MORONEY
Hopefully there ’ ll be people once again enjoying a pint at the ‘ Creg ’ for the 2022 Isle of Man TT
Words : Roger Moroney Photo : Brian Nitto / 55productions
Not even the no-nonsense marshals who man the roadsides of the Isle of Man TT every year could have prevented this unsettling crash . The Covid-19 crash . That beastly global pandemic , which some bats and other creatures , and some mindless market stall bods who hung them out to dry for sale in China , introduced to all and sundry . It canned the TT , which in hindsight was no great surprise , but it has seriously rattled the racing landscape . Because the TT is legendary , in terms of testing the limits of those who set forth down Bray Hill and those who travel from all parts of the world to taste and experience the legend for themselves . And it is a remarkable experience . I went there in ’ 77 and watched Phil Read make an outstanding re-appearance … and to see Mick Grant on the 750 Kawasaki barreling down what is simply a long , straight country road at about 280km / h was kinda special too . As was the pub at Creg-ny-Baa where I watched one of the races … with a pint in hand . And the evenings … crikey … you needed as much stamina and in some cases bravery as the racing battalion . For the bars and
businesses on the isle the annual TT is the annual “ make hay ” time because tens of thousands of people pour in to stay , and spend . The landscape becomes awash with colourful crowds , and great fleets of bikes . Going to the TT is kind of like a rite of passage in the world of motorcycle racing . I had to go . I was in Blighty anyway so no question about it … even though the cash was starting to dwindle at that stage and I couldn ’ t be stuffed finding a job . So I feel for those who had planned and pursued a visit to this year ’ s TT , only to get the news it had been canned . Regretfully , as the IOM ’ s Minister for Enterprise Laurence Skelly clearly pointed out , “ We do not underestimate the disappointment this decision will cause for so many people ,” he said . “ The TT relies on thousands of volunteers and officials across a wide range of organisations and we could not move responsibly toward a positive decision to proceed in planning for 2021 .” As he rightly noted , handling the arrival of tens of thousands of visitors during such a dodgy time simply would not , and could not , work . “ The decision is in the interests of the island , the health and wellbeing
86 KIWI RIDER