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there's a place, in the middle of the Irish Sea

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where the cats have no tail

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there are no speed limits

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and where, for two weeks every year, you get woke up like this!

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baluardo productions

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Chantelle Packer

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Daniel Tibor

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written and directed by Andrea Conigli

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Produced by Andrea Conigli Baluardo Productions

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Isle of Man: beyond the TT Race

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The Isle of Man is a british crown dependency, and it's a 33 by 13 mile island, roughly equidistant from England, Ireland and Scotland

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According to the legend, two warriors, one from England and one from Ireland, were fighting over a woman

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The Irish one, angrily, took a chunk of irish land, and threw it at his competitor

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but it fell  short, landing in the middle of the sea

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that chunk became the Isle of Man

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We reach the island with a short, cheap flight from Liverpool

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it takes just 45 minutes to cross the sea that separates it from England

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Jon and Miriam are our hosts on the island

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Jon is an amateur bike racer, and a huge fan of extreme sports

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Miriam is originally from Mexico, and now, after having lived in many places around the world, she's recently moved to the island,

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and she's our first source of information

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MIRIAM

well, the Isle of Man is a british crown dependency

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MIRIAM

it is not part of the UK, but it has the Lord of Man, which is the highest authority on the island,

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MIRIAM

it's actually the Queen of England, but they have their own currency, their own government, and their own laws

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MIRIAM

so, they are pretty independent

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the island was a popular vacation place for people from the Uk from the end of the 19^th century until a few decades ago

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Now it's mostly home to the offshore financial services industry

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the parliament of the Isle of Man often takes into consideration the laws that are passed in the Uk, if they can be beneficial for the island

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therefore, most of the laws are the same, but some are not

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CHANTELLE

this sign means that the national speed limit applies

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CHANTELLE

and if you look at what the national speed limit is, there is no national speed limit!

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CHANTELLE

so, from here on in, you can go as fast as you like

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first of all, this happens just outside the towns and villages,

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and, obviously this doesn't mean that you're entirely allowed to do what you want. The police are only concerned that people behave reasonably, regardless of their speed

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on the island we also meet Antonella and Chris.

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Chris is a local, but Antonella moved here from Venezuela for an English Language tuition program

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ANTONELLA

I was like ‘well the Isle of Man, I don't know anything about that little place I saw on the map'

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3:27

ANTONELLA

‘let's Google Isle of Man. .. TT Races, TT races .. honestly, like the first hundred pages were TT TT and all I could see was motorbikes, and... motorcycles and bikes'

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ANTONELLA

‘where am I going?'

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what Antonella says is true: all motorbike fans, all over the world, know this place. And this is because the TT Race is the most important road race event in the world

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it's the ‘Mecca' of road racing

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TT: the event

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Ok, so this is what happens every year on the Isle of Man since 1908

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they organize a motorbike competition called the TT Race, where TT stands for Tourist Trophy

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the race doesn't take place on a closed track, but on public roads

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they close the access to these roads, which become the circuit, for about 37 miles in total

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the course starts in Douglas, the capital, and it goes through a number of villages along the western side, all the way up to Ramsey in the north, and then back, along the mountain road

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Riders don't all go together on the course, it's a timed competition with a staggered start, for safety reasons, and they just race against the clock

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STREET KIDS

Welcome to the Isle of Man, baby, yeah!

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4:53

BIKER

I used to come for the racings, but now I just come to see different things.. have a ride around, entertainment at night

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BIKER

there's just so much to do, for bikes, and if you're into bikes, this is definitely the place

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the TT is a big sports event, but just as big, it's the social event.

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the population on the island increases from 50 to 100 percent, it's a carnival atmosphere, and everyone's here to party

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WAYDE BOYD

Bushy's is really entertaining, they have live entertainment out front, they've got bands in the side, they have exhibitions, burn out, wheelie contests, go-kart races,

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WAYDE BOYD

that's the biggest spot for the masses

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with the unique background of what once was a solid line of hotels and holidays resorts, Bushy's tent is the reference spot for a lot of attractions and entertainment

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it's on the promenade of Douglas, in front of the beach

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there's an overstock of merchandising and souvenirs, obviously motorbike based. The list of choices for entertainment is actually long

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bike performances and stunts, pubs, live music, carnival rides and so on. Everything with a pictoresque postcard background

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around the TT grandstand, in Douglas, there's plenty of stores to satisfy your shopping needs, again motorbike based

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DANIEL

it's for women

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CHANTELLE 

it's not a woman thing

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DANIEL

I look stupid this way

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6:36

SHOP OWNER

take it

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DANIEL

it's heavy!

