TT HERO DUNLOP KILLED <br><br>Issued: Sunday July
2 2000 <br><br>Record Isle of Man TT race winner
Joey Dunlop was killed during an <br>international
race in Estonia on Sunday. <br><br>Dunlop was racing
at the 3.7-mile public roads circuit on the
outskirts of <br>the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
<br><br>The Ballymoney, Co Antrim rider had won the 600cc
race on Saturday and the <br>Superbike race earlier on
Sunday at Tallinn and was leading the 125cc race
<br>when he crashed on the second lap. <br><br>The
48-year-old rider died instantly. Racing at the Tallinn event
was <br>cancelled following Dunlopıs crash.
<br><br>Dunlop scored his record 26th win at the Isle of Man TT
races little more <br>than three weeks ago. He began
racing in 1969 and was a factory Honda rider <br>for the
past 18 years. <br><br>The father of five was honoured
with both MBE and OBE awards for his <br>humanitarian
work in war torn countries. <br><br>Ends

AY 23rd 1999<br><br>A WEEK TODAY WE WILL BE ON THE ISLAND--SEE Y'ALL THERE--

he days are rolling by and the TT
approaches---<br>let me get on that seacat !!<br>Kevin has decided to
miss the NW 200 to concentrate on the TT and perhaps
it is not a bad thing.<br>The NW 200 is a good
practice for the TT but it would have done a lot of wear
to the engine,reducing the reliability
somewhat;<br><br>Well only a few days to go--SEE YOU THERE

he" motorcycle news" does not relate a great
deal of TT news today--so different from the years ago
when the TT filled the papers weeks in advance---pity
the TT does not warrant more coverage these days--ah
well we make our own news--Still,the big countdown has
started for us true fans and we are counting the hours to
when we get there--roll on May 30th-NOT LONG NOW--

e have all said--------<br>" MAY THE FOURTH BE
WITH YOU"-- today as a tribute to "star
wars"-----<br><br>well my weekend off has been very fruitful--the
bathroom was finished and the mrs is more than happy-we
had a quiet day yesterday which was a public holiday
(one of the "bank" holidays in May..I was able to send
some pickies to my friend who has installed them into
the "photoalbum" section of this site--It really is
worth signing up with YAHOO to view them--they are all
stills off my videocam-it is NOT a digital one but the
reproduction is very good and I have a series of stills from
the practice week.<br><br>Yahoo is easy to join so
get on their system--you know it make a lot of
sense--<br><br>Today it was back to work at "superbiking" see website
and we are still selling lots of motorbikes <br>and
accessories---see the site for further details.

nybody going to the TT will know that in
practice week,we all get up at the crack of dawn to see a
lot of riders go out before breakfast to do up to
three laps of a 37.73 mile course---then go back to the
hotel/house/tent to get the bike ready again for the evening
practice-To me this is the best part of TT fortnight and it
is packed with excitement.During the day there is so
much to do,get organised,prepare etc---get the
suspension right,the tyre pressures right,the feel right,the
carburation right etc....so this takes up time.On another
tack,I have done the bathroom today !--I got up at 5 am
(getting into practice for the TT !) and did what I had to
do--so this afternoon I have been able to watch Foggy
win,Jamie Whitham win and Damon Hill come Fourth in some
excellent racing both two and four wheeled.Donnington
appeared to be cold (weatherwise) at 9 degrees,with mist
so I was pleased to loll on my sofa with a bottle of
good wine,a good Italian meal and two custard pies
!!So perhaps ,seeing it was £25 to get in to
Donnington ($40) I did better doing what I did--besides the
wife is very impressed with the bathroom--What I will
do to get to the TT !!!!!!

ell,if you are going to the TT you can finish
the bathroom---so spake the memsahib and that is what
I will be doing this weekend--All thoughts of the
TT must go into second place while I complete my
project--To repaper the bathroom and repaint the
woodwork---Do you ever have this happen to you ????So while my
friends are at Donnington watching Carl Fogarty in the
World Superbikes I am slaving away--YOU MUST KEEP THE
WIFE HAPPY--(the written rule)NOW I HAVE JUST READ THE
TV GUIDE----I will have to have a break now and
again .Good Luck to Carl-Shame the powers are trying to
level it all down--Carl is SO good--Put him on a 250 cc
bike-Well maybe not but he should do well on home
territory-Also being home he has the crowds behind him--Go for
it Carl !Being home reminds me that being home I can
also see the British Superbikes on TV (good luck John
Crawford who rides for my old mate Doug Randall of Best of
Bikes---and also Steve Hislop --is he riding in the TT this
year ?-and Chris Walker who race for KAWASAKI)Also the
Formula One car racing is on is it not---Oh good for you
Mrs Huntly--you do not know what you have done making
me work in the bathroom--It is a packed weekend on
TV HO HOHO HO !!!!Thank you ,my dear wife

