So begins a tribute by former race commentator Charles Lambert to Ian Huntly, the man who is possibly the TT’s longest-running devotee.

Superfan Ian will be arriving on the island in May from his home in Reading for the 70th consecutive year to attend his beloved TT.

The son of another TT afficianado, Ian first came to watch the races in 1947. The trip was made partly in the hope that the island’s fresh sea air would aid his recuperation from asthma and bronchitis.

His dad, Harry, had been coming since the 1920s and already knew some of the teams and the best places to watch.

The TT wasn’t an instant hit with Ian, however, as he recalls in his memoir: ’I hated it all for the first few days: a Norton mega exhaust noise just hit me at ear level, and frankly I did not like it. As a consequence, I spent a lot of time on the beach to my dad’s dismay.

’However after getting up for the practices, meeting just about everyone, and being introduced to the wonderful hot soups available from the tent in those days, it all grew on me.’

There was no such thing as burger vans to stave off spectators’ hunger in those days. Ian remembers much simpler fare:

’When we went out to the races, I was introduced to the "packed lunch" which was four slices of bread made into sandwiches with a thin smear of butter and an even thinner smear of some kind of meat or fish paste. There was an apple, an orange and a bottle of pop plus, wrapped in paper, a wedge of fruit cake. We loved it all and it staved off hunger until we returned to the hotel for the evening meal.’

Ian has amassed a vast collection of photographs and memorabilia over the years but he has specially fond memories attached to one of the very first items he acquired. Still a young boy, he had the opportunity to meet and chat to Geoff Duke whose fame was growing as he was starting to notch up wins in the TT.

Ian takes up the story: 

’When I arrived home a small parcel came for me. I opened it carefully to find it was Geoff’s back number (79 Junior) from that year. I still have it in my collection.I think that this one occasion alone really made me the TT fan I am today.’

Ian also witnessed the rise of the Japanese bikes.

He says: ’Most people sniggered when they saw the "first" Hondas, mainly because they resembled the old NSU in layout.’"Not a chance !" was the general opinion, but this team ended up with the Manufacturer’s Team Prize on their first attempt.’

Ian names Clark’s Corner at Keppel Gate as his favourite vantage point and 1979 as one of the most memorable racing years.

’The big race that year saw the battle between Mike Hailwood on a Suzuki RG 500 and Alex George on a Honda 1000 - a race I still consider one of the very best. Alex won by only 3.4 seconds.’

Ian says that there are many reasons why he has kept coming back to the island each year for the TT but one of them is ’to remind myself of my early days when my parents told me that we were going to a magic island’.

It’s good to know that the magic is still here 70 years on.

Read more about Ian’s TT experiences in his memoir at http://www.ianttfanhuntly.co.uk/69YEARSATTFAN.htm.

Julie Blackburn