‘And it’s over to Roy Moore at Ramsey Hairpin’ are words synonymous with road racing around the TT Mountain Course.

Roy started commentating on road racing in the island in 1984, and only retired recently after organisers elected to centrally locate all TT radio commentary to the control tower at the Grandstand.

In his own words, the iconic former commentator tells Isle of Man Today his top spots to watch the TT races around the 37 and 3/4 mile course...

Being born in 1947, we were not aware of the excitement regarding the return of road racing in the Isle of Man, and certainly not aware that my Uncle Jack was competing in that year’s Manx Grand Prix for the final time in his career which included being a stuntman in the film No Limit.

I was not aware either that I had two other brothers Ken and Brian who were 13 and 9 years older than me or that we had a first cousin, Geoff Cannell, who was also much older than me.

The Grandstand

Family history states that we were pushed out in our pram to watch the races from the area in front of Hotchkiss Nursery as the riders went past at great speed, so I suppose this has to be marked down as the very first introduction to viewing the TT and Manx Grand Prix, no doubt with the odd Farley’s Rusk thrown my way to stop me crying!

Later on we were told that on crossing the finishing line the bikes could not stop very well and that we got to see the bikes and riders again as they turned round to push back to the pits. My very first recollection of what we were becoming involved in was when we were taken by ‘family’ to an early morning practice and heard the Gileras of Geoff Duke and Reg Armstrong going past the pits together and the sound has stayed with me all my life, and Uncle Jack saying ‘nothing beats the sound of those straight pipes on the gilera’s’.

We watched car racing all from the same spots and we were told very early in life that Alf Grey, our next door neighbour, owned Joe’s bar in the street, and another neighbour Mr Blakemore, owned a shop that sold pianos.

Quarterbridge

Quarterbridge becomes the next stop as a viewing spot always remembered.

Our gang would always be around here seeing many riders falling off and listening to the Italian and Japanese bikes making a lot of noise as they headed to Braddan Bridge, as we did as well following them after using the ledge either side underneath the bridge which allowed the River Glass to go past and meet up with the River Dhoo.

The approach to the corner opposite the Nook Cafe when using the other side ledge, gave us good viewing as well, you can’t do it now as someone has written ‘Private keep out’ on a sign which has happened a lot over a number of years.

I think they made a TT film about the secret tunnel under the Quartebridge, I think they called it ‘Closer to The Ledge’!

Sarah’s Cottage We can always remember being taken to watch a Manx Grand Prix practice night at Sarah’s Cottage as my elder brother Ken had taken a Peel woman, Betty, as his wife and was living in the west and he arranged it all through ‘Sploosh’ Quirk one the marshals at this point.

What a good night that was as great skill was required to get round this corner at speed and safety and they knew when a rider was off line.

We might have been told back then that Sarah Corlett had lived here and that at one time when the TT was being held between 1907 to 1910 that after the bikes left St John’s they came this way as well before the Mountain Course started in 1911.

A great place to watch now and you are well looked after.

Local photographer Tracy Killey, who’s Dad was a marshal there for years, made the corner more famous with photos from this spot.

Milntown

Although it was only last year that we became involved with an area just before Ramsey which is Milntown Estate and Milntown House, to be able to use a private Grandstand opposite the marshals at Gardener’s Lane and watch the riders is a privilege as to how brave they are in keeping the throttle full open to get through the right kink in the road by the stone hedge after wrestling with the bike going airborne over Millntown Bridge and having to control the landing and  all that involves is pure joy and excitement as exclaimed by our guests last year.

One lasting memory from last year, Ben and Tom Birchall leading the second Sidecar race and knowing how they had missed out on a 120mph lap in previous years and in fact the same week.

We watched as without even rolling off the throttle, and the whole outfit airborne, they went through in superb style and it was quoted to our guests to listen closely to the Manx Radio commentary as it was felt that this was to be a 120mph lap and so it was.

Ramsey Hairpin

It will be no surprise to find out that Ramsey Hairpin is on our list as it was from here that we had some of our magic moments, more so when we persuaded Manx Radio to let Ramsey cover the Bungalow times.

On the insistence of a ‘lead commentator’ he let it be known that it was his coverage that would be used from the Grandstand, but when he was no longer there...

Tim Glover his replacement, allowed Ramsey to cover it, and Pat O’Hanlon our timekeeper at Manx Radio for nearly 50 years, made sure we missed nothing and it led to some memorable moments live on air with that last section to complete on the run to the flag.

Tim would then take it from Cronk-ny-Mona to the finish, all of which is now a thing of the past.

It would take a couple of pages to list everything that happened at The Hairpin so we have to cut it a bit short but never to be forgotten the Harrison/Hickman battle where 0.8 of a second separated them and then in 2019 on our very last broadcast, Manxman to Manxman as Nathan Harrison three seconds down at Ramsey was ahead at the Bungalow and winning the Senior and a ‘Manx Manx Double’. Indeed reports stated that the commentary was bias in favour of the local!

Being involved with the first 130mph lap by John McGuinness is also special to us.

Governor’s Bridge We watched a lot here more so early morning practices as we were staying with my auntie in Sunnyside Lodge a couple of hundred yards away and for a number of years this was the spot.

Well before Honda arrived, and we saw all that along with races on The Clypse Course from 7, Avondale Road Onchan, it was the MV Augustas of John Surtees and John Hartle and Gary Hocking and Mike Hailwood you could hear on an early morning, howling and gear changing as they headed toward you and the excitement was intense.

We saw John Hartle ablaze on his MV coming out of the Dip in 1958 and so much more to recall, but we will leave that for later.

As we always said from Ramsey ‘for the moment though we hand you back to The Grandstand’.