"In 2009 Honda asked me to go to the TT as a guest, just to smile and shake people's hands. I knew the TT was a big deal but that was about it. If someone had put me on the spot then and said 'here's a bike for you' I'd have been out there like a shot."
Josh Brookes talks with real excitement and passion about the reasons behind his 2013 TT debut. Having taken multiple Australian championships, finished third in World Supersport and twice runner up in British Superbikes, the 29-year-old is now embarking on his first steps into road racing. And talk about in at the deep end - Josh is riding a Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike and Superstock machine at the most challenging of all road races - the Isle of Man TT.
TT daunting for anyone but especially a first timer
"Of course I'm a bit anxious," he confesses, "but that is overruled by the excitement. My dad is coming over from Australia and my girlfriend is really supportive. Dad can see the danger in anything you do and he accepts I'm a bike racer. To be honest he is almost as excited about the whole TT thing as me - mum is less impressed..."
Despite his laid back persona, Josh has been working very hard behind the scenes learning the course. He has been talking to everyone he can and using his "s**t filter" to weed out information that is either irrelevant or useless while storing all the small nuggets of knowledge that could well save his life.
"I'd say I've done nearly 50 laps in-car and even a lap on a coach with John McGuinness doing the onboard commentary. As well as this I've probably done about 25 laps on a bike, including a few parade laps and even getting out on Mad Sunday alongside road riders. Although to be honest I scared myself pretty bad on the 2012 parade lap - it was probably the most dangerous lap I will ever do."
Managing the fear aside there are still a few targets Josh is aiming at. Currently Steve Plater holds the fastest newcomer lap at 125.808mph, could this be beaten in 2013?
"We will see how I get on during my first run. I'm not going to let that rule my weekend. Although it would be great to go down in the record books."
Could he walk away after one lap if the TT isn't for him? "Honestly if I get to the point I'm out there and I feel I'm out of my depth I'll happily and confidently just park the bike up, go back to BSB and come and watch the TT from behind a hedge."
How does a TT novice learn the 37-mile course? A few weeks before the TT fortnight we joined up with Josh for a speedy lap of the famous course. A hire car, 37-miles of roads and one excitable Superbike racer, what could possibly go wrong...
"This car is really gutless, it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. To be honest you've got to get out at 4am to really go fast - during the day you can only really get visual conditioning to where the course goes, at speed you feel much more and can get a clue as to the what the road is doing. Even in a car you can feel the sensations such as negative or positive camber, things that will really affect a bike's handling that you can't spot when you are going slowly."
Some of Josh's techniques are ... unconventional
"Although I've been watching DVDs they can't give you an indication on just how much the elevation changes down Bray Hill, your stomach rises over the crests. One rider told me to expect to head butt the tank as the G-force is so strong. In my head I've related this section to a road near my house in Australia, they ride very similarly and this helps me remember where I am. Learning the TT course is all about linking experiences."
Quarterbridge - Glen Helen
"I've ridden on the road for years so I know about cold tyres and how slippery roundabouts are so I'll be taking it with caution. People say don't get your shoulder near the railing at Braddan Bridge - I reckon I'll be a good metre away! I'm not a John McGuinness or Guy Martin who are searching out every tenth of a second, I just need to know the common knowledge that will help me stay alive and safe for my first year. I know you can get through Ballahutchin flat-stick, but I reckon I'll roll it off on my first lap... As much as you know in your head it can be done, fear and natural instincts will tell you to take it easy. It's a weird sensation riding so fast on the road. For your whole life you have your arse clenched when you are flat out as you are expecting a cop to do you for speeding, but here you are free to go as fast as you like and it feels wrong. Speeding paranoia is ingrained in you and it's honestly something you have to overcome for a TT lap!
Even a 'gutless' Fiesta can reveal lines and cambers
"Riding so fast through villages is also strange. It's only in the built up areas that you get a perception of speed as buildings are passing by so fast, but they are also helpful as you can use them as landmarks. Passing by Glen Vine I can't help but recognize it as DJ's corner because that was were he was killed. [David Jefferies, killed in 2003] This plays on your mind a little bit as DJ fell off due to oil and my greatest fear is a mechanical issue or something out of my control happening. I've also known riders who have died due to their own mistakes, but I'm still here learning the track so I guess I'm prepared to take the risk.
