Monday, April 19, 2010

A visit to the IOM TT races through the eyes of an overseas enthusiast.....

The TT races were always high on my agenda to visit as I avidly read "The MotorCycle" and "MotorCycling" when they arrived into the shelves every week ( well as they came by ship in those days, sometimes there was none for a while then three or four arrived together) at Omodie's Motorcycle Accessories in Sydney from early in the 1960's....
A dream that was to eventuate with my overland ride to Europe in early 1974.
http://velobanjogent.blogspot.com/search/label/Travel
Two weeks in the IOM for the TT in both 1974 and 1975 went a long way to satiate my thirst........
I took colour slides and spent some time recently scanning them into digital images and realised the differences with film camera then and digital cameras today... The quality of my photos gives me some angst, but then I did take photos and want to share some with you over several blogs.....we'll journey from London to Liverpool and board the ferry with the motorcycles craned aboard as they had been done for nearly 70 years previously....
Some touristy bits and a few racing and associated items....
Come back in time with me to those days.....
Left click on the images to enlarge them... 




Above....Pumping out petrol from motorcycles about to be loaded onto the IOM ferries at Liverpool, a practice that had continued for around 70 years by the AA/RAC...just leaving enough for you to ride to a petrol station in Douglas.... 
Below...shots taken on the ferry, the IOM Steam Packet companies "Snaefell".


At the pier in Douglas, IOM Steam Packet ferries unload...



On the promenade at Douglas in the evening....


Setting up camp...Jim and Val Day from Australia at Bray Hill camp ground. Judy and I took a room in a guest house as others have done in the past...

1 comment:

daveinnola said...

DENNIS GET YOUR SELF A SABLE DUSTING BRUSH AND GIVE THE SLIDES A BRUSH OFF (BOTH SIDES) THAT SHOULD HELP A LITTLE