The return of Guy Martin and Josh Brookes to the TT certainly adds a touch of spice to an event which looked like becoming a Dunlop/Hutchinson duopoly. And it is seen as a very smart move between IoM race boss Paul Phillips, Neil Tuxworth of Honda and Norton owner Stuart Garner, and maybe a hint of Mr Higgs in the shadows.
So everybody is happy? Well, not everybody. Road racing fans are always glad to see riders of the stature of Brookes, a British Superbike Champion taking on their heroes. And Guy Martin is, well, Guy Martin. Worshipped by some but despised by others who cannot bear the thought that he is the most famous bike racer in the country if not the world. But not much to do with racing, not even a TT winner they say.
The question on some people's lips ‘Why are they doing it?’ is based on concern for two riders who probably aren't going to advance their careers much by participating in the most dangerous race in the world. But they could certainly end it.
If not trying for career enhancement at the age of 33, Brookes is certainly trying to revive it after a disastrous 2016 season in World Superbikes. Having won the British Superbike crown in 2015 he took on the world with high hopes. The Milwaukee BMW team was not competitive and so he is returning to BSB, one of the best riders but not one of the favourites.
Brookes took on the challenge of the TT in 2013 with Philip Neill’s Tyco Suzuki. And he was a star, becoming the fastest ever newcomer with a lap of 127.726mph. He loved it and returned a year later but his short circuit commitments prevailed, however, and he has not been back since.
To put this performance into context, and other crossovers like Peter Hickman, it took the great Mike Hailwood three years before winning on the Mountain Circuit. So these riders can be considered challengers to the specialists.
Brookes is mounted on a Norton, probably the most famous marque in the 110 year history of the TT. But not a Norton as you know it, Jim. Just as well perhaps as they are confined to the Classic TT. This Norton is financed by entrepeneur Stuart Garner, owner of the brand and TT enthusiast, but powered by Aprilia. So it has the speed. But despite being ridden by the likes of Cameron Donald and advised by Mick Grant, the performance of the Norton Aprilia is less than stellar. Brookes will not be among the favourites.
So why do it? Well, the TT is the most famous race in the world and you can be sure that the canny Aussie will not be doing it for nothing. Indeed, between the TT promoters and his sponsor, he could make as much in a single week as in a full BSB season. If he wins that is. (A note of caution here. Ian Hutchinson won five races in 2010. His reward was circa £80k. Any student tempted to do a risk/reward analysis shouldn't even bother.)
High risk activity is compelling for many people and this high-speed time trial is like no other in the world. Riders are queuing up to take part. The same question can apply to all extreme activities. BASE jumping, the sport of free falling after jumping from mountains, cliffs or tall buildings, which according to The Times, has claimed almost 300 lives since the start of the century when it first became popular. The Alps has, apparently, had 20 fatalities in the last six months.
How much do we wish to control freedom of physical expression? Do people need to be protected from themselves? Most racing is governed by rules which do exactly that. And risk from colliding with ‘street furniture’ has largely been eliminated. Road racing cannot do that but it can, and should, do more.
Guy Martin from Grimsby is, on the other hand, different kettle of fish. A racer for half his 36 years, much of it in anonymity, he sprang to public attention on 2004 by winning the Gold Cup and Cock O’ the North races at Scarborough and a newcomers record lap in the Senior TT of 122.01mph.
What followed was a not unsuccessful road racing career but the elusive TT win was just that. His frustration boiled over at the 2010 Senior when, pushing probably too hard, he crashed spectacularly at Ballagarey. It was a near death experience - bouncing off a wall at 150mph - but it was the making of a new career which was to bring him greater fame, and fortune, than he could have ever achieved by being a mere TT winner.
His introduction to television came in 2009 when ITV4 and North One television made a film about the TT. Producer Andy Willman saw something in him - sideboards and all - and that connection, coupled to his TT video Closer to the Edge, which featured his own spectacular crash, began a new career.
The Channel Four series Speed with Guy Martin was a huge ratings success as it set out to achieve world speed records for the Wall of Death (78.15mph), a Soapbox (85.61mph) and some marginally more serious ones. There have been many others in which the appeal of Martin and his curious mixture of near-incomprehensible dialogue, quirky humour and engineering knowledge have introduced him, and road racing, to a completely new audience numbering millions.
His books have become the biggest sellers on the Waterstones or Amazon lists of sports books. He is a millionaire, or should be if his agent is doing his job properly. So why does he want to go back to the TT?
Perhaps there is a hint in the title of his best selling book When You Dead, You Dead and even after two mighty accidents - one at the Ulster GP in 2015 - which he was extraordinarily lucky to survive, he is prepared to take risks. It is not the money for him, although he will no doubt be taking as much as he can get. It's ego.
Behind that ‘I’m just a humble mechanic happiest in my shed with a brew’ persona is a powerful desire which supercedes all the fame and notoriety. It is to win a TT, a race which he has visited with his father Ian since boyhood. Just to prove the naysayers wrong.
And he may just do it, but as Michael Dunlop is aiming for a 134mph+ lap, that Fireblade will have to go some.
