The Isle of Man is one of the most storied motorcycle racing circuits in the world, and holds a special place in the hearts of motorcyclists everywhere. If you haven’t yet visited, chances are excellent that you plan to go in the future—or, at least, you want to go. Even if you’ve been watching the TT for years at home, there’s a world of difference between watching it and actually riding that road course.
Enter the new Motorcycle Island series from Bennetts Bike, which takes you deep into the heart of the IOM so you get a better sense of the whole picture. In this first episode, we get no less a tour guide than John McGuinness, MBE, to advise the proper methods for tackling the mountain. He’s taken Honda IOMTT rookie and BSB sensation Glenn Irwin under his wing, and both Irwin and moto journo Michael Mann get the benefit of his on-site instruction.
Now, to be totally clear, they’re all driving around in a Honda HRV together, at sensible four-wheeled speeds. This definitely isn’t the type of drive to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Still, hearing exactly how you tackle specific parts of the course wouldn’t work well over Bluetooth helmet comms at racing speeds, would it? You have to walk before you can fly.
This video is only the first part in the series—and also, it only covers the first half of a lap around the Isle of Man road course. Irwin’s heard a lot about the very bumpy bit around Ginger Hall, and he’s of course very keen to learn all he can about it before taking his Fireblade around to start building that muscle memory.
Clearly, this is no ordinary tour guide, full of the same lists of sights to see and historic places to visit that every other tour guide probably also has in abundance. If you’re interested in getting a glimpse inside how John McGuinness, MBE thinks about the specifics of this course he knows and loves so well, this is absolutely the video series for you. While we mere mortals may not be flying around this course at his pace, the insights may be of particular interest to riders who visit the home of the most famous motorcycle road race in the world.