had a few of the lads in last night for a chat
about the visit to the TT--and ended up showing an
almost continuous show of videoed laps of the 37.73 mile
course through the bikecam of some very famous riders
and others---<br><br>Before bikecams were "in" I was
able to mount my Ferguson Videostar Camera on the
roofrack of my car (on a camera mount from an old tripod)
and pass the wires through the sunshine roof opening
to a dash board plug.Another wire was the mike lead
and the mike was hung round my neck as I drove ropund
the course in my car---This gave a two dimensional
view of the lap and is still very watchable---I also
had as passengers some of the top riders who talked
me through a brisk lap and it is interesting to
compare braking points and lines round corners as
described by these riders---<br>I showed one of my tapes
first at normal legal driving speed (30 in 30
etc)<br>Then I put on in series:<br><br>From Bray to
Governors----Mick Grant<br>The bike Experience -------Roger
Marshall<br>The Joey Dunlop Lap<br>The Tony Pond Lap (IN CAR TT
)<br>The Lap with Shaun Harris on the Britten<br>Lap with
Nick Jeffreys<br>A lap with a Sidecar Outfit (Mick
Boddice) <br><br><br>Nobody had had much to drink but they
were speechless and stunned after all these laps (a
total of six but all so very different)<br><br>I
recommend those of you who have only just HEARD about the
TT or those who have never seen a lap at full speed
, to see these videos--<br>They will blow your
socks off !!!!!<br><br>If you contact Halmar Video in
Niagara Falls (those of you in America and Canada) Harold
will help you to source these videos- anywhere else
,you contact Duke Marketing in the Isle Of
Man--<br><br>I collect the annual videos and have a HUGE
collection.............................<br>Yes--we had a great evening last
night and it has
certainly switched on my pals and they are now raring to
go,,,,,,<br><br>More details later--It is 1st of May tomorrow
!!!<br><br><br>NOT LONG NOW.<br><br>My Press Accreditation has been
granted so that is me set up for a great trip<br><br>I
have one of the largest collections of TT memorabilia
in my loft---I have 51 years of souvenirs,postcard
collections,stamps,you name it---My house is warm in winter--my loft has
all my collection laid out for easy retrieval so this
holds the heat in so it is not lost through the roof
tiles !!!---My wife actually thinks my collecting is a
good idea..She used to go with me to the TT (1964 to
1975) but she saw how much I was involved in this great
event so as long as I take her on a big holiday later
in the year I am "allowed " to go to the
TT.....<br><br>See Y'all tomorrow----------

ur lads have gained entries to the north west
200 so this will be a great highspeed practice for
them prior to the TT.<br>We will watch their progress
with interest---<br><br>Kevin has an outing at the
Isle of Man races at Jurby before this so again this
is good acclimatisation --(devereuxs kippers,okells
ales and the manx air)<br><br>hope you will watch our
progress over this next few weeks as we
prepare,physically,mentally and anatomically for the TT......<br><br>We hope
that this year Blair Degerholm will come really good
and get a high place or even better--GOOD LUCK BLAIR
------

or those of you reading my countdown--<br>"woderful" should,of course,read
"WONDERFUL"<br>and I mean WONDERFUL

ell,only 30 days to go to when we head out for
Liverpool for the Seacat ferry to go to that Island of
Magic and the start of the TT period---a woderful
experience,one which has caused me to go year after year .This
year is my 52nd visit and I look forward to it
already--yes the butterflies have started in my stomach and I
count the hours up to the time I set foot on the Isle
of Man---OH I CAN'T WAIT
!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br>CHECKLIST<br>1-make sure homestay remembers I am coming
!<br>2-find
the ferry tickets<br>3-get the rest of the money off
my pals !<br>4-follow up the promises(oil,brake
pads,helmet etc)<br>5-start packing--already<br>6-phone ahead
to set up the TT session<br>7-contact the
contacts<br>8-e-mail all the rest<br>9-sort out stop watches signal
boards and the like<br>10-write everything down in my
little book<br><br>Kevin Murphy needs a new helmet for
the TT--<br>ANY OFFERS PLEASE ?<br><br>see you all
soon

