Anyone following the TT this year?

cat_with_no_tail

Great start to the whole thing last night with McGuinness managing a 122.8mph lap on Practice 1 with Anstey and Amore only fractions of a second behind. Guy Martin was 4th fastest overall.

Wont be watching practice 2 tonight, which is a bit of a shame, because the BSB riders should be out tonight.

Douglas is already getting busy, and the weather has completely turned around the last couple of days and it's actually looking really nice now.

Coverage will be on ITV4 and they seem to be really going for it this year, loads of camera points have been put up over the last couple of months at various places, and they've got the 2 helicopters up too.

My money is on Guy for the Senior next Friday. After coming so close last year (and all the years before that), he REALLY wants it.

Edit: Some links that may be of interest:

ITV4 Schedule
Live Timing (works for practice sesdsions and races)
Radio TT (live coverage of the practices, races etc.

The Northern Monkey

Yup i'll hopefully catch some of this.

not a massive fan of motorbikes, but the TT is just fricking crazy so I make the effort

any idea of coverage times?

The Northern Monkey

nevermind... put this in the OP!

http://www.itv.com/sport/isleofmantt/default.html

cat_with_no_tail

BIoody hell!

Passing the Sulby Speed Trap at 192mph :shock:

BaIIs of solid brass!

OP updated with some nice linkys for those interested.

cat_with_no_tail

Sidecars just set off from the grandstand. I can hear them leaving as I type this lol.

Streaming live on Radio TT (link above)

Too old for this

I've retired from riding bikes with an engine but you cant beat a bit of TT action, how bloody lucky are you living so close. :roll: :roll:

mudsucker

I've a big fan of the TT and have been to the TT and the GP before (not this year ) so will be watching on ITV4. Its a shame Ian Hutchinson isn't fit this year after last years performance but i hope Guy Martin does well this year as, well, he is a legend!

As a Manx man CWNT, do you prefer the TT or the GP? I think i prefer the GP for the different range of bikes racing and considerably less bellends on sportsbikes causing havoc :shock:

Rick_huggins

Yea hope Guy breaks his duck this year instead of his back; he's got the kit & support this year so hopefully all his hard work will pay off.

Although I reckon if he clips a few inches from those sidies he could increase his laptimes dramatically! :P

cat_with_no_tail

Very sad times. Press release just made stating the crash last night on the Sidecar practice at Ballacrye claimed the lives of both the guys in the outfit.

Thoughts go out to the families of those involved etc.

mudsucker - The TT is good for the all-round experience, much more of an atmosphere than MGP, and over the last couple of years, I do seem to be noticing a wider range of bikes turning up.

There are a lot of bellends zipping about treating the entire Island as a racetrack though. They seem to just assume you can go as fast as you like, where you like. Which is why I'm unusually pleased to see such a large police presence enforcing speed limits etc. The crowds over for MGP are much smaller, and generally much more sedate. They are more than happy pootling round on their old BSAs and Enfields. Much more of a Tea and cake event than the Beer and burger of TT.

Luckily, I don't have to choose between the 2 though, I get to appreciate both of them

mudsucker

Very sad to hear about the accident

Yes the GP is almost a bit too quite, i prefer the people at the GP and i enjoy looking at the old bikes but the atmosphere at the TT is much better.

You are very lucky to have it all on your doorstep, very jealous indeed.

A little heads up for you if you didn't know: the Vulcan is doing a display over Douglas on the 10th 8)

cat_with_no_tail

Yeh, we've got red arrows on Tuesday and the Vulcan on Friday (weather permitting).

Must get some new batteries for the camera so I can put up some pics.

As it happens, I work for PokerStars who are sponsoring the senior this year (again), so we've got VIP tickets to the Senior race day corporate thing in the control tower at the grandstand, meet the riders and stuff like that (free bar of course). Then on to the Villa Marina where we can stand out on the balcony to watch the show and the Vulcan coming over (free bar again).

We're also off to a private screening of the new TT film on Sat (yep, you guessed it, free bar again).

Going to be a farking EPIC! couple of weeks. I am very lucky indeed.

gixer5

I'm coming over for the TT tonight and will be there for the whole of race week
I can't wait as this will be my first visit. I would love to see Guy Martin win a race this year.

Any tips on the best viewing points?

cat_with_no_tail

O'hai

If you don't mind getting up early, head on down to Ballaugh bridge. Possibly the best spot on the Island to watch. But sadly, everyone else knows that so you have to show up FARKING early to get a spot.

The Creg is another good spot. Mostly because you've got the pub behind you but also because they come screaming down off the mountain past Kates Cottage and then hard on the brakes for the right hander down to hillberry.

Braddan Bridge (by the church) and QB are other good spots.

I'd say it depends where you're staying on the Island.

There are LOADS of quality spots to watch. If it's your first TT, you may want to sit up the grandstand, but personally, I'd never pay to watch any of it. Especially not the £40 they want to sit in the grandstand. there are MUCH better spots, all free.
I live up at Signpost corner, inside the course, and I tend to go to a few different spots quite nearby.

If you're in douglas, you'll have to go have a drink at the Cat With No Tail pub, it's like the law!

cat_with_no_tail

Highlights from the weeks qualifying sessions.

Tonight, 9pm, ITV4 (and HD)

First race tomorrow. Superbikes due out at 12:00

Then it's "Mad Sunday" :shock:

cat_with_no_tail

Couple of quick snaps on my point-and-shoot from tonights practices taken at the end of my street - will be trying to get a better spot fro some better pics of the actual races.

jpenno

This takes me back! - My Dad used to race sidecars and has several TT finishers medals, no podiums though,

Used to come over and watch regularly, love the smell of racing oil

Thought they were trying to bad Mad Sunday

cat_with_no_tail

Fair play to your dad. You gotta love the sliders.

Was he a driver or a hanger-on'er?

jpenno

Hanger oner, F@@king idiots lol, would you put your life in someone else's hands at those speeds with no protection, far more dangerous than rally driving etc

andy46

I've been watching the TT as a few people know i'm right into my bike racing, it's just been a while since I was last on BR.

Some great shots CWNT, I'm quite envious of you at this time of year

Me and the Mrs have promised ourselves that we are going to go to the TT in the near future, it's one of those things that I have to see!

I am off to Silverstone this weekend to watch the MotoGP, just hope the weather holds out.

cat_with_no_tail

Sorry, been too busy watching to update this thread much lately (not today though, race was red flagged because of the rain).

They had some of the MotoGP boys over here today doing the parade lap. None of the MGP bikes this year though.

Hutchy did the parade lap with them too, even though his leg is all still caged up. Not only that, but where the rest of them were quite content pootling round at like 70mph, Hutchy just took off like a mad man. I was proper shocked.

You hear about the MGP trucks getting pulled up by the police at Silverstone? Turns out at least one of them had picked up illegal immigrants on their way over (obviously not on purpose)

cat_with_no_tail

I'm shattered!

Been a loooong day today! First they put the race back from 12:15 to 1:15, then again to 3:30, then again to 5:15 :shock:

It was raining in Ramsey, and believe it or not, hailstoning up at the gooseneck :shock: Yet it was sunny and clear where I was (in Douglas).

As such, I'm burnt as a burnt thing right now,

Still, I got to see the Yamaha Parade Lap, the Subaru Parade Lap, and the mountain milestones lap before they eventually got underway.

Some Pics:

cat_with_no_tail

More......