People

In 2002 I had a mega year.  I won everything and I thought to myself that things would start happening for me.  I had devoted 12 years of my life to the TT but after I won didn’t really get the sponsorship I had been hoping for.  Next to motorbikes, all I ever wanted was a family so I thought; right I’ve done the bikes now I am going to do the family thing.

Milky in his role as TT liaison officer

Every time I watch the TT I wish I was riding again.  I’d love to have another go, just slip someone else’s helmet and leathers on and get down Bray Hill!  I’d go back tomorrow but I’ve made the decision now.  I’m too fat, too old and too slow now!  I've have my time so I can’t complain.  I’d still like to get out there though, maybe one day!

My main brief now is to help the newcomers at the TT.  The TT is almost 38 miles of open road and it’s dangerous in places so for the newcomers we just try and make it as safe as we can for them.

I pass on all my experience both as a racer and as a Manx local lad.  I know the circuit like the back of my hand and there are lots of little secrets around course.  I like to pass on my knowledge; I’ve got nothing to hide.  Lots of riders may not want to pass on their secrets but I am not riding anymore I can tell people everything I know -what to look for and where to get the power on, hopefully that will keep them safe.

I take the TT newcomers around the course in a car at 30mph! I have so much to tell them so the slower the better.  If we were going at high speed it would just be a blur and they wouldn’t be able to take everything in.

Image: Bernd Fischer

The riders will be taking a lot of the corners at 180 mph so they have to have an intimate knowledge of the circuit, if you commit too early to a corner at those sorts of speeds you drift out and you miss the apex on the later part.  It’s technical but that’s why the TT is so difficult.

We’ve actually got 20 newcomers this year whereas last year we had 3.  There’s a lot of foreign interest.  People are coming for the first time from Portugal, Italy, America, Germany and Belgium.  There’s going to be a great international feel to the event.

The TT is the major road race in the world and everyone wants to have a bit of it. 

There are a couple of female newcomers as well this year which I am really pleased about.  They are high caliber riders and we look forward to welcoming them.

If people express an interest in riding the TT, they don’t just turn up on the day anymore.  We try and get them over in the winter to introduce them to the circuit.  We take them around and around around until they have learnt the TT circuit. It’s a great job but we are going to be rushed off our feet this year!