Reading the posts on the excellent thread on how many members had raced on the Mountain Course, I wondered if you guys would like to share with us which buttock clenching bend/section gave you the most satisfaction to get 101% right.

Although I did not race bikes on the tarmac I did race Karts through the 60's and early 70's taking in most of the UK short circuits and the Billown course (1967 to 1970) so can I start you off with my favourites?

1. Iron gates. (it looks even more scary when you are just a few inches from the tarmac, probably similar on a sidecar outfit) To get through without lifting off, in top, on a 250 Bultaco powered kart, still makes me smile just thinking about it.

2. Ballawhetstone. Thanks to whoever put the field gate on the exit, gives you a few more inches of road.

3. St Marys (Oulton Park - on slicks just after it started to rain, four wheel drift all three apexes and ending up not quite on the grass for 6 laps, phew)

4. Paddock Hill (Brands) nuff said.

Over to you

I love the little twisty section on the link road after Castle corner on the Tandragee. Larry will know what its called.
Its fast,blind & unsighted with at least 3 jumps/wheelies and scraes the absolute **** out of me.......................but I love it.

On the TT course I love Ballasacary, Crosby, GorseLea, The kink at Bishopscourt, Alpine, the third bridge at he end of the Mountain Mile, Black Dub, end of Cronk ny Voddy, the two lefts after Handlys, Top of Barragoo, the jump out of Rhen Cullen .......................

Anyone spotted the theme yet ?

My favourite on the TT course.................everywhere after the start and Jennys Gate after the finish

The theme is, I think, "fast and blind" :!: :!: :!:

My two are (sadly, were ) into Crosby flat in 6th (even if only on a Yamaha TZ350G :!: ) and the long lefthander from Cronk-ny-Mona over to Signpost - this one is quick and on a constant radius, although the road moves from side to side under you, and you go from gutter to gutter :!:

And then you've got to get stopped for Signpost . . . .

Cargo knows what I mean :!: :!:

Ah memories - Billown will just have to do me now . . . . . . . . .

From a passengers point of view:

Southern 100.

Iron Gate - Sideways :shock:

Williams (After Ballabeg) - Full commitment, just scrape the kerb on the way in and just rub the bank on the way out with a tight clench

Not Church Bends - See 2005 DvD for info :wink:

TT

Ballascary - Eyes closed
Ballaspur - Without moving
Quarry Bends - Without moving

Never did the TT with the new Brandish but would imagine that is awsome
:shock:

EDIT: Forgot Deers Leap, top and bottom at Dundrod. I was lucky enough to do this before Sidecars were banned

st mary's oulton now then i have being going there 50+ years and its a new one on me?

Pykey,
maybe it's my memory for names that is going, I meant the long right hander leading onto the straight, before the right hander into Dears Leap.

I stand corrected if I have named it incorrectley, all I remember that it is actually three bends, taken as one.

And yes Cargo & Larryd get the drift, all blind bends are the best and there are an awful lot on the TT course. I can only imagine the buzz you get from a race distance and am really envious of you guys.

There were always two or three "Ooooooh Mother!" bits for me - top and bottom of Barregarro, buttock-clenching to take honestly flat out even on a tiddler (best handling bike for me here strangely was the proddy 250 Kwacker!), and first time through St Ninian's crossroads at the top of Bray on a flying lap on my TD3. All through practice I was doing a single lap on this, a lap on that, so speed after the start/finish straight was nothing like I was suddenly faced with first time I went straight through!
Best fun ever was through Kirkmichael - especially if first one through on dawn practice. The noise, the sensation of speed, the thought of all those good folk being shaken out of bed by an unsilenced twin 2-stroke at 100mph plus past the 30 limit signs......
The smell of wild garlic at Bishopscourt, keeping a careful lookout for the tree with the big white 'K' painted on in Quarry Bends, the waterpipe running down the wall on the left as a peeling-off point for Union Mills. There are just too many.

Quote:The smell of wild garlic at Bishopscourt, keeping a careful lookout for the tree with the big white 'K' painted on in Quarry Bends

Peter, you are not wrong about the Garlic although I used to notice it around Ginger Hall, especially on the early morning practises.

Is the K on the tree in Quarry Bends when it really was Bends? I can think of a Tree with a K painted on it now but it is out past the church around Glen Tramman area where the black and white painted kerb comes to meet you on the blind crest.

Personally I hated Ginger into Ramsey from a passengers point of view. There is really nothing that stands out down there as a landmark and it is so bumpy that it is tough to stay on. Ask any passenger, their is no passenger flair down there and it never looks pretty either. You just drawn breath for 90 seconds, don't blink and think of the good times ahead on the mountain.

My favourite part of the TT course is Kirk Michael to Ramsey, a great variety of bends and you really have to work after Ginger Hall.
On the Southern the great b*m twitcher on a sidecar has to be Williams flat out in 5th and then The Dip hard in top.

St Marys at Oulton sorry even all my gang the Oulton regulars said 'where is that' unless its one of those made up chicanes that in my opinion have ruined what was a one time the best circuit in the England, but who am i to argue just a fan who used to love the circuit.

Hi Keith/pykey, Druids at Oulton Park? But I can't guess where St. Mary's is?

For the record, as a road rider, Westwood just before Kirkmichael is my favourite. I perceive it as a double left with the camber in your favour, brilliant, unlike the previous bend at Cronk Urleigh (?) which is a downhill right and off camber, horrible.

The K painted on the tree, much discussed here previously and a fixation of Cargo's, is between Conker Fields and Sky Hill Wood along the stretch 22nd to 23rd.

alf

Pykey where is St Marys ? @ Oulton ? :?

Your winding me up :wink:

Always wished that they had taken a bit of time re naming Hizzy`s on my favourite circuit, no way should he have had a chicane named after him...no matter how well meant it was.

Totally loved watching him coming over Hilltop and up Clayhill....Awesome and simply the best.

OK Alf, downhill right and off-camber tells some of it, but you missed out the bloody great stone wall on the outside :!: :!:

:roll: :roll:

I hate that K much prefer the big yellow splodge............I was lucky enough to have Davy Wood point it out.

Thanks alf885, of course it should have been Druids, I must be getting religion in my old age. :roll:
Apologies to all for the head scratching.

larry d, I'd forgotten about the walls and hedges, talk about target fixation, all I can think of through there is the camber. alf

Ok Keith you had me worried i thought i was going senile

There is a St Mary's at Goodwood which featured TT Centenary tribute races and displays last year with some great classic bikes and riders. You can see footage of St Mary's if you follow this link and click on the interactive map. There are definitely no stone walls or hedges for Larry's benefit.

http://www.goodwood.co.uk/revival/

Just in case there is a single person out there who has not heard it, the wonderful story of the naming of Knicker Brook at Oulton Park may be downloaded at http://www.ferrit-dsl.fireflyinternet.co...0Stuff.htm
I had the immense and painful (side aches!) pleasure of meeting Mr Bates in a pub.......a great man, a motorcyclist and very, very funny.

Peter, thanks I thought I was going senile as I could remember a bend named St Marys, but as Pykey pointed out it was not at Oulton, so I was racking my brain :?: to remember which circuit it was on. I can remember it now, not as much fun as Druids though.

Can anyone remember the Bomb Hole at Snetterton, when the Norwich straight went on for a day and a half, and the Bomb Hole took you under the bridge which led into the paddock? Looked as though it would be interesting on a bike plus there were a lot of marks on the tarmac which looked like footrest/handlebar grooves.

Also, do all the road markings that now adorn the TT course cause any problems on a fast lap? Did a slow lap in November and I'm sure that there are more markings now than a couple of years ago.
Keith