NEWS / EVENTS / SPECIALS / TOM'S TIDBITS

The Isle of Man TT races are held on the Isle of Man every year and have been held nearly every year since the first race in 1907. It isthe most fantastic event I have ever been to. It lasts for two weeks with the first week being practice/qualifying and the second week racing. Every day of watching the bikes on track is incredible and it matters little whether it is practice or the actual race because they both look the same. They are racing against the clock so there are no mass starts like you see in other forms of motorcycle racing. They hit speeds well over 200 mile per hour!

The course is 37 3/4 miles on regular streets through towns, villages, hills and over "the mountain.” You have never seen or experienced anything that compares to it. The atmosphere, camaraderie, scenery, the pits, and excitement in the air is unforgettable!

I have had the privilege of riding and racing many forms of motorcycle competition including drag racing, trials, road racing, endurance racing, dirt riding and racing, and I have known many riders who are champions in each of those styles. The top riders in every form are simply incredible!

Now to start a little controversy: I feel that the top riders that compete in the Isle of Man races are the best road racers in the world! I am not taking anything from the likes of Rossi, Spencer, Roberts or Marquez because on a closed course, or “short course” as the tracks are referred to by IOM riders, those riders cannot be beaten. The IOM racers go just as fast and turn as hard but are doing it on a 37 mile public streets course full of bumps, uneven surfaces and undulations, with no runoff room, shade and sun affecting their vision, people standing a few feet away as they pass them, and lots of other issues that seem just impossible to traverse at the speeds they ride. To me their talent is at another level.

And yes, it is the most dangerous road race in the world. It doesn’t pay very much and is expensive to put a team together to compete. For 117 years the competitors and spectators know this and are still willing to attend because, to them, this kind of racing is what life is all about!

Watch some videos on YouTube and it will blow your mind (check out Peter Hickman’s quickest ever lap from 2023). Better yet,make plans to go. Best to start planning your trip a year in advance. The one thing I can say for certain is that you won’t regret it!

Supreme, the undisputed king of lucrative crossbranding, has adorned the Ducati Streetfighter V4 S with its signature red and white logo.

Unlike some of the other collabs in Supreme’s Spring-Summer 2024 capsule, like the CRKT CEO Microflipper pocket knife or three-legged Nite Ize Buglit standing flashlight thingy, the Italian naked bike wears the Supreme labels quite naturally, perhaps because Ducatis are already partial to red and white paint jobs.

Scrambler® Ducati presents itself at the 2024 London Bike Shed MotoShow with two bold and innovative concepts. Two proposals from the Centro Stile Ducati, created on the technical base of the second-generation Scrambler®, which demonstrate how fundamental the world of customization, characterized by creativity and free expression, is for the post-heritage Ducati world.  

Shaking up the world of motocross is no easy feat, but that’s exactly what Triumph set out to do in 2024 competing with the Triumph TF 250-X in both the Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Championship and Pro Motocross Championship. The full season of Supercross delivered holeshots, a Heat Race win, and fighting for podium positions. But now attention turns to the outdoor season.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

*PLEASE NOTE - THE 20% OFF SERVICE VOUCHER IS GOOD FOR ONE USE ONLY AND IS PER CUSTOMER, NOT PER BIKE.

(714) 256-6700 socalmotorcycles.com

STAY CONNECTED