The Isle of Man on-board with the Man himself: Joey Dunlop
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- Joey Dunlop
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- Joey Dunlop
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- Joey Dunlop Honda RC30 Kate’s Cottage
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- Joey Dunlop
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- Joey Dunlop 1992
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- Joey Dunlop at Bray Hill
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- Joey Dunlop at Gooseneck
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- Joey Dunlop at Creg-ny-Baa
“This is a dangerous one, this next one, where the walls is. I think that’s where I gain a bit because it scares a lot of people them walls and it doesn’t scare me. You can get through it alright but you can hit your helmet against the side of the wall because you’re so close to it.” – William Joseph Dunlop
The Isle of Man TT absolutely terrifies me. I don’t even have to ride it, just watching other people do it is enough to get my heart racing and my hands breaking out in a cold, clammy sweat.
Good thing we came across this incredibly visceral on-board footage of Joey Dunlop turning in a lap of the Isle of Man then!
Joey Dunlop is an absolute legend of road bike racing. He entered his first road race in 1976 at age 24, won his first TT in 1977 and kept winning races right up until his death in 2000. He could win on pretty much anything and proved his talent riding for Honda on everything from a 125cc to a superbike.
“Ah! A lot of sky there Joseph.”
He was and will probably always be, the master of the Isle of Man TT, holding a virtually unassailable record of 26 victories on the course. Among his record-breaking (smashing) achievements are hat tricks in 1985, 1988 and 2000 and a six year consecutive winning streak in the Formula One race from 1983 through to 1988.
So if you want to learn a thing or two about the Isle of Man from a master, he is definitely the one to watch.
The three part clip features a short interview and then a full on-board lap of the Isle of Man track with commentary from Joey. He offers some fascinating insight into the track itself, the challenges of road racing on a bike, other riders and birds. It is incredible hearing this soft spoken and exceedingly modest man comment so matter-of-factly about this display of absolute fearlessness and talent.
Sit back and enjoy!
Don’t forget to watch all three parts: part 1, part 2 and part 3.
Images by foodman123.com, Wilson Adams, Christof Berger and GNU Free Documentation License
