1989 Isle Of Man Tt Review: The New Pretender

To compete on the daunting 37.73 mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course is a major challenge in itself. Yet, since 1907, the challenge has been taken up by some amazing riders. Like Harold Daniell, Freddy Frith, Geoff Duke and Mike Hailwood who competed for 500cc World Championship points, as well as the enormous personal satisfaction of riding in the greatest road races of them all. In 1989, the reigning 'King of the Roads', Joey Dunlop was unable to ride due to injury but a new pretender to the title made an emphatic mark on the TT. Steve Hislop, a 27 year old Scotsman not only equalled the records of Hailwood and Dunlop by winning three races in one week but also pushed the outright record to over 121mph average speed! See Hislop cresting the rises at Rhencullen and Kerrowmoar on the back wheel of his 185mph Honda RC30, Nick Jefferies Honda on the back wheel split seconds before the stone wall marking the sweeping curves of the Mountain section during the Formula One Race. They are not the only treats in store for armchair enthusiasts. Producer Videovision, working closely with Duke, found scores of locations around the course to reveal the true nature of this event. Stunning aerial shots filmed from over 1 mile above the Bungalow contrast with the hectic schedule of sideshow events and they all go to show why the TT is the 'World's Greatest Motorcycling Event!'