WELCOME (Taken from www.islandracer.co.uk)
Hello and welcome to the 2012 edition of Island Racer
I don’t know about you, but as a lifelong true-blue dyed in the wool fan of the Isle of ManTT races I think there’s a real buzz about this year’s event.
We’ve got Conor Cummins back to full strength, we’ve got a clutch of youths joining the fray, we’ve got astounding new bikes out there, we’ve got Guy Martin looking more eager than ever to bag that first Island win.
And on top of all of that we’ve got John McGuinness. The boss. Mr 17 TT wins. Serenely surveying his patch, pulling off the impossible year after year. John is coming to this year’s event after winning the Senior last year and each time I sit down with him for a chat about road racing 2012 he’s got more than a zen vibe going on about his chances.
I like that about John. He’s always keen to pay tribute to guys like Joey Dunlop, his own personal hero, and equally keen to give support and encouragement to the younger riders coming into the game of racing on the world’s toughest road racing course.
But what I like even more about John is the disarming way he points out that although he’s been at the top for a long time now and while there’s a few naysayers out there who reckon he’s past his best, he can still wind it up and go as fast as he needs to in order to keep winning races.
And you can’t say fairer than that. Which is why I think that this year’s Isle of Man TT races are going to be absolute crackers.
Not only do we have the cream of the crop back to full power and full strength but we’ve got the old boy still at the top and going quicker than anyone has ever seen. There’s plenty more to come from McG and 2012 is going to be the sort ofTT where he is attacked from all sides. Martin will be strong, as will Bruce Anstey, as will all the other top racers going out there. Recently we have seen what can happen in The Island when it doesn’t quite go as planned. Let’s all hope that we don’t see that this year and get the chance to relish what will be absolute perfection from the fastest and bravest racers on the planet.
But first, they’ve got to get past McGuinness. And that’s not going to be easy. If you want to own TT2012 then understand that this year it’s all about John McG and his lowflying Honda.
Tony Carter
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