"Coming past Crosby pub Milky [Milky Quayle, a former TT racer who mentors new riders] always stresses the importance of getting to the right for the jump. I'm almost tempted to go left to get more air time!"
Crosby - Sulby
"Although I'm trying to learn the names of most of the corners guys like Bruce Anstey hardly knows any of them! What happens if there is a board at the start reading 'wet at Barregarrow' and you have no idea where this is! The thing with the TT is that you have to know for certain what is coming next, any second thought or pause can be very bad. I've found that on my own in a car I can remember the corners, however if I'm talking to someone else or I'm distracted I can forget them. Is that John McGuinness at the side of the road?"
Tips from the top from a bloke with his own corner...
It is, McGuinness posing for photos beside the sign signifying the corner named after him. We stop and chat...
"I don't think the signs at the side of the road marking corners are for riders, they are probably more for tourists. I have to know that this is the 14th before I get here, if you are looking at the sign you are behind the game," he reasons. "I know this section quite well, I've watched the racing from here with David Knight after riding motocross bikes across the island but John pointed out a bit of a drop I hadn't spotted. The problem with the TT course of there are areas that everyone knows such as the Bottom of Barregarrow where the bikes bottom out but also sections that aren't named and therefore aren't spoken about but are just as important. Last night I went through here at 100mph in the hire car and still had three metres of track to spare...
"Some riders say that when you ride the TT course fast the road seems too narrow, to me it doesn't get claustrophobic but the corners really change at speed. What seems open in a car is a lot tighter on a bike when you are going fast, this is another thing I found out on a parade lap when I gave myself a scare. But when you know the corners you can really enjoy them, the TT course rides beautifully when it is flowing and I especially like Quarry Bends. This section of left/right sweeping bends reminds me of the Suzuka circuit's S-curves, they are a similar radius to Quarry Bends and that's how I'm remembering them."
Hopefully not this close to the wall on the bike
"It's crazy but you take the kink at the end of the Sulby Straight flat out and only brake at its apex - that will take some balls. It's crazy as looking at it now you are entering a 30mph limit at close to 200mph! I've had a few pints in Ginger Hall during TT week, so I'll be looking for my mates watching from there and then it's onto the bumpiest bit of the course. It's unreal bumpy from Ginger Hall to the Hairpin, the whole bikes vibrates and kicks and it's a rough ride. You just have to get your arse off the seat and try and absorb the bumps."
The Mountain section
"People say the Mountain is where short circuit riders can make up ground, I'm not sure if this is the case but I'm certain looking forward to it as it's open and you can see into the corners - which is more like a short circuit. However it is also more difficult to gauge your speed as there are fewer landmarks.
"People think the Mountain is easy but when you are doing 150mph it takes a lot of effort to adjust the bike's position, it's quite a battle. The Mountain Mile is very physical despite the fact it looks straight. This is the Verandah, where Conor came off a few years ago, I've never braved looking here to see how far he fell, want a quick check?"
It's a sobering sight just how far away the stone wall is that Conor cleared, however Josh is soon back in the car and eager to continue his lap.
Happy to join the spectators if it doesn't work out
"People say you need to be aware of the wind coming up the gully through Windy Corner, but apparently this only really applies to small capacity bikes. After the Creg you are flat out for a long time and some say it is faster than the Sulby Straight, so I'm looking forward to it. The corners after are nice and smooth since the alterations that lead to the first 130mph lap - I'd love to do a 130mph lap but that's a way off. If you do a 112mph lap to get to 118mph is quite easy, to get from 118 to 120mph is far more difficult and anything higher is incredibly hard. You need a lot of laps and a lot of course experience to even consider a 130mph average."
Pretty good knowledge for a rookie, and I share my surprise in this with Josh as we cross the line.
"This is my life, I'm putting in the hard work to keep myself safe..."
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