Carolynn Sells has retired from motorbike road racing. Carolynn may not be as big a sporting name as, say, Dame Ellen Macarthur, but her achievements have been just as great. Dame Ellen risked her life sailing round the world; Carolynn risked hers piloting very fast motorbikes round the most dangerous course in the world, the Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. And a few short weeks ago, she became the first woman to win a race there.
As the commentator who called her home I am sorry that she has decided to call it a day but I am also pleased that she has been able to make this decision without waiting for serious injury to make it for her.
She is a top person, a great racer, and the road racing community has been all the better for having her around.
Showing posts with label Manx Grand Prix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manx Grand Prix. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Saturday, 5 September 2009
SWITCH OFF ENGINES, THE SHOW'S OVER
The Manx Grand Prix is all over and I've had a relaxing day after a hectic week. Yesterday was the best day. The first race (for 250cc Lightweight machines) produced a very dramatic duel between Dan Sayle and Neil Kent who set off side by side at the front of the grid and after four laps, 150 miles, were less than a second apart when they passed the last transponder point before the finish. That told me, via my computer screen, that they were virtually neck and neck with just over a minute to go before they came into my line of sight. Filling that minute with meaningful words is usually quite tricky, because I can't afford to go off into some rambling descriptive or opinionated spiel. I have to be ready to snap into live description of the bikes as they shoot into view and I have only three or four seconds to tell the listeners what is going on before they cross the line. Anyway, it all worked fine and Dan took the win by two tenths of a second. Close finishes like that are brilliant for the commentator because excitement and interest are maintained to the end. Back in 2006 I was the commentator for the closest finish ever on the Mountain Course when Craig Atkinson beat Derek Brien by one hundredth of a second in the Junior MGP. That was awesome.
The second race was history in the making. Carolynn Sells, who comes from Preston, used to live in Liverpool where she worked on Hollioakes, and now lives on the Isle of Man, became the first woman to win a Manx GP or TT race, the Ultra Lightweight race for 400cc bikes. It happened on the 20th anniversary of the rules being changed to allow women to compete. Carolynn is a skilful, determined rider and a lovely down-to-earth person and to see the joy that her win brought to her family and her team emphasised so much that is uplifting about sport.
Her strategy was based on going the whole four laps without a pit stop to refuel. All the other contenders, as usual, came in for a pit stop after two laps. When Carolynn rocketed straight past the Grandstand I was aghast, thinking she had forgotten to come in! Should have known better, and at least I didn't voice those fears on air. She knew exactly what she was doing and went on to build up a lead of over a minute, suggesting that she would probably have won anyway. It was terrific to be able to describe the moment and join her for the celebrations in the beer tent. It was also great for her team, led by Martin Bullock, who has put a lot of cash and care into supporting many riders at the MGP and TT.
Among the riders she overtook was her own dad, Dave, whose bike obligingly packed up in time for him to watch his daughter write her name into the history books.
The last race, the Senior (600cc and 750cc), was very difficult for the riders as the weather deteriorated and squalls blew in unpredictably. Several pulled in after one lap. It looked like Ryan McCay, from Ireland, had it in the bag but he crashed with less than 10 minutes' racing to go. That opened the door for Michael Russell, from Birmingham, to take the win. Michael is with the RAF. He's already seen service in Basra and he's due to go to Afghanistan later this year. I'm not sure what is more dangerous, taking on the Taliban or riding a motorbike at crazy speeds around the Isle of Man, but clearly he is not a man to settle for an easy life.
So, after some real emotional highs, long hours in the commentary box, the sadness of knowing that one rider, Richard Bartlett, had lost his life after crashing, and the cameraderie that comes from working with a tight-knit group of broadcasters under pressure, it's all a bit of an anti-climax. Not that that will last for long. It's back to Premier League football next week and then the challenge of starting the new academic year at the university.
The second race was history in the making. Carolynn Sells, who comes from Preston, used to live in Liverpool where she worked on Hollioakes, and now lives on the Isle of Man, became the first woman to win a Manx GP or TT race, the Ultra Lightweight race for 400cc bikes. It happened on the 20th anniversary of the rules being changed to allow women to compete. Carolynn is a skilful, determined rider and a lovely down-to-earth person and to see the joy that her win brought to her family and her team emphasised so much that is uplifting about sport.
Her strategy was based on going the whole four laps without a pit stop to refuel. All the other contenders, as usual, came in for a pit stop after two laps. When Carolynn rocketed straight past the Grandstand I was aghast, thinking she had forgotten to come in! Should have known better, and at least I didn't voice those fears on air. She knew exactly what she was doing and went on to build up a lead of over a minute, suggesting that she would probably have won anyway. It was terrific to be able to describe the moment and join her for the celebrations in the beer tent. It was also great for her team, led by Martin Bullock, who has put a lot of cash and care into supporting many riders at the MGP and TT.
Among the riders she overtook was her own dad, Dave, whose bike obligingly packed up in time for him to watch his daughter write her name into the history books.
