GETTING THERE PART TWO
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First Impressions
( more tips in red )
EVEN as late as it is, some of the lads go for a lap of the course to get into the mood.
The rest of us decide to find our places of residence, and have an early-ish night, because most of us will be up very early in the morning to start working on the race bikes, begin the scrounging and become part of the wonderful circus which is the TT Festival.
Some of us settle down to watch a video I bring with me every year,
"IN CAR TT" by rally driver TONY POND...
This is a Duke video made in 1988 of a fast lap (22 minutes and 41 seconds !) of the TT course taken from a "ROADS OPENING" car,
(with commentary by a very brave Geoff Cannell)
and gives a good preliminary view of the course to my party.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
BY
We get up willingly for the early practice and do what has to be done...
It is a wonderful time to get up---on the Isle of Man !!!
We go back to our residence and shower, then have a HUGE breakfast with fruit juices, cereal, bacon, eggs, beans, fried bread, black pudding, sausages, (or a brace of king-sized Manx KIPPERS ) toast, jams and jellies, and masses of tea or coffee...
Do have a substantial breakfast because you burn it all up so quickly at the TT.
The salty air round the Island will also make you feel very thirsty so drink plenty of water. Beer is not always the answer..It can dehydrate you as well...
After our lunch-style meal, we are ready to face anything and we go for a lap or two, visit the press/race office or call in on our riders/friends to get all the latest news, especially about the Saturday practice which is again an addition to the programme this year and all the practice lap times.
Some now go to try to find out how to book seats in the Grandstand for the Formula One race on Saturday. (Book early to get the best seats).
Hunger again prompts us to call in at some cafe of pub for a lunchtime ale plus either sarnies or a pub lunch..
(It is a fact that, even though you eat a big breakfast,
you will be ready for more food by 1pm..)
We like the pubs on the TT course, (for example Creg-ny Baa, Crosby, the Hawthorns, the Highlander, Ramsey (lots here) and the Glen Helen cafe) and sit on the roadside watching the newly-arrived spectators
(and one or two race riders I notice),
do their introductory private laps..
We can also examine each spot in turn to see where the best vantage point for viewing will be, when the racing gets under way at the weekend...
THIS IS, BY FAR, THE BEST SPOT TO WATCH THE TT
KEPPEL GATE TO CREG-NY-BAA
The trickle of traffic becomes a flood in no time at all and we see some exotic machinery rushing past.
Our whole day is filled with things to do and see and it flies over far too quickly.
We go back to the paddock for the Evening Practice and we are now feeling as though we have been here for weeks, instead of for only a few hours..
When the practice session is over, we go down to the Douglas front to see that the prom is already beginning to fill up with vehicles of all kind.
Bikes park in tidy rows but cars and transporters park in a mish-mosh mess which makes it difficult to get a suitable spot.
We all park down the prom a bit, and walk to the Stakis/Hilton where we..(you've guessed it)..have yet another meal and a beer or two, plus peanuts and crisps, while watching and listening to the Radio TT boys get into the swing of things..
The Stakis/Hilton fills up and we have a bit of a late night
WE HAVE BEEN UP FOR 21 HOURS
AND THIS IS ONLY OUR FIRST FULL DAY
SAY HELLO TO SAMMY
OF
THE BIKESHED BABES
CLICK ON
SAMMY MARSHALL
We see a lot of her during the TT
WE ARE AT THE ISLE OF MAN TT
Peter Perrin--Kawasaki
why not use this picture as an e-mail attachment or as a postcard
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