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ITV News
28-05-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Isle of Man TT rider Nathan Harrison talks preparing for racing while managing family business
TT rider Nathan Harrison takes ITV Granada Reports' Isle of Man reporter Joshua Stokes onto the TT course For many people, the Isle of Man lies dormant for the majority of the year feeling like a distant lump of rock, waiting patiently for that annual influx of tourists in May. But for TT rider Nathan Harrison, the island is much more than a race course. While many competitors travel back to their respective homes at the end of the festival, the local Manxman travels mere minutes to settle back into island life. A lifestyle that sees him balance competing as a professional racer, while helping to manage the family business H&H Motorcycles in Douglas. Nathan said: "It's the perfect shopfront window for us, as we're able to showcase what we have on the island, and we're showing that the bikes are being prepared in our workshop and then out on the TT course." However, he still believes racing the motorbikes is "the best feeling in the world", that cannot be compared to running the business. Nathan has lived on the island his whole life, born into a family with road racing at its heart - his father, Dean Harrison, has previously competed in the TT, as well as his brother Glenn Harrison. Both work as part of Nathan's racing team, working to make sure the bike is as fast as it can be, but also crucially as safe as it can be. Dean said: "Obviously when he's out there, it's a worry you know, it's a worry for any parent. "The worst thing you can have on your wrist is an Apple Watch because it obviously clocks your heart rate, but we do it because we love it, and as my late wife said he could be down on Douglas Promenade full of drink and drugs, but he's fully committed to the job. "He doesn't drink, he trains like hell, and with that we put as much into him as we can." The 26-year-old first competed at the Isle of Man TT in 2022, and took 7th place in the Senior race in 2024. A strong trajectory, which Nathan says is helped by living on the island, helping to familiarise himself with the 37 and three quarter-mile course. He said: "If it's a nice night, I'll just go for a lap round and just see what's changed because year-to-year you have different road surfaces - trees come down in the storms - there's so many variables that change." Nathan's current record sees him setting an average speed of 129.1mph around the Mountain Course. A statistic he's hoping to build on during race week on the island, proudly watched on by a family of racers.
ITV News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Businesses prepare for 'major economic boost' as Isle of Man TT approaches
Video report by ITV Granada Reports' Isle of Man reporter Joshua Stokes Businesses on the Isle of Man 'reliant on the TT' are preparing for the return of the world-famous races. Several entrepreneurs across the island have spoken about how valuable the racing is to their businesses. More than 50,000 tourists from across the world are expected to travel to the island to witness the action. CEO of Duke Events, Peter Duke, believes the racing brings in 'well over £50 million' to the Manx economy. He said: "We're fairly dependent on it, we certainly suffered during the Covid lost years, that was really really difficult - but we survived, we're still here and we just want to make the TT experience better for everybody." Duke Events has a number of pop-up accommodation sites across the Isle of Man, housing hundreds of TT fans travelling across the world to witness the races. Mr Duke said there has been a steady increase in visitors from North America, particularly since the launch of the TT+ service, live streaming the racing across the globe. "40% of our guests are from North America now - they see it on TV and they love it!". A number of pop-up camping sites are built all around the Isle of Man to accommodate the tens of thousands of visitors. Credit: ITV Granada Reports Chris Kelly has a number of businesses on the island, but it is in catering where he makes his money during the TT period. "The TT is this business", he said. "Other smaller events in the year, the money just isn't in them. I mean there's a lot of businesses that just rely solely on the TT". Mr Kelly is preparing for his second year stationed in the fan park at the TT Grandstand, after a successful first outing in 2024. "Myself and my wife Tash ran it single-handedly, we did get a bit of help from family and friends, but it was an exhilarating experience". Red Arrows set to return to Isle of Man TT 2025 Chris Kelly prepares his churros truck, ahead of two weeks of racing. Credit: ITV Granada Reports Work is underway to build the TT fan park and paddock surrounding the Grandstand. The site is the largest so far, covering 120,000 square metres of space around Nobles Park - including race control, accommodation and car parking. Paul Phillips, Head of Motorsport at the Isle of Man Government, said: "It's a huge undertaking. It's in effect building a village or a town from scratch in a greenfield site." When asked how much the TT benefits the economy, Mr Phillips said: "The tentacles of TT economically go far wider than just visitors or visitor spend. "There's all of the jobs that it sustains all year round, whether that's in media, in infrastructure and logistics. "Most of the sports clubs turns into campsites generating lots of revenue effectively keeping them afloat. "Other organisations are able to create pop-up business that gives them a level of income that allows them to operate all year round." The Isle of Man TT starts on Monday 26 May and ends with the Senior TT race on Saturday 7 June. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...