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SHOP OWNER

put it on. You have to get undressed, you know what I mean? Shoes off, pants off, behind there.

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DANIEL

I feel like a robot!

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DANIEL

do you sell a lot of these things here? Because they're pretty expensive..

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SHOP OWNER

well they're not really expensive, compared to some helmets or suit stuff that are out there on the market. This schott leather is one of the best you can get

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SHOP OWNER

take the helmets, we've got a big range of it, all different colours, and we are one of the cheapest, in fact, we are the cheapest on the island

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SHOP OWNER

full hip protection here, knee protection, slider, shoulders, elbows, back support, full back plate with a hump

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SHOP OWNER

when you do, if you do, slide down the road, it prevents from breaking your back, actually. That's what it's designed for

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DANIEL

this one is like.. 750 pounds, right?

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SHOP OWNER

retail, you're gonna pay 1200 pounds, in a shop.

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DANIEL

mad cow disease leather?

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SHOP OWNER

no, its' not. It is cow though

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in the afternoon there will be alive concert at Bushy's tent. They're called Loaded, a band from the Uk which will perform twice this week here in the tent

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DUNCAN

Duncan, guitarist, from Loaded

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8:27

DARREN

Hi I'm Darren, from Loaded, the singer

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MARK

I'm Mark on Bass

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8:34

STEVIE

Hi there, I'm Stevie, I'm the drummer

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DANIEL

Third  time, right?

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DANIEL

Why do they want to hear you again?

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MARK

The best fucking band they've ever heard. If I'm allowed to say fuck

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STEVIE

We're just so excited about it, it's an unknown quantity. Is it going to work, isn't it? And thank goodness we absolutely rock this place

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STEVIE

they said ‘do you want to come back and do it again next year?' and it took us three second to decide: ‘yeah we'll be back!'

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STEVIE

We don't say to be the best ever, we say to be the best that we can be. And there's so much energy and so much belief and passion in what we do

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STEVIE

and that's what comes across when we play. And people pick up on that

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DUNCAN

the beer the music, just the general atmosphere. It's a real buzz. Strip joints, when they're open..

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DUNCAN

any pub in Essex, Suffork, London, mainly biker events, biker rallies,things like that.

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STEVIE

Welcome to the Isle of Man, whoohoo! Normally it's Noddy Holder, ‘hey you look like Noddy Holder..

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STEVIE

sometimes it's Robert Plant. A couple of years ago, we were walking down the promenade, we finished playing and it was 1a.m. , and this guy, and he had a couple of drinks, obviously

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STEVIE

and he comes staggering up and he goes ‘man, do you know who you look like?', and mentally I'm going ‘Noddy Holder, Robert plant..' , ‘no mate, you look, you look...'

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STEVIE

‘you look just like.. ‘ and I'm waiting for it.. ‘Bob Marley!'. How good is that?

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STEVIE

but he was having a great TT, wasn't he? If he thinks I look like Bob Marley I'd love to be in his world, just for two minutes, you know. It's lovely in there..

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Noah's fault?

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one of the reasons why the Isle of Man is known all around the world, is for its breed of cats. The manx cats don't have a tail. I have never seen anything like this before in my life, and I've come her really hoping to see one

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however, antonella, who lived here for one year, never saw one.

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ANTONELLA

I've never seen one.

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CHANTELLE 

really? Do you like cats?

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ANTONELLA

I love cats! But no, never seen one.

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but my lucky day comes on a Monday morning in Castletown

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CHANTELLE

hello! Hello! He has no tail to pet, normally you go like this, but you can't..hey come here.. I can't believe I'm here, petting one.

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CHANTELLE

we haven't seen one the whole time we've been here, and just walking down the road, we stumbled across one.. it's finally good to see it!

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CHANTELLE

hey, aren't you beautiful?

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at this point I'm more curious and I wanna know about this cat. My local friend Chris tells me a bit more about the manx cat.

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CHRIS

in the biblical story, the great flood came, Noah said ‘bring in the animals in two by two', and the manx cat had a tail at that point, but they were the last two whimp cause they were not in a hurry at all..

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CHRIS

oh that was the story!

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CHRIS

and he shut the door on the tails and cut the tails off. I don't think it's true, but it could be. It fits the attitude..

