Isle of Man TT - Race Week

Saturday 4th June 

For the first Isle of Man TT race of 2022 we were blessed with glorious sunshine, and with large crowds expected in the grandstand, I decided to go and watch and photograph the start. There aren’t many places in the race calendar that allow you to get this close to the grid without a special pass, so it’s an opportunity not to be missed. 

It was also a special moment as it was John McGuinness MBE one hundredth start at the TT, so to capture a little bit of history I made sure I was in place early to get the best spot.

As the riders assembled I thought back a few years to when I took Daley Matherson's picture from the same place. Unfortunately he did not return, passing away on the course after an accident.

For the Superbike race all of the riders came home safe and sound, with Peter Hickman winning by a commanding 39 seconds after racing flat out for over 200 miles! 

As you can imagine, these sort of race distances demand a lot from rider and machine. A lot dropped out of the race. Davie Todd’s back tyre delaminated and while I was crossing over the Ninian bridge, Lee Johnston came past with what sounded like a pit lane limiter on, or it was stuck in gear, as it was revving its head off and not making much progress.

As I was heading for the grandstand Lee overtook me down one of the Douglas side roads, taking a short cut back to his garage having retired.

Finishing in second was Dean Harrison but I don’t think he was happy with second. His face told you what he thought about being second. I hope he doesn’t play poker!

Third was Michael Dunlop who was a lot happier with his placing. Chatting to him in the paddock he was not 100% happy with his bike or his riding, so there could be more to come from him.

Glen Irwin came in 8th setting the fastest lap for a newcomer ever. All week Glen has looked relaxed and confident, so it was no surprise he did well. It won’t be long before he can get rid of the rookie TT orange bib.

The second race of the day was the sidecars which didn’t go full race distance, being red flagged. César Chanal died after an incident at Ago’s Leap, just under 1 mile into the Course, on the opening lap of the race. His passenger Olivier Lavorel, 35 also from France was airlifted to a specialist hospital in Liverpool.

Road racing can be a cruel mistress, and our thoughts was with the families and friends of Olivier and César.

RST Superbike TT Race Saturday 4 June 2022

Monday 6th June

After the opening race there is a day off for the teams and riders, but not for the spectators. Peel day, the sprint at Ramsey, and the beach racing at Douglas are a few of the many free events to keep the estimated 38,000 TT spectators entertained.

We headed out on the bikes to Peel, the highlight was spotting Trevor Nation sadly with out his Norton. It was jam packed, queues everywhere and to be honest a pain to get round, so after a short walk round the town we set off for the sprint racing at Ramsey.

This was more like it, still loads of people but as Ramsey is much bigger there was more room. After the obligatory fish and chips I could have spent the rest of the day just watching the bikes but as this is the only event where you as a spectator can race during the IoM TT we headed off to watch the runs. Just turn up, register, and off you go as fast as you can down the straight.

There were some very rapid, unusual and just strange bikes when we went, so plenty to see. They also run this event at the Jurby airfield if you fancy a go next year. 

There are also rider interviews at the main entertainment area adjacent to the paddock, which is where we headed for the Gas Monkey and FHO racing team interview.

Richard Rawlings had flown in from Texas to watch the race and see how his sponsored bike would get on. I can say he was quite pleased with the results so far.

Monday the 6th June saw us at Creg Ny Baa, the pub at the end of the mountain section of the course, for the second race day. There are a number of good locations here for the spectator and photographers and plenty of space to move around.

The are also quite a few free and pay to use grandstands, food and beverage outlets and of course the pub, but it’s worth getting there early as it’s a very popular spot. 

In a tight race Michael Dunlop came home first with Dean Harrison second and Peter Hickman in third.

Unfortunately Davy Morgan was lost to the racing community on the final lap. Davy had made 80 starts at the TT and was well known in the road race community competing at Olivers Mount to the Macau Grand Prix.

Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 1 Monday 6th June 2022

For the next race, the sidecars, we moved to Hillberry next to Ballacottier Road. This is a straight into a fast right hard corner up a hill. It’s only a few miles from the Creg Ny Baa public house so easy to get to on the back roads. 

There are a few shots here, but the best one I think is a wide shot up the hill. As they generally do, the Birchill brothers took the win.

3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1 Monday 6th June 2022

For the final race of the day the Superstock, we moved again this time to the Gooseneck, which is one of my favourite locations on the island as you can see the racers coming and it’s a slow right hander so you get plenty of time if you want to take a snap or two.

This is a popular location and not easy to get to when the roads are closed. The back road to the Gooseneck is a single track and passable in a car, with a large but quite steep field to park in, or you could just lob your bike in a hedge! 

Hicky took the RL360 Superstock TT win again with Milenco by Padgett's Motorcycles team riders of Conner Cummins in second and Davey Todd in third.

RL360 Superstock TT Monday 6th June 2022

Wednesday 8th June

The weather was changeable on our last day on the island and with our bikes and gear packed in the van and a ferry to board at 18:15 we didn’t have much option but hang around the paddock. It’s about a 15 minute drive to the ferry terminal with traffic so was our only option.

There are a few locations you can walk to from the paddock and main grandstand area. The closest is St Ninian's crossroads, so that’s where I headed to watch my last race of 2022. With a bridge that is opened when the roads are closed you can view the race from both sides of the road. 

The sidecars came out for a practice lap as well as the twins before the racing started. This was the last time I would see Roger and Bradley Stockton #34. They would be involved in a fatal accident at Ago's Leap during the second lap of the second sidecar race on Friday.

Wheelie-Konni Ammenhäuser, a TT super fan that most regular visitors to the island will recognise from his unique appearance, was marshalling at St Ninian's watching Hicky pick up another win, with Lee Johnstone second and Paul Jorden in third.

It's only a short walk back to the paddock, so as the leading riders passed me on the last lap I headed there to meet up with my shooting buddy and catch the riders in Parc Fermé.

The crowds had already gathered but I had my trusty step which is helpful to get a better view at these sorts of events, and managed to get a few half decent snaps of the celebrations.

Bennetts Supertwin TT Race 8th June 2022

So that concludes our photographic review of the 2022 Isle of Man TT race week. The TT is a totally unique event that regardless of your motorsports preferences you should go and experience once in your lifetime, if this is still on your bucket list get it ticked off, you wont be disappointed.

In our final and third report of this series we will be looking at a few riders that caught our eye, but didn’t have corporate catering and flashy sponsorship deals. Look out for our unsung heroes of the TT in a few days.

In closing I would like to thank my shooting partner and riding buddy RPW Photography for helping out with this report.

Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 10th June 2022

3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 2 11th June 2022

Milwaukee Senior TT Saturday 11th June 2022