CLASSIC TT NEWS
After a week of qualifying for the competitors the Classic TT really comes to life on Friday, August 25 when the Paddock Carnival kicks off at the TT Grandstand, with eight-time TT winner Charlie Williams as MC. On stage behind the Grandstand, in a series of chat shows, will be six-time world champion Jim Redman and former Honda factory rider Stuart Graham, as well as modern day TT stars John Mcguinness, Dean Harrison, Michael Dunlop and James Hillier. In Nobles Park there will be a car and motorcycle Concours d’elegance, as well as family fairground rides and entertainment. The Classic TT Paddock Carnival runs from midday kicks and is free to enter. The Classic TT organisers are inviting prestigious car and bike owners to display their machines in the 2017 Classic TT Concours d’elegance, which is taking place on Friday, August 25 as part of this year’s Classic TT Paddock Carnival behind the TT Grandstand. Trophies for five categories will be awarded for ‘the Best Racing Motorcycle in Show’ and ‘Best Classic and Vintage Road Motorcycle in Show’, the ‘Best Car in Show pre 1946’, the ‘Best Car in Show 1946-68’ and the ‘Best Car in Show 1969-86’. As well as the trophy, each winner will also receive a pair of tickets to VIP hospitality on a Classic TT race day. On the 60th anniversary of Bob Mcintyre’s first 100mph lap of the TT Mountain Circuit, Michael Dunlop will pay tribute to the achievement with a celebration lap, dressed in period clothing, on board an identical dustbin faired Gilera recreated by Kay Engineering. On Sunday the action moves to the north of the island with the hugely successful Vintage Motor Cycle Club Manx Section Festival of Jurby, which has rapidly grown to be the Isle of Man’s largest one-day event and offers entertainment for the whole family. On Sunday evening in the VIP hospitality area fans will get the opportunity to mingle with TT stars past and present during the RST Classic TT Heroes Dinner. The three-course meal is interspersed by a series of interviews. In what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans a genuine Honda-6 will complete a lap of the TT Mountain Circuit in the hands of two-time TT winner Steve Plater. On Monday, August 28 the iconic Honda, the only surviving RC165 outside of Honda’s own museum, owned by Team Obsolete’s Rob Iannucci, who has shipped it all the way from the USA, will attempt to do the first complete lap of the 37.73 mile long TT course since the factory riders, Jim Redman, Stuart Graham and Mike Hailwood used them in anger. Rob Iannucci commented on the history making occasion: “Team Obsolete has been racing classic bikes since 1978 and has now competed in 1500 races with 50 riders. Our victory in the 1984 Historic TT, and the 1989 Manx GP Milne Shield, sealed our love for the Mountain Circuit, which represents the ultimate challenge. We have made 26 starts in all, with two wins and two fastest laps. “The Classic TT has now emerged as the crown jewel of classic motorcycle sport worldwide. We are honoured to have received an invitation every year since its inception to share our historic bikes with our friends. All of us come because we must. Regardless of where we hail from, we are all drawn to something very special. We all know that we belong here. We see it in each other’s faces and we feel it in our bones.”