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Miriam is another cat lover, and she takes me to the Mann Cat Sanctuary, a place where they have hundreds of cats, including some manx ones.

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CHANTELLE 

there's a manx cat over here, with the no tail..

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the Mann Cat Sanctuary is a must see for cats lovers. It is cat's heaven. They have water to drink from the fountains, carpets to scratch all day, and volunteers to stroke them and pick up after them

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the owners and volunteers take care of them and keep the place in perfect order.

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among the hundreds plus cats they have, there are a number of manx cats. The length of the tails of the manx cat varies: from no tail at all, to little bumps, and half length tails.

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LADY

she goes straight upon to your shoulder.

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MIRIAM

it's manx too.

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James is one of the staff members here, and tells us a bit more about the manx cats.

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JAMES

they started with 2-3 cats, and they were taking more and more cats in, and then goats, sheep, and basically the Mann Cat Sanctuary grew from there. And now there's over a hundred twenty cats here.

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JAMES

and Kelly of course is the famous Manx cat. She's the most famous cat in the world, cause she's the most photographed manx cat in the world.

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CHANTELLE

and what makes the manx cat so special? Obviously the no tail..

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JAMES

well, the manx cat has no tail, but strictly speaking it's not a breed. It is a genetic deformity. It still exists today on the Isle of Man cause it's such a small place and it's not been bred out

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JAMES

but there are places in the world that do specifically breed there manx cats.

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JAMES

we don't really recommend it because quite a few manx cats tend to be prone to bowel disorders.

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JAMES

it's not strictly a proper breed as such. But the Isle of Man is famous because of it

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CHANTELLE

so the theory that Noah's ark .. these were the last cats to board the ark..and..

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JAMES

the door slammed shut and the tail was cut off.. there's quite a few theories .. and the other theory is that it was a cross with a rabbit

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JAMES

but basically, as I say, it's really a deformity

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it's a big property, where they also keep birds, horses, and lots of other animals

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TT: the race

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CHRIS KINLEY

what's the TT?

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Chris Kinley - Manx radio TT

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CHRIS KINLEY

I suppose it's when our island that normally has about 75.000 people, swells to double its size to 150.000 people, and as you can hear, there are bikes everywhere, it's just the atmosphere, is amazing, it's just like being in a gold fish bowl, everything it's so compact, but, it's so much fun, you've got to come here and see it.

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Tim Glover - Manx radio TT

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TIM GLOVER

It's one of the oldest and most historic motorsports events in the world, it's one of the last original courses as well in the world

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WAYDE BOYD

I call it the olympics of motorcycle road racing. There's 35 countries here that are being represented, everybody is basically fast, but it takes 3, 10, whatever years to actually learn the course, learn all things..

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TIM GLOVER

it's the challenge for a motorcyclist, and the fans like to see that, it's perhaps not as sanitized as the track motorcycling is now, it is just a challenge

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Tony, Jon's neighbour, takes Daniel for a cruise for a cruise on the roads of the TT course with his fancy Caterham roadster car.

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from the scenic point of view, it's a stunning course. It's a great way to explore the island, waving through the countryside, the towns, villages, and mountains. However, if you're riding with Tony, don't expect a leisurely Sunday stroll

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there are several bike categories and races, including sidecars. The difficult terrain and over the 200 bends made the TT race series the most significant motor cycle road racing competition in the world.

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CHANTELLE 

so, Miriam, you live right on the TT track. How do you find that?

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MIRIAM

well, this was my first TT week, with the TT practice before that, and it's very noisy for one thing. It's difficult to sleep sometimes, as you can hear. The roads are closed from 3 hours or 8 hours or even a full day, so it takes more planning.

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MIRIAM

If you make a little mistake in your day planning you're held hostage in the house, like I was for 3 or 4 days.so you really have to plan around the schedule of the roads..

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CHRIS KINLEY

I speak for experience, my family don't like the TT, they go on holiday, seriously, they go on holiday

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coming in now.. it is Guy Martin, he was going that quick he was pulling the rabbits out of the hedges, well he's been on form this week.. he's Meida, the Japanese guy..

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it's really unbelievable that the Tt riders go at 120 to 150 and even 190 mph here on these roads.

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CHRIS KINLEY

it is the ultimate challenge. You speak to any rider, you wonder around the grandstand, talk to them at the paddock, and they will tell you ‘this is the ultimate challenge'

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unlike many other motorsports events, here everybody is allowed to walk through the paddocks where mechanics and riders get prepared for the practice and race sessions

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all TT riders are very friendly and are usually accessible to everybody.

