In 1911 the races were held for the first time on the Mountain course and despite two world wars and the loss of Grand Prix status the annual motorcycle racing holiday in the Isle of Man continues to thrive.
In spite of torrential rain, which saw riders sliding off at every opportunity, Irishman Joey Dunlop won the week ending Senior Race at 99.85, slow by any standards but a brilliant result in such atrocious conditions. Rain, rain and more rain forced the organisers to postpone Friday’s race until Saturday, unfortunate for many of the fans booked on the Friday night ferry back to England.
Earlier in the week, and despite serious front end handling problems, Joey and Honda persevered to qualify for the Formula 1 TT. On race day he powered his 750cc Honda home to win at 115.03mph from Phil Mellor on a Suzuki. The win was Joey’s fifth consecutive Formula 1 TT victory and his ninth TT win. The Senior on Saturday took his TT tally to 10.
