To coin a Forrest Gumpism, the MGP is like a box of chocolates - you can never be quite sure exactly what you're going to get. As I've said before on many occasions, the only thing you can be sure of faced with prospect of two weeks of hedonistic Mountain Course racing is that there WILL be drama.
You just have to hope that overall, more good things will happen than bad. We all know that racing a motorbike around the Island is perilously dangerous. All those lining up to start know the dangers of what they're exposing themselves to and the consequences of what can happen when things go wrong.
Somehow, for me at least, that still doesn't make it any easier to accept what happens when somebody loses their life as indeed Yorkshire man, Chris Swallow did when he crashed at Ballaugh Bridge in the Senior Classic TT race. Welsh rider Ray Maloney and Australian Royce Rowe were also seriously injured in separate incidents.
When things like this happen it would be all too easy to try and turn your back on the racing and say you're going to have nothing more to do with it. I've come to the conclusion that for me, that could never be an option because it's just too big a part of my life and I couldn't step away from it even if I wanted to.
Instead, my focus has become getting involved with riders competing on the Mountain Course for the first time. Let's 'role out the red carpet' for these boys (and girls, although, sadly none this year) and do what ever we can to make sure they have the best time ever and become as helplessly hooked on racing the MGP as the rest of us.
Riders competing for the first time have a special race all of their own called the Newcomers Race. A long line of TT Heroes have made their Mountain Course debut in this race including Michael Dunlop, Ian Hutchinson, Carl Fogarty and Steve Hislop.
Being a part of each riders 'journey' which begins when they arrive on the Island in March for the start of the coaching process, through to when they finish their Newcomers Race is always so enthralling and rewarding. 2019 was no exception.
Everyone's task, but especially the Newcomers was made more challenging by the inclement Manx weather, but as experienced hands pointed out, what else can you expect when you're trying to hold a race meeting on a small rock in the middle of the Irish Sea?
Thanks to the superb race management by Clerk of the Course, Gary Thompson and his team, the support of the Isle of Man Marshals Association and the patience of the Manx public all the races went off, albeit, not always at the planned date and time.
"To coin a Forrest Gumpism, the MGP is like a box of chocolates - you can never be quite sure exactly what you're going to get."
The Newcomer journey starts in March with visits to the Island for coaching sessions and culminates with the speed controlled lap on the first day of practice...
Dave Kneen, Manx Photos Online