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Guy Martin

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GUY MARTIN

Last year we had the blue and red. Change of scenery.. the biggest sponsor of the team is Robinson Concrete, that's the color scheme they have, and that's what we're going with.

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19:36

DANIEL

so you care about the colour or you don't?

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GUY MARTIN

No, it's doesn't matter at all the colour scheme, as long as the bike rides, it doesn't really worry me. It could be penguin's or leopard scheme, it doesn't worry me

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Adrian Archibald

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ADRIAN ARCHIBALD

the TT is one of the biggest races at all. I've been coming here since 1997, they say the Tt is a very special place, racers are not mass stars, and you just race against the clock. The track is like nowhere else in the world

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besides the big sponsor teams, there are a number of self sponsored teams, or amateur riders, who have come to fulfil the dream of their lifetime. They do it solely for the passion and for the buzz of participating in one of the most historical and dangerous road race bike events. Riders come from all over the globe.

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20:28

WAYDE BOYD

Subculture Racing, team San Francisco. You're in charge of your own rollercoaster and you go really fast

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I'm Stefano Bonetti. My team and I started road racing in some minor competitions, in Italy

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T

what do you expect this year?

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T

I'd like to be in the top fifteen

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not just the bike is important here. The rider counts a lot too.

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Even if you don't have a superbike you can do very well

20:56

CHRIS

it's the place to be, really. There's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be for that two weeks, certainly

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the old way

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CHANTELLE 

we're now in the south of the island, and we're gonna see how a typical family used to live here hundreds of years ago.     Nothing has  changed, they still speak the local manx language even....

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this is the village of Creagneash. This old group of houses is now a sort of open-air museum, where you can walk around and feel like you're living a few centuries in the past.

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the houses are very cute and most of them are actually inhabited by people, and they wanna keep alive the past asmuch as they possibly can.

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there's also a small museum with some old photos, where they let me see an entertaining film explaining the old life and work culture of the island.

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Creagneash is a very nice place, relaxed and simple environment. But the real highlight is almost hidden behind a fence.

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CHANTELLE

hello! Oh, It's going  for it! This is a local breed of sheep, and as you can see it's got four horns, it's called the Loughtan sheep

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22:20

CHANTELLE 

and these are soo cute! Eat up! Ready for seconds?

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22:33

CHANTELLE

I'm gonna make you fat. You can't work out how to eat that, can you?

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>

the Loughtan sheep can have 2 to 3 pairs of horns, and it's unique to the island. Once there were also white, grey, and black ones. But nowadays just the brown ones remain

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22:54

CHANTELLE 

hello mr. horse!

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in the meantime, Daniel is more amazed by the local tea house, where a sign claims that if you don't have money to pay your bill, you can still pay it off by working in the kitchen. Daniel, notoriously a cheap guy, just had an apple pie and coffee, and wants to make the most of this opportunity.

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23:17

DANIEL

how long do you have to work in the kitchen for one apple pie?

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23:22

CAFÉ GUY

probably two hours. That would be slave labour!

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23:28

CAFÉ GUY

half an hour will be fine

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23:32

DANIEL

I had an apple pie, so..

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23:33

CAFÉ GUY

oh yes, and an espresso, that makes one hour!

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23:40

CAFÉ GUY

there you go, now it's 3.30, until 4.30.. I'll show you how to work the dish washer.

23:48

23:50

CAFÉ GUY

he should do it by hand, right? The old way! C'mon then. I'll give you a scrub..

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>

the Isle of Man has a lot to offer from the scenic point of view, and it's a little overlook during TT week, because the masses come just for the race event.

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T

mad sunday

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>

the TT event lasts roughly 2 weeks. The first is practice week, and the second is race week. The Sunday in between is called Mad Sunday. The main attraction is the mountain section, where, for 13 miles, all traffic runs one way and with no speed limits. So everybody can be a TT superstar for the day, riding out the track in race-like conditions.

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24:44

CHANTELLE 

do you race on mad Sunday? Do you go out?

24:45

24:46

PUB GUY

one lap! One lap, get back here, get drunk! There's so many people out on mad Sunday, it's frightening.

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24:57

PUB GUY2

It's not the ones you're following, it the ones that are coming up your ass

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25:01

PUB GUY

you do a lap, come back into Douglas, you buy the ‘I survived mad Sunday' t-shirt, you park the bike, you go to the pub. You just do one lap. It is enough for me anyway.

