100 Year Mountain Circuit Isle of Man - Part 2
| In the former newsletter you could already read how the issue of the I.O.M. stamp series on the occasion of 100 years Mountain Circuit has been accomplished. In this part a description of the chosen races and the final winner (of the stamps). Basically a simple task, because as usual I.O.M. Philatelic Services gives ample information on the cards that are added to the FDC's. A quick translation by Google and ready. Okay, let's do that, but with a little bit extra information added. |
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In the Senior TT-race of 1935 the Irishman Woods (29 times GP winner and 10 times winner of an I.O.M. TT-race) obtained the victory by a tactical game. In the race Jimmy Guthrie on Norton had a large lead. Woods' pitcrew was preparing for a pitstop, and therefore Guthrie's crew informed him that he could slow down somewhat. But.... Woods, who rode a Moto Guzzi and ever started the TT on a Harley Davidson, raced along the pits and realized a new lap record, and thereby stole the siege from the Scottish Jimmy with just 4 seconds. Apart from that Woods also won six races in the TT of Assen. Guthrie died in harness in an accident in the 1937 German GP, after which a memorial was raised for him on the Mountain Circuit. |
The with 122 victories still greatest racing driver of all times, the in Brescia (Italy) born Giacomo Agostini, can be found on the second stamp in a battle of epic proportions with his master Mike Hailwood. Ago, riding on MV Agusta, and Mike "the Bike" Hailwood on a Honda, alternated in fastest laps in the Senior TT race of 1967.
A long time they raced with less than a second difference between their virtual times, but in the last but one lap a broken chain of the MV brought the victory to Hailwood. |
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In 1976, arrived in the 2-stroke era, John Williams on a factory Suzuki pulverized the existing lap record of Mick Grant with 27 seconds. With a lead of 3 minutes he was driving the last lap on a bed of roses, until he came to a standstill without fuel about 100 meters before the finish. He went on pushing and still finished in 7th position. Tom Herron, riding a Yamaha, won the Senior race of 1976. |
| In 1977, the year that the FIM forbade to ride World Championship races on street circuits, it was the fight between two sidecar combinations that made the spectators' breath fail. The drivers Dick Greasly (with passenger Mick Skeels) and George O'Dell (with Kenny Arthur on the third wheel) where battling within 1 minute, with O'Dell as conqueror. |
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The Isle of Man celebrated its millenium (the first independent parliament in the world, Tynewald, had been founded in 979) in style with an epic Classic race of 6 laps in 1979. Alex George was leading the first 4 laps, riding a 1000 cc Honda-Britain 4-stroke 4-cilinder. Mike Hailwood, on a 4-cilinder 2-stroke Suzuki RG500, fought back and had the lead with 0.8 seconds at the start of the last lap, but George was stronger in driving over the mountain and won the race with a lead of 3.4 seconds only. He set a new record with a race average of 113 mph (miles per hour). |
| In the 1992 Senior TT both Carl Fogarty and Steve Hislop were riding motorcycles that were unknown to them, Foggy a Yamaha OW01, Hizzy an Abus-backed Norton rotary. But this did not keep them from riding one of the greatest Senior races ever. First Hislop broke his own lap record. Next Fogarty improved that to 123.61 mph, but Hislop won the total race by being faster with 4.4 seconds, and set a new race record of 121.38 mph. It was the first TT victory for Norton since 1973, and their first Senior victory since 1961. |
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In the Formula 1 TT of 2000 Joey Dunlop rode Aaron Slight's WSB Honda SP1 1000 cc V-twin. David Jefferies used the V&M Yamaha R1. Joey made very well use of the difficult combination of wet and dry circumstances on the 37.73 mile long circuit, and while Jefferies had the lead for a short time in the 4th lap, Joey took back the lead due to a very well performed pitstop of the Honda team. In the end Jefferies became offside with engine troubles. Joey won the race with a lead of almost a minute. |
| The 2008 Senior was the kind of close racing that characterizes the present era of the TT races. The battle was between 5 riders for a long time, but in the last lap concentrated on 2 riders: Cameron Donald, on a Relentless Suzuki, had a 5 seconds lead, but John McGuinness attacked on the Padgetts Honda. Donald's bike suffered from an oil leak, while McGuinness rode a lap record of 129.517 mph in the last lap, what led him to victory and brought him on the same level as Mike Hailwood regarding the number of TT victories. |
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Former World Sidecar Champion from Austria Klaus Klaffenbock and passenger Dan Sayle made a Sidecar TT double by winning the dramatically exiting 2nd race during the 2010 TT. Due to a fantastic last lap over the Mountain Circuit Klaffi set the fastest sidecar record ever, at 114.15 mph, and inflicted a slight defeat upon John Holden and Andy Winkle: a siege with a lead of 1.12 seconds only, after riding a few rounds at around 10 seconds after Holden/Winkle. Klaffi was the first non-Manx sidecar TT winner since 2003. |
| Ryan Farquhar entered the last lap of the 2010 Superstock TT with a 5.54 seconds lead, but Ian Hutchinson was on a mission and at the moment they reached The Bungalow Ryan's lead was reduced to 1.29 seconds. Hutchinson crossed the finish line to win the race by being only 1.3 seconds faster, and this thanks to a magnificent new lap record of 130.741 mph - the first ever 130 mph Superstock lap. The Padgetts-Honda rider won a recordbreaking 5 solo TT races during that racing week. |
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In the former newsletter it has been explained how the publics winner has been elected from the races chosen by the celebrities. It became the 1992 Senior race between Hislop and Fogarty.
On the block of GBP 3.00
we see the 2 fighters in a position that is not possible during a race, with in the margin Steve holding the Senior Tourist Trophee and a perplexed Carl in the background.
For the real fans there is also the opportunity to order a centenary packet, containing also 2 postcards with a special gold foil stamp on the occasion of this anniversary. On the cards the stamp from 1935 has been put (glued).
The complete Centenary packet
The special postcards
Pobjoy, the trading company for stamps and coins from I.O.M., has now also issued a special Crown coin. There is also an official 50 pence coin because of the fact that it was Yamaha's 50th entry in the races.
Well, it seems to me that the craze for collecting again has got some drive to want to have, have, have by this extensive issue.
Hans de Kloet
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