I am aware of course that the pure race bikes were push started but what was the first TT race to be started with a clutch or electric starter?
Cashy

An interesting question and one which I should know the answer to, but the memory cells aren't what they used to be!!
I would guess at around the mid to late 80's ?
Maybe just the lightweight machines initially ?
Again, just guessing.

For sure, there are many knowledgeable folk on here who will know.

not sure about this was it the very first prody race

I don’t know the answer. It came up between my like-minded friends and I but we couldn’t come up with a definitive answer.
I am aware of the extremely knowledgeable anoraks there are on this site and hope that one of them can put me out of my misert

The 1947 (and from then on) Clubman's TT was kickstart.
I am sure that my races at the TT were clutch start from 1984, though the 75/76 10 lap Production TT was kick/electric start.
I didn't ride the smaller classes, but I think they were still push start in 1980, so maybe it was between then and 1984.

(31-01-2022, 01:22 AM)Cashy Wrote: I am aware of the extremely knowledgeable anoraks there are on this site and hope that one of them can put me out of my misery

I suppose that's one way of asking a favour!

I think my original question would be better divided into two categories. Firstly my original query and secondly which was the last TT race to be “push start”?

I'd hazard a hazy guess based on equally hazy personal memory that the last push start race would/could have been the 250cc 2-stoke Junior race before the race was renamed Lightweight in the mid 90's......or the 125cc ultra-lightweight race which was reinstated in 1989...

Thanks Alfie I’ll look into it

I have found a photograph of Joey and Brian Reid push starting the Junior TT of 1985. There is also a sign on the start line “Push Start”

My first TT was 1993 and I'm fairly sure they were still doing them for the two strokes then (but the old memory does play tricks). All my TT reviews are on VHS so not easy to watch. The best I could do on YouTube was the 1991 250 race and they were definitely still pushing then.

Thanks Sam, I can defo remember a friend in 1987 pushing his bike level with Mountain View on the right after the cemetery before it fired and was 99% sure my first TT in 1993 was a push start which was curious as my previous MGP's were clutch start.

My first sidecar race in 1993 was push start. I remember it well - road was a little bit damp and I slipped, hitting my knee on the road. Managed to recover quickly- but my sponsor, sitting in the grandstand, noticed! LOL