Ashes on the mountain

TT MEMORIES 2007

Its 4.30am monday 11th February-- and I cant sleep. I'm thinking about Muriel Farrington--"NO WAIT I HAVE'NT FINISHED"--I'm thinking about Muriel's last e:mail saying "Come on Jim get your ass in gear I need a tt story for the MOVer mag"

So here it is:

Well that's another great TT week over (10 days this year) it was the 100th anniversary of the races and also my 41st visit since 1967.  Will I ever get tired of the TT ? --NO CHANCE--Every year brings new friends and the chance to see old motorcycling friends, who we have'nt seen for 12 months--and after 10days you realize once a year is enough in some instances!!!!!!

Bob Day and Angus Wing (what a great name) flew in from Texas--Bob lives in Plano, and Angus lives in Houston. Bob used my Honda ST1100 and I managed to get a CBR 600 for Angus, the bike belongs to John Hopwood an old friend who lives in Castletown on the Isle of Man.So everyone had some wheels and a great time was had by all--again!!! The weather was kind to us, but not as hot as the 2006 TT when Ted and Lynn Hall were over for their first TT visit--come back soon Heifermeister and bring that hot weather again--plus that drink I'm sure you still owe me !!!!!!

The racing is over for this year and I'm sat on the memorial seat dedicated to Mike Hailwood at Hailwood Heights (top man on any bike you put him on). It's up on the mountain near the Brandywell Corner about 1/2 a mile along from The Bungalow another famous much photographed spot on the TT course.

I have sat here at the end of TT week each year since 1992 and placed flowers at the side of the road in memory of my eldest daughter Gail. She passed away in 1991 at the age of 27yrs and over that 27yr period Gail and I have seen a lot of great TT MEN pass this spot--Hailwood,Agostini,Read, Ivy, and hundreds more. Plus all the top sidecar men--Enders, Schauzu, Auerbacher, Fath all mounted on BMW s.But Chris Vincent on a BSA sidecar outfit beat all the BMWs in 1962!!   I hear you are rather keen on BMWs in Vermont!!Theyr'e ok for pulling a chair(sidecar) I suppose--only joking!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a wonderful place to see the races, and Gail and I have walked miles along the mountain fields (since she was 4yrs old in 1968) while the top men have gone screaming by--in the days of the mighty Honda 6 cylinder works bikes you could hear the bikes miles away as Hailwood wrung their neck as he left Ramsey Hairpin 6 miles away. Our last time together at this spot was 1990 when we blasted past on the Honda.

Sitting on Hailwood's seat you can see back down the course for about 4/5 miles on a sunny day--and on a bad day about 6 feet if you are lucky--anyway today was a sunny, warm clear day,just perfect for a fast lap of the course, and I'm sat here thinking about Gail and past TTs when I hear him coming.The 4 into 1 exhaust howling as he comes up The Mountain Mile-------long before he comes into sight around The Veranda and I can see his headlight blazing until he moves out of my sight again near the Les Graham Memorial and then he is into view again at The Bungalow. I can hear OUR HERO as he goes for every last rev in each gear--with the rev limiter cutting in and out (TT music) and sparks flying as the exhaust touches down on the right hand bend as he leaves the Bungalow.   He is on a Honda Fireblade ,it's the 'must have'  bike in 1992,and he's giving it PLENTY. When he's about 200yds away from me--with a loud bang and what appears to be a cloud of smoke--he's suddenly passed me. As he heads up the road to the highest point on the TT course at Brandywell I can see that there are 2 Heroes on the Blade, crouched low behind the fairing, and suddenly I can see the reason for the cloud of grey behind the bike.  Its not the bike blowing up in a big way--no its the ashes of their mate being emptied out of an URN by the pillion onto the road.  As the--" 3"-- of them hurtle out off sight towards Windy Corner with more ashes and sparks  from the footrests  and I'm stood there in my nice light grey leathers--they were black before i became covered in THE DECEASED'S  ASHES--- There and then I decided when it's my turn to go in the Big Oven--I'd like the family to bring me back to the Island and scatter me at great speed right here where Hailwood's bench and Gail's flowers are.  But let's hope that's a long way off!
                                                                 
                                                   Another Magic "TT MEMORY"            
Altogether now     "I THINK I WILL GO JUST ONE MORE TIME"