ITV4 will be screening two hour long programmes featuring the best of the action from the Classic TT Races, presented by Bennetts with many of the leading TT stars including John McGuinness, Conor Cummins, James Hillier, Dean Harrison and Michael Rutter go head to head on eclectic, historic machinery.
Four races, which belie the serene term Classic, will feature in the TV shows which will feature bikes from across five historic and memorable decades of racing.
The Bennetts Senior TT for 500cc machines represents the golden age of motorcycle racing from the 1950’s and 1960’s with exotic Italian multi cylinder machines pitted against the British single cylinder bikes alongside a smattering of early Japanese models.
The Locate.im Junior Classic TT Race will feature 350cc machines from a similar period in a class often dominated by the Japanese giant Honda against the British single cylinder machines, whilst the Dunlop Lightweight Race featuring the iconic sounds and smells of thoroughbred 250cc two-stroke grand prix motorcycles which remain popular with fans and riders alike.
The RST Superbike Classic TT class caters for an extraordinarily wide range of motorcycles from a period in time where technological development was happening at an astonishing rate, bringing together machines from the early 80’s right through to the early 1990’s – an era of Joey Dunlop dominated F1 World Championship years as well as the early part of the World Superbike Championship. Viewers can expect to see 750cc four strokes from Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki pitted against V Twin Ducati’s, Rotary Nortons, early air cooled 1100cc machines and even the odd 500GP two-stroke.
The shows will also take a close look at all of the best off track activity and entertainment that contributes to the supercharged nostalgic festival including the celebrations of Steve Hislop’s life and remarkable career through some of his main rivals and the machines that defined an era.
Other TV features include a retrospective look back at the 60 year history of Honda through the iconic Japanese manufacturer’s first bike to tackle the TT course – the RC142 - as well as the VMCC’s Festival of Jurby which features a gathering of over 10,000 motorcycle enthusiasts. Dick Shepherd’s pop up display of some of the definitive machines from British manufacturer Triumph while the presenters – Steve Parrish, Steve Plater and Amy Williams – will be picking out some of the best bikes from the ‘Show and Shine’ display,
There will also be interviews with some of the greatest names in motorcycling past and present including multiple World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty and one of the greatest TT riders of all time Giacomo Agostini as he returns to the Isle of Man for a parade lap on the MV Agusta marque that is synonymous with his TT and World Championship achievements.
The first programme will be broadcast from 8pm on Tuesday 27th August and is currently scheduled to feature the Bennetts Senior and Dunlop Lightweight Classic TT Races. The second programme will go out the following day at 8pm on Wednesday 28th August and will feature the RST Superbike and locate.im Junior Classic TT Races.