100 years of the TT told in this five-part series by Geoff Cannell, Phil Edge and Terry Cringle, with Matthew Richardson of the Manx Museum.
From its beginnings as a reliability test to its current position as the greatest road race in the world, the TT has had to change and re-invent itself as each generation brings new challenges.
In this specially commissioned 3-volume audio history produced by Manx Radio, producer Roy McMillan utilises nostalgic clips from the Stanley Schofield Sound Stories archive, Manx Radio and private collections to recount a story that is almost the heartbeat of motorcycling itself. Each CD is full of rare bike sounds, carefully researched stories and anecdotes, plus excerpts from commentaries that capture the excitement and drama of famous TT Races in a way that only radio can.
And where no archive exists, we've created unique simulations of what a radio commentary would have been like at, for example, the 1922 TT.
1: Beginnings 1907-1914
How did the Isle of Man become the home of motorbike racing? The course began in the west of the Island, but it was only 4 years later that the bikes became strong enough for the challenge of the mountain.
2: A Way of Life 1920-1939
Races had now developed into a stable part of the Island's economic life, and the first star of the races, Stanley Woods, was making a huge impact - going onto win an amazing ten TTs.
3: Moving Up a Gear 1947-1967
The races had become symbolic of tourism, fun and the arrival of the summer season. The next twenty years were among the TT's finest, with the likes of Geoff Duke, Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood adding glamour to the already dangerously testing skills required to take on the Mountain Course.
4: A Matter of Life and Death 1968-1987
The manufacturers were pushing their rider to get more Championship points; and the riders were taking more risks. The result was more injuries and deaths. When the likes of Agostini and Sheene started withdrawing, the authorities had to take note - but they didn't; and the TT lost its World Championship status. Would the new heroes like Joey Dunlop be able to keep it alive?
5: Festival 1987-present
Another generation, another challenge, another route to survival - the TT had turned itself into a festival with less emphasis on the races in order to attract an audience that might otherwise have stayed in the UK. With new heroes like Hislop and McGuinness, the lap times kept coming down, and there were classic races between some of the greatest riders in the TT's history.
Bonus track: Riders' Stories
Richard 'Milky' Quayle, Dave Molyneux, Paul Hunt, Chris Palmer and Jason Griffiths discuss living on the Island, why they race, how they prepare for a TT, their favourite parts of the course and much more. Frank and revealing, it's a unique insight into the world of the TT racer.
|