'It's astonishing': Richard Hammond witnesses Isle of Man TT for the very first time
Richard Hammond speaks to Isle of Man Correspondent Joshua Stokes
Broadcaster Richard Hammond has described the the Isle of Man TT as 'astonishing' as he witnessed the action for the very first time.
The TV presenter watched from the roadside during Saturday afternoon's qualifying session.
He said: "It's been epic thus far. I have to say 39 years I've been riding motorcycles - they're a huge part of my life. This, I'm slightly ashamed to say, is my first ever TT and it's everything I thought it would be.
"Some things match up to expectations, some things don't - this does. Not only the racing which I watched some of this afternoon before the weather changed its mind, but it's extraordinary.
"I mean, I love riding motorcycles on the road, but it's a two worlds I'm familiar with the kind of almost suburban world and motorsports and mushed them together to create a spectacle unlike anything that I've ever seen.
"Watching somebody cross a junction, up to a traffic-lighted junction, the suspension, compressing out as they're going an impossible speed - it's kind of other-worldly - I loved it".
Hammond also took the opportunity to engage in other activities outside of the racing.
On Sunday 1 June, he led the 'TT Legacy Lap', which saw hundreds of bikers ride around the 37 and three-quarter- mile Mountain Course on their own motorbikes.
The annual lap has grown into a shared celebration of people, stories, and machines that have shaped the heritage of the TT.
Hammond rode his own bike, in damp conditions, for the speed-controlled lap.
The Isle of Man TT sees bikers ride at speeds over 200mph on public roads, in what Hammond described as a 'spectacle unlike anything I've ever seen'.
He said: "I really can barely comprehend doing those speeds in this environment. And I've done 200mph on a motorcycle, I've done 320mph in a car, but neither instance was through suburbia! There's lamp posts out there, and manhole covers.
"And it's just honestly, it's one of the last great almost gladiatorial where there's no combat, but it's people fighting fear. It's astonishing, it really is. I'm so glad it still exists and long may it."
The Isle of Man TT continues until Saturday 7 June, where the event concludes with the final 6-lap Senior TT race.
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