For fans of classic motorbikes, the Isle of Man’s Classic TT races take some beating.
Sure, there are plenty of places to see the bikes of yesteryear, and even some where you can see them running and racing, but if you want to see them flat out around the most demanding racetrack on the planet, next week’s Classic TT is the only place to be.
And while the Classic TT is more chilled than June’s main races, it’s still a highly competitive event with some of the best island races donning their leathers. Top names like Michael Dunlop (pictured), Lee Johnston, Michael Rutter, Dean Harrison, John McGuinness and James Hillier will be doing battle and they won’t be hanging around. Classes include Senior Classic TT, Junior Classic TT, Lightweight Classic TT and the Superbike Classic TT. The Senior and Junior events feature pre-1972 Grand Prix machines, in the form of both original machines and extremely accurate replicas. The Junior is for 350cc bikes, while the capacity limit for the Senior is 500cc. The other classes feature more modern bikes. The Superbike TT goes up to 1992, meaning that you’ll find early world superbike machines (think Kawasaki ZXR750, Honda RC30 and Yamaha OW01) going up against earlier big capacity Formula One bikes (the Suzuki XR69 of the late 1970s being a strong attraction). Again, many of these bikes are replicas of the originals, and although the organisers allow a little leeway in allowing some more modern componentry (like upgraded brakes and tyres) the look and sound must definitely be in the spirit of the event. The Superbike race also allows in two-stroke 500cc Grand Prix bikes, with local ace Conor Cummins set to run an early Nineties Yamaha YZR500 in the colours of the famous Padgett’s team.
Two-stroke lovers will naturally be drawn to the Lightweight TT, where Bruce Anstey will be making an emotional return to the Island after a year out battling cancer. The Kiwi will be riding the Padgett’s Honda RS250 he rode to victory in the same race in 2017. To prove that the classic boys are not hanging around, the 13 times TT winners fastest lap averaged over 120mph, quicker than anyone has ever gone around the 37.73 mile course on a 250cc bike. The Lightweight grid is mostly populated by ex-250GP two-strokes, with last year’s winner Johnston riding a Yamaha TZ250 after subbing for Anstey at Padgett’s in 2018, although there is some diversity with air-cooled Ducati twins mixing up the soundtrack.
Away from the racing, there’s always plenty of other stuff to see and do on the island. Parade laps give race fans a chance to see some other famous bikes and riders in action at more sedate speeds, while the Vintage Motorcycle Club’s Festival of Jurby takes place on Sunday 25 August and is great day out for classic motorcycle enthusiasts. Held at the small circuit at Jurby airfield, the compact nature of the venue means it’s one of the best opportunities anywhere to get right up close to the bikes and riders, and to soak in the sounds and smells of some amazing machines. Add in carnivals, lively nightlife and a pretty cool, free-to-enter, ‘Show and Shine’ event and all the ingredients are there for a holiday of a lifetime.
Each year the Classic TT takes on a theme, and this year it is ‘Back to the Future: The Hizzy Years’. The festival will pay tribute to Steve Hislop, 30 years after he became the first rider to lap the Mountain course at an average of over 120mph. The enigmatic Scot, who died in a helicopter crash in 2003, won 11 TTs in total, including what is commonly regarded as the greatest TT of all time, when he beat Carl Fogarty in the 1992 Senior TT race. Riding the unfancied Norton rotary, Hizzy beat Foggy and his Yamaha OW01 by just 4.4 seconds as the pair traded lap records.
A number of Hislop’s most famous machines, including the aforementioned Norton, the Yamaha TZ350 he rode to his first TT victory in 1987 and the double TT winning Castrol Honda RC45 from 1994 will all be ridden on a parade lap by some of his friends and rivals from the TT and the short circuits. Hizzy was also a British superbike champion and his title winning Monstermob Ducati 996 will be on parade, alongside his Red Bull Kawasaki, Cadbury’s Boost Yamaha YZF750 and Virgin Yamaha YZF-R1 BSB bikes. Foggy will be among the riders taking part in the parade, alongside Rutter and fellow TT winners Ian Simpson and Brian Morrison. BSB fan favourite Chris Walker will make his first outing around the famous TT course on the parade lap, as will Hizzy’s protégé Stuart Easton, the British champion who hailed from the same Scottish border town of Hawick as his mentor.
Fittingly, Hislop’s mother Margaret, and his sons Aaron and Connor, will be attending the 2019 Classic TT, while the machines and other memorabilia will be displayed in a pop up museum throughout the four day event.
Photo: Steve Hislop at Creg-ny-Baa on the Isle of Man (credit Cristof Berger)