At the June 2011 running of the annual Isle of Man TT road race, the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Economic Development has created an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Snaefell Mountain section of the course. That part of the real roads circuit runs from the city of Ramsey to the Creg Ny Baa Hotel and has been part of the event since 1911, just four years after the very first TT motorcycle race on the island.
The celebration will honor some of the many great riders who tread that section over the last century and look back at some of the more memorable events from that time by recreating the achievements in an extravagant parade which is to be held on Senior Race Day, Friday 10 June.
In the parade will be many of the best racers who have tackled the TT and a huge assortment of iconic, historic and definitive machines from past TT events. Included among the greats are Philip McCallen, who won four TT events in one week, Phil Read, multi-time World Champion and eight-time TT winner, and Giacomo Agostini, legendary Italian racer who will be riding his own MV Agusta.
Riders who will be in the parade and also participate in this year’s event are John McGuinness, who clocked the first 130mph lap on the TT, Ian Hutchinson, who managed five race victories at this year’s TT to set a new record, and Dave Molyneux, a 14 time sidecar champion at the TT. Along with these luminaries and legends of the sport, many other current and former stars will saddle up for the parade on Friday.
The motorcycles in attendance will include every significant machine to ever race on the mountain. This includes the
very first Senior TT winning Indian, the first sidehack winner Douglas, and bikes from long-time participants such as AJS, Norton, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and many more. Yamaha will be celebrating their 50th anniversary running at the TT and an entire program has been created for that thanks to Yamaha UK, the Yamaha Classic Racing Team and the Department of Economic Development. Yet another parade will feature past and present top end Yamaha racers.
The overall theme is simply to celebrate the many great memories the Isle of Man TT has created in the minds of residents, fans near and far, the TT heroes and the many that have had the great opportunity to actually race over the Mountain Course.
