Isle of Man TT Video

by Rick K. for webBikeWorld

This is a "must have" video.  It documents the last Isle of Man TT rode by "Yer Maun", the late, great, incredible Joey Dunlop.  Throw in a fierce battle with TT rider David Jefferies, a handful of other famous TT riders, the wild and crazy sidecar races and even a peek at some vintage TT bikes and there's no question that this one should be in the library of every motorcycle racing fan.

The yearly Isle of Man TT video compilations are produced by Duke after every TT, and certainly no one knew that the year 2000 would mark Dunlop's last race.  In fact, it's only mentioned by way of a brief memorial at the end of the video, which was produced in the summer of 2000.

That's probably as it should be and most likely as Joey Dunlop would have wanted it, because, as we are told, he loved talking about racing but hated talking about himself.  This was part of the "Yer Maun" persona, which came about as a result of his wonderful rapport with TT fans, who could most definitely relate to his regular-guy personality.

Dunlop was 48 years old in 2000 when this video was filmed.  Think about that for a second.  Then think about the absolute unforgiving brutality of the Isle of Man TT race course.  It really is awe inspiring.

But that's not all.  Dunlop went into the 2000 TT races with, believe it or not, a total of 23 TT victories.  He scored a "hat trick" in 2000 by winning an incredible 3 more class races, which are all featured in the video, bringing his lifetime total to 26.  Seeing that alone is worth the price of the tape.

But the victories didn't come easy; he battled every step of the way with David Jefferies, yet another fantastic TT racer who lost his life on the course in 2003.  The Isle of Man TT course is currently 37.73 miles long, and 3 to 6 laps are run for a maximum distance of 226.38 miles.  Pit stops and tire changes are the norm and can sometimes make or break a rider, and breakdowns are relatively frequent.  If you'd like to learn more, Vin Heron visited the race in 2005 and wrote a wonderful story about it for us that I think you might enjoy.

The Isle of Yer Maun video covers it all in Duke's "long review" format.  It's about 2.5 hours of pure TT enjoyment, covering several classes.  It includes great on-board camera shots, "kerb cams", aerial footage and interviews before and after the races.  There are also segments on sidecar racing, "Mad Sunday" festivities, the Red Arrows aerial acrobatic team and more.

This is an excellent video with broadcast-quality post production.  It's probably the best single TT video you could have in your library because it documents so many milestones in addition to the fantastic racing that is the hallmark of the Isle of Man TT.

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