Squeeze and I got back Saturday from a week in the Isle of Mann. We specifically went to take in the Manx GP. The MGP is not to be confused with the TT, which is the more famous race that takes place earlier in the summer.
We decided on the MGP because we felt the TT would be busier, more expensive and way more crowded. Of course the racing we saw was not quite of the same caliber but from trackside it's hard to tell. FWIW Michael Dunlop was racing.
For the week we were there the town of Douglas (home to the start/finish, grandstands and paddock) was like a rolling bike show. All kinds of make, model and year of bike. BSA Bantoms, MZs, RD 250 350 & 400s, numerous Suzuki Water Buffalos, a bunch of old Zundapps with side cars from a club in Germany. The only thing I didn't see was a KLR650. I spent lots of time just oggling bikes on the street.
We bought a transit pass which allowed us on all major transport: Bus, the horse drawn tram on the Promenade, the steam train, and both the electrics trams. All of them except the buses are over a 100 years old. This was a really good idea since you need to move around the island to get to different veiwing areas.
We managed to watch from the grandstands, St Ninias Church, the bottom of Bray Hill, a church yard at Braden Bridge and the Bungalow.
The churches take advantage of the racing (many kept alive by the proceeds). St Ninias rented chairs for a pound and had home baked goods for sale inside. The church at Braden Bridge was 10pounds. For that you got a plastic chair inches from the action, access to toilets and fresh home made treats and drinks. Food and toilets was key when you consider you are locked into the venue while the roads are closed.
There are a ton of videos online so I don't think I need to add much. I am including two stills I pulled from one of our videos to show you how close we were to the action. (this is the Braden Bridge churchyard)
Lastly everyone on the island was super friendly and helpful. (All the Yanks we met apologized). We're already planning the trip back but 2 weeks next time.
We decided on the MGP because we felt the TT would be busier, more expensive and way more crowded. Of course the racing we saw was not quite of the same caliber but from trackside it's hard to tell. FWIW Michael Dunlop was racing.
For the week we were there the town of Douglas (home to the start/finish, grandstands and paddock) was like a rolling bike show. All kinds of make, model and year of bike. BSA Bantoms, MZs, RD 250 350 & 400s, numerous Suzuki Water Buffalos, a bunch of old Zundapps with side cars from a club in Germany. The only thing I didn't see was a KLR650. I spent lots of time just oggling bikes on the street.
We bought a transit pass which allowed us on all major transport: Bus, the horse drawn tram on the Promenade, the steam train, and both the electrics trams. All of them except the buses are over a 100 years old. This was a really good idea since you need to move around the island to get to different veiwing areas.
We managed to watch from the grandstands, St Ninias Church, the bottom of Bray Hill, a church yard at Braden Bridge and the Bungalow.
The churches take advantage of the racing (many kept alive by the proceeds). St Ninias rented chairs for a pound and had home baked goods for sale inside. The church at Braden Bridge was 10pounds. For that you got a plastic chair inches from the action, access to toilets and fresh home made treats and drinks. Food and toilets was key when you consider you are locked into the venue while the roads are closed.
There are a ton of videos online so I don't think I need to add much. I am including two stills I pulled from one of our videos to show you how close we were to the action. (this is the Braden Bridge churchyard)
Lastly everyone on the island was super friendly and helpful. (All the Yanks we met apologized). We're already planning the trip back but 2 weeks next time.
