Welcome to the greatest road race meeting in the world. Welcome to the eve of its second century. And welcome, if you've actually found a way of getting here and finding somewhere to stay, to the Isle of Man.
As befits the celebration of a century of TT racing, this year's Island Racer is the biggest-ever. It has more pages than any other TT magazine, far more of which are editorial rather than advertising. You may have already noticed that it's a good deal less expensive, too. For this you can largely thank the enthusiasm of it's publishing director, Malcolm Wheeler, as avid a TT fan as you're likely to meet. Malc's a bit old and hefty to be racing these days, but in his prime he competed in the TT and Manx from 1974 to 1990, scoring three TT rostrums along the way. He'll be out in this year's parade, so give him a wave.
Much of this year's feature content is historical -- rightly so in a year in which we celebrate the event's history, above all. It's right, too, that we pay tribute to the men who created such a lasting monument to racing, both the riders, technical people, and the largely unsung heroes who simply helped it all happen -- and still do.
In addition, there's the most comprehensive guide ever to the riders and crews competing this year, plus the usual exhaustive encyclopaedia of past results. Not least, we take away some of the guesswork about the speeds attained around the Mountain Course, with the datalogging from a 125mph Bruce Anstey lap. How fast do they take Barregarrow Bottom? Or Glen Vine?
Now, you can know for certain. And, if you want a more light-hearted look at what it takes to put in the perfect TT lap, look no further than page 120 and a description of Mike Hailwood's guide to the course.
And, above all, welcome to what promises to be the TT festival to end them all. Regular race-goers will already know that any TT is the most full-on, wall-to-wall biking extravaganza on earth. This year, with extra events and happenings to mark the centenary, promises to be truly seismic. Enjoy it to the full, take care, and help make it a safe one. We'd like to see you back again next year.