The last race, the Senior (600cc and 750cc), was very difficult for the riders as the weather deteriorated and squalls blew in unpredictably. Several pulled in after one lap. It looked like Ryan McCay, from Ireland, had it in the bag but he crashed with less than 10 minutes' racing to go. That opened the door for Michael Russell, from Birmingham, to take the win. Michael is with the RAF. He's already seen service in Basra and he's due to go to Afghanistan later this year. I'm not sure what is more dangerous, taking on the Taliban or riding a motorbike at crazy speeds around the Isle of Man, but clearly he is not a man to settle for an easy life.
So, after some real emotional highs, long hours in the commentary box, the sadness of knowing that one rider, Richard Bartlett, had lost his life after crashing, and the cameraderie that comes from working with a tight-knit group of broadcasters under pressure, it's all a bit of an anti-climax. Not that that will last for long. It's back to Premier League football next week and then the challenge of starting the new academic year at the university.
Monday, 31 August 2009
WATCHING THE WAVES
Half past eight in the morning and I should be arriving in the Peter Kneale Media Centre in readiness for a long day commentating on the opening races of the Manx Grand Prix. Instead I am sitting in my window looking out on low, dismal skies, grey seas rolling in on Douglas beach, while raindrops clatter against the glass. Racing has been postponed until tomorrow.
The forecast yesterday made it pretty obvious that we would have no action today but I still had to set my alarm for 7am, just in case. At around the same time the clerk of the course Phil Taubman was making the decision to call it off for today and I received a text from Tim Glover, Manx Radio's sports editor, half an hour later to that effect.
Disappointing for me, all dressed up in my corporate Manx Radio gear with nowhere to go, but much more so for the competitors. They've had a rotten time so far this year with most practice sessions badly affected by rain, while conditions in the paddock are getting more like Glastonbury every day. Many riders and their families and crew are sleeping under canvas or in caravans and motorhomes. Poor drainage and lack of hard-standing is making their lives miserable.
The forecast for tomorrow is better, but the rest of the week is looking dodgy.
I'm looking out of the window again and the freight ferry Ben My Chree has just left Douglas harbour heading into the murk, bound for Heysham. It won't exactly be a scenic voyage today.
The forecast yesterday made it pretty obvious that we would have no action today but I still had to set my alarm for 7am, just in case. At around the same time the clerk of the course Phil Taubman was making the decision to call it off for today and I received a text from Tim Glover, Manx Radio's sports editor, half an hour later to that effect.
Disappointing for me, all dressed up in my corporate Manx Radio gear with nowhere to go, but much more so for the competitors. They've had a rotten time so far this year with most practice sessions badly affected by rain, while conditions in the paddock are getting more like Glastonbury every day. Many riders and their families and crew are sleeping under canvas or in caravans and motorhomes. Poor drainage and lack of hard-standing is making their lives miserable.
The forecast for tomorrow is better, but the rest of the week is looking dodgy.
I'm looking out of the window again and the freight ferry Ben My Chree has just left Douglas harbour heading into the murk, bound for Heysham. It won't exactly be a scenic voyage today.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
MANX GRAND PRIX CHARACTERS
I'm on the Isle of Man for the second time this year. This time it's the Manx Grand Prix, a motorcycle event which is often described as an amateur version of the TT but is actually more complex than that. The Manx gives us the same awe-inspiring race track with classic and post classic bikes racing along with modern 600 and 750cc machines, plus a goodly array of two-strokes which are no longer seen on the Mountain Course at the TT.
Racing doesn't start till Monday but there are practice sessions every evening. Tonight I've been talking to a number of riders who are here for the first time. They've all got good stories to tell, none more so than Stefan Cook, from Letchworth, who started his racing career when his partner Lorraine gave him a Yamaha R1! Some gift. Some partner. And Lorraine will be working in Stefan's pit when racing starts. Max Faulkner, from Bude in Cornwall, has been here many times with a gang of mates to watch the racing. Four years ago, in a pub, they all decided they would try to enter the Manx themselves. Beer talking? Not quite. Two of that gang have made it and this year Max and his buddy Dan Millard will go to the start line to live the dream.
And I loved meeting David Mulligan from Portadown in Northern Ireland. For David, 2009 is not just the year he first raced at the Manx GP, it's also the year he qualified as a doctor.
It takes all sorts to make the Manx GP what it is.
Racing doesn't start till Monday but there are practice sessions every evening. Tonight I've been talking to a number of riders who are here for the first time. They've all got good stories to tell, none more so than Stefan Cook, from Letchworth, who started his racing career when his partner Lorraine gave him a Yamaha R1! Some gift. Some partner. And Lorraine will be working in Stefan's pit when racing starts. Max Faulkner, from Bude in Cornwall, has been here many times with a gang of mates to watch the racing. Four years ago, in a pub, they all decided they would try to enter the Manx themselves. Beer talking? Not quite. Two of that gang have made it and this year Max and his buddy Dan Millard will go to the start line to live the dream.
And I loved meeting David Mulligan from Portadown in Northern Ireland. For David, 2009 is not just the year he first raced at the Manx GP, it's also the year he qualified as a doctor.
It takes all sorts to make the Manx GP what it is.
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