Hello and welcome to the 2010 edition of Island Racer
Hello and welcome to the 2010 edition of Island Racer, the world’s most comprehensive appreciation of the greatest road races in the world!
In the build up to the event of 2009 we thought we were starting to ride on the crest of a wave, well any ideas we had that the good times were back for the TT were underlined several times over with the actual races themselves last year. They were both awesome and emotional in equal measure.
Awesome because of riders like John McGuinness who continued his frankly astonishing progress on the bigger bikes and fired in the first 131mph-plus lap in a race, awesome because of the skills of Michael Dunlop who showed that he had the family-touch when it comes to sniffing out the grip around a damp Island course.
Awesome also because of Ian Hutchinson who took two wins in one day, Steve Plater who in only his third year racing at the Isle of Man won the Senior race and Cameron Donald who (were it not for a fall during Practice Week) would have surely taken his place in the Island elite. But, as we have seen before at the TT, there were times when we all had to take stock and remind ourselves to admire those who race on the roads course even more than we have before.
The crash that halted the second Sidecar TT and caused serious injury to Nick Crowe and Mark Cox was a brutal jolt back to the reality of racing. Accidents do happen and every competitor who lines up to take part in TT Race Week knows this, they are not riders who take the risks lightly, but they are riders who realise that the ultimate circuit and racing requires total commitment and a clear understanding of what can be at risk. They are all absolutely courageous and should be applauded loudly for what they do. Not only the riders but the medical staff, the marshals and the hundreds of backroom people who put in a lot of their own time in order to help the TT happen all deserve our admiration and respect.
You are not going to change the nature of the TT Races.
They are what they are precisely because of the course, the speed and incredible skills on show year after year, but recently we have seen massive strides forward to make sure that everyone who takes part (either on the back of a bike or not) are now safer than they’ve ever been before. That is a very good thing and shows a real understanding by the organisers of the needs of the people who help the TT improve year on year. Last year we felt as though we were about to ride that crest of a wave in TT history, and we were proved right.
For 2010 things are getting even more competitive between the riders and the factory teams, and in Island Racer you can read what the stars themselves are really thinking in the run up to the superb two weeks to come. TT 2010 isn’t just about a crest of a wave any more, it’s about a real, solid platform of road racing uber-talent that is soaring higher than it ever has. Bring it on. Have a great TT, one and all.
Tony Carter
Island Racer 2010: On sale in W H Smith and the Isle of Man • Order secure on-line P&P free.
