"24 hours before his death, Gus Scott wrote this heartfelt account of a 115mph lap at his first TT. We couldn't think of a finer tribute to our friend than to publish it."
Into Kirk Michael and I brake just after the 30mph sign. Strangely enough, they put in 300m brake markers after Kim died the other night. Ian Lougher broke down here and said I looked really good through this section. He's been helping me with my suspension all week.
Then accelerate like mad, but this is where something strange happened. In the first few races I was only passed by three riders and I've only caught a few. I went through the Superstock race without seeing anybody. It's quite lonely. It was my fifth lap and my head started playing tricks on me.I went through Kirk Michael and saw a copper and thought, 'What am I doing?' I was flat-out, so I shut off because I'm used to riding on roads. Then it clicked that I was racing. There's nothing to tell you the you should or shouldn't be doing it. It's a really weird situation.
The buildings are tall on both sides. Kerb to kerb to kerb. Apexing yellow line, yellow line, yellow line. You can hear the bikes noise rattling off the buildings. It's bumpy, hairy and scary but an awesome feeling - full-tilt through a 30mph village, throttle pinned, kicking up to sixth.
Hard-ish left, hard over the bumps, back a gear and then accelerate over Rhencullen. Right-left, wheelie so it doesn't go into a tankslapper, then a quick right, down to fourth, down a dip and get the bike absolutely straight over the next rise or it'll tankslap. It's taken me all week to get that right.
Pin it through Alpine Cottage and off towards Ballaugh Bridge. Brake at the 30 signs - bang, bang, bang - down three, then another and accelerate and pull on the bars in the centre of the bridge, but at an angle to get your line right. No one tells you how to do it. I was landing my front wheel at first. I haven't got experience of jumping bridges and I haven't raced motocross like some of the top guys. You hear the front clonk and you've got to get on the gas immediately.
hard up the box to this bit of worn-out road where the surface is like tar. You can feel the wheels moving through the long left-hander, towards Ballacrye - which is scary. You jump about 160 feet, a foot or so off the ground. It's like a little skip and everybody's had a nasty moment here. The bike twists slightly in the air and you get a whip when you land. The other day John McGuinness broke his screen off and his steering damper snapped it was such a nasty slapper.
then there's Gwen's Cottage. Little Gwen is over 80 years old and she comes out shaking her fist at you, to will you on towards the the awesome Quarry Bends. There's a bump on the way in that unsettles you, roll in in top, then back a gear to drive through. get it wrong and you know it.
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