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25:17

PUB GUY2

yeah, you're old.

25:18

25:19

PUB GUY

I'm not that old, I'm only 42, thank you

25:21

25:26

TIM GLOVER

we obviously ask the riders to stick to the speed limits, because they're not on closed roads, they're on open public roads, so they've got to obey the law

25:35

25:36

DANIEL

but I've heard there's not speed limits ..

25:38

25:38

TIM GLOVER

on the mountainous section there isn't, and it's one way now on mad Sunday. So just be careful, and enjoy it, you'll get more bikes than you've ever seen in your life going around the mountain course

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25:53

>

now, obviously we don't want to miss what happens on the mountain road. The weather is not that great, but it's not enough to stop the bikes

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>

there're so many bikes here, it's unbelievable. It's almost as if every bike ever made is here now riding around the course.

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>

this is what it looks like driving on the mountain road. Bikes scream past pushed to their limit.

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>

the amateur bikers get a lively crowd, all along the track, ooh-ing and aah-ring throughout the day, they're fully prepared with beer in one hand and food in the other, to enjoy the moment

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26:52

TIM GLOVER

it's the fan's day. It's their chance to get out there on the course, and do a lap on mad Sunday, which in itself is world-famous as well.

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27:04

BIKER

it's a culture, it's a way of life, during the TT, to go around the island on mad Sunday.

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27:11

>

Jon is mounting a camcorder on his bike, like any bike freak here he's not going to miss the opportunity to ride a lap. And he's going to film it on tape for us. And, he's not going alone..

27:23

27:24

PUB GUY

you get pulled, you've got a camera on your tank, they can use that camera in court against you. If that camera is showing  your speedo, you're necked. You ain't got no other chance. You do not put a camera showing speedo.

27:43

27:44

PUB GUY2

but I don't speed!

27:44

27:48

CHANTELLE 

what are you doing?

27:48

27:49

DANIEL

I'm going for a ride with Jon, having a nice fast lap

27:53

27:54

CHANTELLE

are you gonna do the circuit?

27:56

27:56

DANIEL

I have no idea.

27:58

27:59

CHANTELLE 

how does it feel to have that on?

28:01

28:01

DANIEL

it's heavy! It's heavier than the one I had before. And it's bigger, it feels like I could fit two times into it

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28:25

>

all bike riders are show-offs. And Jon is no exception. So, today, he's excited to be taking Daniel for a spin with him. Jon is an amateur bike racer, and he's a local. So he knows the track better than anyone else. He goes damn fast, but the situation is supposed to be under control.

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28:57

>

to take full advantage of the one-way road system today, Jon rides fast, really fast, I wouldn't go!

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29:10

CHANTELLE

after all the races that happen during mad Sunday, all over the island, in different locations, everyone parties out pretty big. There's a lot of things happening, lot of street entertainment, live bands, the beach is packed. It's the place to be, a lot of families are here, just having a great time, it's fantastic. Also, there's no closing time for the pubs, so people are partying hard all through the morning.

29:38

29:42

>

at Bushy's tent, in Douglas, on the night of the mad Sunday, there's the big gig for the Loaded  band. It is packed and the atmosphere is great. The guys wanna get the whole tent rocking.

29:53

30:22

>

at a certain point, totally unexpected, a local policeman makes his way through the crowd, towards the stage.

30:29

30:35

POLICEMAN 

hello, Bushy's

30:36

31:46

DARREN

big cheers for the local policeman!

31:48

31:49

BIKER

the best day of the Isle of Man!

31:50

31:53

T

heavy smokers

31:59

CHANTELLE

ok, we're gonna get ourselves some kippers!

32:01

32:04

>

Kippers are smoked herrings. It's an old traditional food from the island since the late 18 hundreds and we can't miss it. They're fished locally in July and August, and we're going to visit one of the few remaining traditional factories, where the owner, Paul Desmond, takes us on a tasty tour of the facility.

32:23

32:24

PAUL DESMOND

welcome to the Isle of Man, I'm Paul Desmond, and this is Moore's Traditional Curers.

32:28

32:30

PAUL DESMOND

what I'll do now is to put these floors down, and I'll go under that and I'll take them out... can we watch you do that? Yes, you can.

32:40

32:56

>

most of the cleaning, smoking, and packaging process is done manually and it takes time and a lot of patience.

33:01

33:07

PAUL DESMOND

just the first