The End.......

The culmination of 2 weeks of practice and racing finalizes with the 'Senior Race'.  Winning that is a road racer's dream.

I would be remiss if I didn't say a big Thank-you to our hosts, Barbara & Eric, at West Lodge B&B who shared their home with us and made sure we got off each day with a 'full Manx breakfast'!

Knowing people on the island has its merits.  We were told to follow a long lane to 'Harold's farm', where we could watch the races from his front yard for FREE!  His family had prepared plenty of refreshments at a very reasonable price.  I loved their garden.

I was able to get some great action shots of champions as they whizzed by!

John McGuinness, winner of 20 TT races, the 2nd most successful racer ever on the Isle of Man

Ian Hutchison, winner of a record 5 TT races in a week,controls a wheelie at 170 mph!

Our island visit ended with Fish and Chips at Station in Port Erin.
How fitting!

Good bye to the TT for 2014

A visit to the paddock!

Before we headed back up to Creg-ny-baa for the final sidecar race, we stopped at the paddock to see which celebrity was hanging around!  

Much to my surprise, Both the Dunlop brothers were there,
2 of the best road racers  in the world!

William Dunlop

Michael Dunlop, busy at work

A close up view of the sidecars.....

.....and the drivers....champion, Dave Molyneux

Off to Creg-ny-baa...

...to watch the sidecar race

The inside of the most famous pub in the IOM!

1949 race!

We went back to our new favourite Italian restaurant for dinner.
A great improvement over the hamburger!

Seafood Linguine

 

How to watch a race!

Can you guess what these people are doing?

One of the most famous places to watch races in the IOM is at Ballaugh Bridge.  The racers have to go over a bump, which sends them flying in the air for a few seconds!  Exciting to watch.  So many people want to see it, that the crowds are huge!  If you get there too late, your only hope is to climb a ladder.

This is what it looks like.

Our next stop was the Sulby Hotel to watch the end of the race.

Race over, time for a pint with our new friend, Fred, from Manchester.

Wish we could have found something better for dinner, but the menus are limited during TT week.  We had to settle for a hamburger!

Back to the Races

Day 2 of racing took us to Bradden Bridge to watch the 600 Supersport.

Guy Martin (everyone's fav!)

A different angle for the sidecars!

The following race was watched up on the mountain at a very famous place called Creg-ny-baa.  The view was breathtaking from both sides of the road!

We chose our spot along the grassy knoll, in a farmer's field.  We were joined by the 'pit crew' of the leading TT champion, so far this year, Michael Dunlop.  They are there to hold up signs for the racers to let them know what their race position is and if it is time to refuel.

K wanted to take a picture of me, enjoying the day, so the pit crew thought it would be funny to 'photo bomb' me. 

 If you have ever wondered what those signs say, have a look.  

Too hilarious!

Even I, a seasoned race watcher, could not believe 

the speed and proximity of the racers!

Back to the Port Erin Station for a dinner of Lamb Shanks (again, I know) and smothered chicken (called a Station Stack) for K.

A day at the races

Saturday was the start of the 2014 TT races.  We found a great spot at May Hill in Ramsay to watch.  The Superbikes were up first featuring the best road racers in the world, such as John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop, Guy Martin and Conor Cummins.  The average speed was in excess of 130 mph. 

 Here is a taste of how close we were to the action:

For the afternoon sidecar races, we moved to Sulby bridge. 

The passengers made moving their bodies from side to side seem effortless!

We walked 2 kms (V-star Lady), to Port St. Mary for dinner.

I had to have fish and chips at least once, right??

We passed a farm on our way back, with freshly sheared sheep.  

This little guy was so happy to be free of his heavy coat that he used the nearest branch to scratch his back.

Tomorrow, a day of rest!

Festival of Motorcycles in Jurby

For the 5th year in a row, the Jurby airfield has been the home of a 'motorcycle extravaganza'.  Exotic and rare bikes of all sizes and colours gather to 'show off' and do parade laps around the abandoned airfield that now serves as a race track.  This year, celebrity bikes and riders thrilled the crowds.  Freddie Spencer, 3 time world champion motorcycle racer, (who I saw race at Daytona in the early 80's, when we were both young) was on hand to meet his fans.

 My favourite was Carolynn Sells, who I watched in 2009 compete and finish as the only women to ever win a race on the TT course!

I was amazed at the variety of the types of bikes that were on display. 

Some of the other attractions included the world's smallest car, featured on the popular show, TOP GEAR, scooters and a 3 man band entertaining the crowd.

 I did come across an amazing bike; likely the only GOLD WING racer ever built!

My favourite camper van had a neat 'pop up' lid!

The true testament to the popularity of the event was the parking lot full of motorcycles......

Once we left Jurby, we went to visit the most northern tip of the island, called the 'Point of  Ayre'.  It boasts a lighthouse, rocky beaches and dunes of gorse and heather.  

Finally, time for dinner!  Chicken curry with my 'go-to' salad, the caprese!

More racing tomorrow!