Legendary Manxman 'Milky'
Richard 'Milky' Quayle is a former TT racer and one of only three Manxmen to have won a TT. He's also a star on You Tube thanks to a massive off at the 2003 TT which punctured both lungs and wrote off his spleen. 'Actually,' says Milky, 'that wasn't my worst crash.'
The nickname 'Milky' comes from Quayle's uncanny resemblance to the 1960s front-child of white chocolate. He's now the riders' representative at the TT, which celebrates its centenary on the Mountain Course this year. Colin Goodwin (Yonah) interviewed him for PH:
C.G: If you're born on the island are you automatically into bikes?
'Milky': The TT is a major part of life on the island. I was a scout when I was a kid and manned the scoreboard on the start finish line. That made you feel really part of the TT.
When did you get your first bike and what was it?
You could ride a 125 on the IoM when you were 16 years-old, so I had a Suzuki DR125. All my mates had bikes but they'd ride to the pub and I'd go off and do a lap of the TT course instead. My first proper bike was a Suzuki RGV250 and that's the bike I started racing on. That bike got me addicted to speed.
When did you compete in your first TT race?
You start by racing in the Manx Grand Prix and I first did that in 1995 when I was 22, riding a Yamaha TZ250 that my dad had helped me buy. I couldn't sleep the night before first practice because I was scared that I wasn't going to be fast enough 'What if I can't even do a 100mph lap?' I thought. My first practice lap average was 103mph so I calmed down after that. The next night I broke the lap record.
You must have known every inch of the course before you even started racing on it?
Yes, but you also need to learn which gear you should be in and what line to take. I used to ride around on Mad Sunday to try and learn all that, but it was the racing that really taught me.
Trophies in the living room are...
Joey Dunlop of course, then a bit later Steve Hislop. My first real hero was a bloke called Derek Kelly who lived down the road from us. We called him Dekka. He was living the dream, an ordinary bloke who was a car mechanic but who actually raced. I was so in awe of him I hardly dared speak to him.
When was your first win at the TT?
In 2002. There wasn't a TT in 2001 because of the foot and mouth disease. We actually went to Greece on holiday because my wife said that I'm impossible to live with racing, but would be even worse without it. The only big race I did that year was the Ulster GP which I won. The next year I won the 400cc lightweight class at the TT and then won the Senior Classic Manx at the end of the summer on a 500 Norton. That was a dream year.
That win must have really got your career going...
Well, you'd have thought it would. Through the winter of 2002 I had three jobs to pay off debts from the previous season and no deals came in. I thought 'What do you have to do?' I'd always said that when kids came along I'd stop. Since there were no deals on the table and the only thing I'd ever wanted to do apart from racing was to have a family, we chucked the smarties away. Blow me if my wife didn't get pregnant straight away. So I decided that 2003 was going to be my last year.
Was your monster crash just bad luck or was there more to it?
The year started badly when I broke my tibia after highsiding a seven year-old GSX-R750 at the Cookstown road races. I'd borrowed it from some bloke pretending that I wanted to buy it but was really just wanting some cheap seat time. The TT was only 5 weeks away so I virtually lived in a hyperbaric chamber to try and heal the leg. I was running on it within three weeks.
I made it to the TT but the GSX-R1000 superbike that I was riding (among several other bikes that I was racing) was set up for short circuits and would be trying to take off at 200mph. In desperation we raised the rear end to make it more stable at speed. Trouble is, that made it turn in ultra quickly. That's what caught me out at Ballaspur where I had my monster accident.
...less painful reminders than YouTube
What happened and do you remember it?
The bike turned faster than I expected and I got on the wrong line. My shoulder clipped the wall and I was pulled off the bike. Luckily I don't remember it. My other big accident, at Pembrey in Wales in which I bashed my head, I can't remember either, thankfully.
Do you miss racing?
Of course. But life moves on. I've still got a few bikes - a ZX-10 and '87 GSX-R750. I just sold eight because I've just started a car hire business renting out Smart cars.
How about cars?
Yes, cars are great. I've had a few MX-5s that I used to do trackdays in. One I turbocharged which was fun. That gave me the taste so I wanted something a bit more full-on. So I bought a Westfield with a Hayabusa engine which was great fun.
How quickly could you have got the Westfield around the TT course on closed roads?
It would have struggled from not having a really high top end. I reckon it could probably do a lap average of about 105mph.
Milky back in the saddle in '06
If you wanted to smash Tony Pond's 100mph lap in a Rover, what car would you use?
The trouble with most sports and supercars is that they're heavy and would ground out in lots of places. I'd probably try it in the V8-powered Ariel Atom fitted with some decent wings. Cars are also going to lose out on acceleration especially up the hills like coming out of Govenors Bridge and the run up to the mountain. You wouldn't believe how quickly a factory superbike accelerates up there.
If you need a motor when you're visiting the Isle of Man then get in touch with Milky at www.smarthireiom.co.uk. For a small fee he'll even take you for a lap of the TT course and point out all the lines. I've been driven round by Milky in an Aston V8 Vantage and the boy is pretty impressive on four wheels.
And you'll be wanting to see the crash again...
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