The TT Experience!

by Dwight Mitchell

There I was, sailing toward a wall on my new Kawasaki Team Green ZX-6R at over 100 mph on my way to qualifying for the Senior TT race, and I was wondering how I had gotten myself into this precarious predicament. I know why I was racing: It's the most challenging and exciting racing I've ever experienced to date. What I was wondering was how I could have allowed myself to make such a grave error as over shooting a corner on the world’s most demanding race course. Fortunately, I walked away from the accident without a scratch, thanks to my Vanson leathers and Alpinestar protective gear. Other riders were not as fortunate as I last year.

But I get ahead of myself, and I should start at the beginning. The dirt, the grease, the crowds, the parties, the noise, the leather, the sweat and the speed are all integral parts of the TT experience. For an adrenaline junkie, all great achievements start as a single thought. For me it was no different.

In 1998 I raced the Isle of Man TT races for the first time. To say I was not afraid would be a lie. When you're on the mountain section the first few times and you look off a cliff to your right at 160 mph, to see nothing there is quite intimidating. I was scared, but totally exhilarated. In other words, I was hooked because it was the most fun I had ever experienced during a racing festival. It's totally different from a modern racing circuit. When you've got the crowds right on the edge of the course, and not stuck behind a wire fence, it makes it so much more exciting. It's a cross between Daytona and Mardi Gras, with an emphasis on sport bikes and racing. Each year, 75,000 people and 12,000 sport bikes descend upon the Isle for this event. But, unlike Daytona, everyone comes here for the racing.

Formula One Pit Stop

K2 Photography

The first question out of everyone's mouth is, "Don't you know a number of people die each year at this event?" No one knows when it is his or her hour to die. If they did, would they live their ives any differently? Let me dispel any initial notions you may have about my being mentally challenged. I have always had an adventurous nature. My mother tells me that at the age of nine months, I was riding my older brother's hobby horse. I was bouncing up and down on it like a bucking bronco. When I was young, Evel Knievel was the most popular motorcycle stunt rider of that time, and the way I rode my bicycles, mini-bikes, and mopeds, my father nicknamed me "Awful Knawful." For the most part, my life has had the same tone every since.

So what's it like to race the TT? In a word: INSANE! But I loved it. 220 curves, and 37.75 miles of narrow twisting roads, lined with telephone poles, looming stone walls, buildings, hills, and no runoff. I must say there is nothing like ripping through the streets of towns at 160 mph. NOTHING! From the very start of the race you're flat out, WFO, full throttle, sixth gear, down a steep incline know as "Bray Hill," and in the air over Ago's Leap before you're even one mile into the race. You are always on the gas and getting it! Your bike is always in the air when you're flat out, and your concentration must be absolute or you're history!

I started Team USA with the intention of capturing an ACU International Team Award. In addition to individual trophies, team awards are given to a three-person team not affiliated with the ACU which completes the total distance of the race in the shortest aggregate time. There were 792 entries from 20 countries at last year's TT, and we won the award on Wednesday of race week in the Junior/600 Supersport race. The three-man team was comprised of Garett King, riding a Pompton Honda F4, Steve John, riding a Padgett Kawasaki ZX-6R, and myself as a Kawasaki Team Green rider on a ZX-6R.

This was a grass roots effort, with a Team USA TT Supporters Club being formed to help defray the cost of racing in Europe. We signed up over 400 new members, and our race crew was comprised of members from the supporters club who were going to the Isle. Thanks to my wife and co-manager Eva, and our crew of Wayne, Clark, Ted, Ben, Rita, George, Herb and all the people who helped us out! We couldn't have done it without you. We also gave away a free trip to the TT to one of our supporters. George Catt of Warrenville, IL was the lucky winner. I'm glad we were able to bring home the trophy for all our supporters.

Ballaugh Bridge

Island Photographics