The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland—and home to the one of the world’s most exciting races on two wheels. The history of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (IOM TT) race goes back to 1907, when the first race was run as the International AutoCycle Tourist Trophy. There were 25 entries featuring two classes—a single-cycler class and a twin-cylinder class. The first race was 10 laps on the 15-mile long dirt road course (now one lap is 37 3/4-miles long). The winner’s averaged speed was 43mph; he rode a twin cylinder Norton. The IOM TT is the race many motorcycle road racers dream about ... it’s not for the timid or the unskilled. Every summer, the isle’s governing bodies close the public roads and streets for race teams and individuals from around the world participate in the world’s deadliest race on the planet—racing through three small towns and over mountainous roads. There are six classifications: Senior TT, Supersport Junior TT, TT Sidecar, TT Superbike, TT Superstock, and TTXGP. The rider’s bike classification will deem how many laps are run on the course. Riders come to the isle for different reasons: some come to test their skill, some come for fame, and some come for glory. In the end—they come to run the timed 37 3/4-mile course! To find out more about the Isle of Man TT go to http://www.iomtt.com. In February 1974, the AMA Competition Director contacted us. He told us that because we were the top American Sidecar team in the Sidecar Racers Association, the AMA would give us the only IOMTT entry they were given for the 1974 races. However, this was only an entry with no sponsors. We would have to pay for everything ourselves. We jumped at the chance to go to England
and race the TT. We started sidecar racing in 1970 on a very old sidecar outfit. Early in 1973, we purchased a new, custom-made racing sidecar chassis from England. It was one of the best handling models available. When you buy one of these, all you get is the frame, wheels, tires, brakes, and fiberglass body. You must install your own engine, cables, and wiring. In our case, I choose a 1972 BSA 3-cylinder 750cc engine. We had to weld in all the motor mounts, make an oil tank, exhaust system, and shift linkage. The new outfit made the difference between finishing in the middle of the pack and winning. We filled out the forms and mailed them to the IOMTT, England. A few weeks later, we received a letter that said we were accepted. Now the fun starts. In 1974, there were NO sponsors ready to pay our way, so we set about planning the trip. A couple of the sidecar teams we raced against here in the SRA were from the Isle of Man, so they helped a lot. A racing sidecar outfit does NOT come apart. It is a one-piece frame including the sidecar, so I had to build a LARGE crate in which to ship the bike to England by airfreight. Next was booking airline reservations, hotel rooms, and a spot in a local garage for the bike. There were no garages at the track. We found space in a local auto repair garage along with several other riders. Finally, we are on our way. When we got to the Isle of Man, we checked into our hotel. We headed straight to the garage where the bike was shipped. To my surprise, the bike was not there. It was back at the airport in Liverpool, 100 miles back across the Irish Sea. They could not load the crate into the plane. If I could not fix the problem, I would have to reassemble the bike and ride to the ferryboat dock to get
“I hope you enjoy this 3 part Special on the T.T. Races Isle of Man.”
Ron Galletti
BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 9