e are Homestaying again this year and are
pleased that this has become available on the Island....I
of course miss the days when we all stayed in one
hotel but with the parking on the prom getting silly we
are pleased to have our own park at the house.<br>A
couple of years or so ago we took over a farm and we
really enjoyed that.It was on the course so some of the
lazy ones amongst us did not move an inch from the
farm---no I tell a lie--they had to go to replenish the
beer once or twice...The farm owners were super and
the food was out of this world (it would be wouldnt
it)<br>Our friend Dick (by nature as well) spoilt things a
bit when he came "home" late one evening and ran over
the farmers prize duck. Well thats what rhymed with
it but I think it was a DRAKE.<br><br>We were asked
back but he was banned--<br><br>See you all on the
Island--Looking good !!!!

nly a month to go and we will be on the high
seas on our way to the TT--<br>We have entered Kevin
Murphy this year on a Yamaha and have a special interest
in Blair Degerholm--We send our best wishes to both
(blair rides kawasaki )<br><br>Remember last year ? I
have just dried out recently--Let us hope for better
weather and a super TT --See all there--especially me old
mates-propping up the bar in the palace.<br>We miss the Douglas
Bay--them were the days.<br>Hope to meet up with you in one
months time on the ferry.

ust sent out a Newsletter to Newriders<br>and included two links to IOM related
sites<br>as information to possible future competitors.<br>This is against the
media norm in America.

APPY NEW YEAR to anyone checking this site--the
TT is only six months away and the clock has started
ticking---<br>I am here to answer any questions about this very
special two weeks when the TT races are held on the Isle
of Man.What a fantastic experience for anyone going
to visit.<br>Most of the attendance at these races
come from all over the world and it is great to hear
all the accents such as
Canadian,Oz,Sweden,Germany,France,USA, Japan,and many others-----why not come
this year
and see it for yourself .......

nyone contemplating a visit to the TT 1999 must
now consider booking your boat tickets for they are
booking up fast, and therefore, do not miss out because
you cannot get there.I usually make sure I can get
THERE and then worry about getting back.Boat tickets
are booked from the IOM steam packet on IOM
(01624)661661 and putting a deposit down. You will then be
billed in the new year, when you must commit yourself to
the boat fare in full. obviously if you know on which
day you will be returning from the TT you will book
the return ticket as well. When you have done this
you can consider three kinds of stay.....! <br>1/
hotel -fairly booked up already<br>2/homestay with a
nice family who will supply bed and breakfast,and
sometimes evening meal if required.<br>3/camping-great in
good weather but awful in wet weather.<br>The TT is
simply the best and you will be carried along with
it----no problems, the manx people will bend over
backwards to make it a happy and memorable visit.<br>I am
now willing to answer questions and advise you where
ever possible------after 50 years I know a fair bit
about the Island and the TT so put me to the test.<br>I
will try to add some photos to my next entry so I hope
those of you "tuning in" will find this site
increasingly interesting-<br>I am just back from Tunisia and
Italy, combining business and pleasure (the shop in
which I work has just been granted the APRILIA m/c
franchise which is good news, so I am home again
.<br>Please add a comment or two if you have heard of the
TT.I would like some response -I will now be spending
time making this a website all about the
IsleofManTT....Hope to SEE you there in
1999...........................................

hank you for visiting this site--however some of
you are not identifying yourselves.<br>come on,if you
love the TT, leave a name or at least a country of
origin.<br>I am preparing the site off line so keep calling
in-we have a few unusual ideas and items which will be
of interest.COMING SOON ****************

his is a club with NO joining
fee--------<br>However I hope that anyone interested in the Isle of Man
TT will "contribute" stories,experiences or queries
to this website so that it will be of assistance to
anyone who has been or who intends visiting the TT
.<br>This is not meant to be an official site based on the
Island but a site which can develope into a proper site
dedicated to a wonderful fortnight of racing,social
activities and fun.....<br>So sign on and add to my concept
if you please...

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