes just a memory (thought I would just throw that in)
We all eagerly await the next report

[rustys]

Nice report eman ,keep them coming. Your Rods can stay in the cupboard there are bugger all fish left in the rivers.

[kiwifruit]

Cheers Jon

[saul]

Ciao Bella errr I mean Jon

Suck it all up mate. Sounds like a fantastic time.

Unfortunately like life it has touched others in a tragic way as well.

Warm regards

[jimbo]

Good report.Ya all have fun

[Idrumm]

Cheers for the report dude, good to see you three are doing well.

[emaN]

What a wikkid time!

We watched the Senior race from an awesome bend not long after Hendley's...an amazing experience to be sitting on a grassy bank, under trees, over-looking a quiet country road only to have a 170-180kg missile approach directly at you and then bank left flashing (loudly) past at 140-150mph!!!
Most of the lads are tucked in and taking it flat out. Didn't realise until afterwards how much work the suspension's doing through there too; in the pix you can see the bike squatting under the G's (note; not under our very own 'G').

The Parade of Champions was wikkid too; pretty much video'd the lot of 'em coming thru. Greats past & present right there in front of us...too much!

Unfortunately, no doubt you've heard, in the last section, on the very last lap of the last race Mark Rathbotam lost it and died, the bike taking out two spectators. It sucked. One minute everyone was buzzing about the 130mph lap; next minute the dread builds as there's only one reason such big delays happen, and certainly only one reason that journalists aren't allowed to release details. Mark had/has a wife & two daughters whom my heart goes out to. The next evening I read the cards they'd left at the scene...gut wrenching. Funnily enough, I'd been looking out for him during the TT (his surname first caught my attention) and he'd been doing real good.

The next day, Saturday, we rode down to Castletown for the Billown races. Another road race, but on a 4mile circuit. We watched from Church Bends. Nutters here too But unlike the TT, here they start off in grids, so you get a dozen riders flying down the straight then piling into the first corner, then off they go screaming down a long straight towards Iron Gate.
We rode the course a day earlier and it's just amazing what these boys can do 'round there.
I was hoping to catch up with David Sels, who works at an engineering outfit in Ramsey and had helped repair the 748's sidestand (i'd spent a couple of days propping it up on walls and Harleys). But i heard on the radio that he'd pulled out, possibly to catch up with his daughter who'd come off in practice (she's ok.).
Paul Dobbs did well on the smaller bikes; tried to get some good pix of him and got a couple of semi-decent ones...but not perfect.

Sat evening i went for a blat to get some on-board footage. Ended up only getting 3mins worth! the battery had come away a little, losing connection I'd reached my PB over the mountain mile took, getting up to 140mph which was an awesome feeling! Everything's telling you to back off for the next bend which you can't see around, but if you do you lose your momentum...so... on you go!!!
Next morning i got up early, set it all up again, stopped in Ramsey to start the camera up....but it gave me the 'moisture warning' and wouldn't crank up Wasn't meant to be.

I tried to see Shaun; texted his IOM ph he'd given me, but no-one replied (and fair enough!). Up at hospital the nurse wouldn't let me in and wouldn't tell me anything either; as he said, for all he knew i could've been press. Fair enough.
Saw Daniel though, he was up and about. He showed me his frame; identical cracks running along the top weld seam from the headstock backwards on both sides...
Check out his site; it's www.danieljansen.co.uk

I keep thinking of things to write, but then forget, so will add bits n pieces as i remember them.

Had a little chat with Guy Martin on the ferry back too; he's hoping to get back to Wanganui this year as well. I asked him about Paeroa, but we worked out it's too close to his UK racing season..

I've got hold of the TT Superbikes game ( ) so will have a 'TT evening' at ours at some stage!

Rusty, I hope to verify that for myself i'm hoping to get out on the Nongy for one last flick before it closes - might just make it.

How was the partee at mine? Hope my olds didn't get in the way...

Laters!

[Matt Bleck]

Looking forward to the TT evening bro, I got all the races on my PC so we can wacth them as well!

See you on the 30th....... I might even let you sit on the Grey Ghost!

[emaN]

ok, i've been getting the hurry up, so i'll pull finger..

These were all taken from the Gooseneck, during practice week. Only got to see 'em come past twice as practice was shortened due to a crash near Glen Helen.
About 20m up the road there's a whole lot of little black patches on the road, all quite near each other; this is where the front comes down before they bank left heading towards Joey's.
1. keith amor (a newcomer to the TT,but a regular top finisher in road racing calendar)
2. adrian archibald
3. nigel beattie (a local lad)
4. anstey's bikes in the pits

[emaN]

This corner is awesome!
During the week, I'd read an interview with McGuinness; he mentioned this corner as one of his favorites - I now know why!!
You hear them exit Handleys, they come into view leant over, pick it up, steady the bike some before throwing it hard left and driving through out the other side. They exit onto a little straight with a hump at the end which almost all of 'em get airtime off, before hooking back a gear and dropping into Barregarrow and out of sight on one wheel down the hill.
Tucked in and almost flat out, i'd love to know what pace they're doing thru' there (i'll watch some onboard footage from a dvd and post it up).

1. bruce and ian hutchinson
2. john burrows
3. martin finnegan
4. martin finnegan (back at the Gooseneck)

[emaN]

1. HM Plant pits, John McG and a member of his team.
2. hutchy and bruce heading towards Barregarrow
3. hutchy
4. hutchy (got lots of good shots of him,but none that good of John McG!)