If your on the IOM in the morning do yourself a huge favour get up early...................very early and go up to the grandstand as the sun starts to come up stand on the startline............look down towards the top Bray and just listen very carefully and you'll hear the scream of a two stroke setting off for an early morning lap................a thousand bikes and a thousand different sounds all disturbing the early morning dawn chorus...................breaks my heart to think we'll never see it ( or hear it) again.


It the perfect weather just now that has me thinking this

Yeah Cargo, I used to absolutely adore morning practice,if it was fine, getting back after a lap and going for hot chocolate was the best ever.

At least we have see it, i pity those that don't know what it was like. At least the first TT documentary captured a small feel of it.

Yes, from a spectator point of view, morning practice... there is (was) nothing like it..!!! That first bike or two blasting by..... the smile on my face... NOTHING could wipe that smile off, as those first bikes roar down from the start line up over Ago's Leap... But I do understand that it was NOT fun to get up at 2 AM to line bikes up for Scrutineering... Great memories...

Now, please keep this poor Yank informed as to how practice goes on later today..!

Cheers..!

Ron

Cargo, they were the days eh. We are lucky to have seen it and even luckier to have 'been it' if you know what I mean. At least we can still hear the 2 strokes in August, albeit at evening time.
Morning practice, whilst there are plenty of people who put a good case for not having them, were an awesome way to start the day.

Russ

One of my most treasured memories is waking up to see the lighthouse in the darkness from my hotel window, struggling into cold leathers, cracking up the TZ outside and trying not to make too much noise. Then riding through Onchan up to the Grandstand in the dark with my girlfriend in the car behind me lighting the way with her headlights!

By the time you'd scrutineered and had a coffee or two to warm up the first rays of dawn were breaking, the world was fresh and you were off for a brisk lap to set you up for the day.

Ride the bike back through morning traffic to the hotel, full greasy breakfast then a couple of hours fettling ready for the evening.

Magic times, today's riders don't know what they're missing

Morning practice! Quite definitely the most amazing part of TT fortnight. Remember watching Ago's MV coming alomg the prom from the Douglas Bay Hotel in pitch dark in 1965!
And for me seeing the sun coming up, (not good towards Ramsey) and the run over the Mountain at 5.30am.........well I'm glad I've been there and done, and feel very sorry for those that didn't experience it.

Guess I should share my 2002 MGP story. I and 3 pals FLEW our bikes (and us) from the States to Manchester. We rode our bikes to Liverpool and arrived on the Island late Sunday night (midnight). I had caught a nasty cold from a kid on the airplane... I was miserable, and no one wanted to be around me (I did not blame them.. I did not want to be around me either..!). I go to bed or try to, and finally fall asleep.... somehow I woke up just before daylight... get dressed and take a short walk to Quarterbridge Road at Ago's Leap, just minutes BEFORE the first bikes go blaring by... Immediately after the first few bikes ROAR by, my pal Dave joins me, he was shocked at how I managed to be there..! The other two guys slept through that morning practice.... What an awesome memory... the big singles, the two strokes, the twins...the modern bikes, heck the Marshals..!! Life would not be as good (for me) without my trips to the Isle...

You guys enjoy...! See some of you in August..!!

Cheers..!!!

Ron

My mempries of morning practice are many and varied
Being on Bray Hill was and still is a huge favourite!
But on a personal level, I clearly remember coming long the prom, in the dark and drawing alongside Ago on one MV with his famous mechanic(Magni?) on the other.
The lights changed and i followed them up the hill to the paddock!!!
I also remember how we could syand in pit lane!
Being there as Klaus Enders slid in with half a fairing
Being there when Michael Rutters dad, Tony rolled in, took his helmet off and annouced "it **** seized
being there when Kel Carruthers was handed a ride on the Benelli

Being there when SMB arrived on the 500 Honda!

All of this in the early morning

What memories!!!