Ok folks just a quick query!
i bought a book called "Racing round the Island"
in this book it states racing began in 1904?? can antone shed any light on this fact?
i am thinking that there has got to something more than a date mix up?
Common knowledge is 1907.
were there other races ongoing at the time?

Cheers John

John, from what I know of the history of the TT, which is not much, it think that in 1904 the Manx Government allowed the roads to be closed for the Gordon Bennett car races. Maybe this is where the date in the book comes from. I don't think there were any bike events though 'till 1907.
Some TT buff will know for sure.

Yes, in 1904 it was the start of the car racing, with bikes coming into it in 1907.

Read <A HREF="http://www.ttwebsite.com/history/">http://www.ttwebsite.com/history/</A> for a little more on the history of the TT.

It is all explained in the book you mentioned!
A good book it is, too.
You can catch people out with the question "which racing machine was the first to arrive on the I.O.M?" Of course, most people will plump for a bike!
My copy of this book is full of autographs of T.T. riders. I have some good ones, too.
I carry it around with me when I go watching racing, just in case I bump into a "blast from the past" The most recent entry is the late Peter Inchley...
Mike