classic tt / manx gp [part four]

into ramsey and we begin the ascent onto the mountain, i've watched a thousand and one videos of onboard footage of lap's of the tt course, you might have a vague idea of where the course goes, which way the corners turn, but, never, ever underestimate the roads, it doesn't matter how much time you spend watching videos or playing the playstation, you never really 'know' it until you ride it on a motorcycle, we pass the police car observing at the hairpin and catch up with a gaggle of riders as we approach waterworks, through the gooseneck and they disappear backwards as we wind it on, dangerous is sniffing but there's no-way i'm letting him past me, we catch and pass more riders, fast through the verandah, the corner where 'conrod' had his massive accident and slow for the police prescence at the bungalow, safely out of sight and dangerous shows me his front wheel, white van in front, soon despatched and into the forty-limit too soon, back down into douglas and park up on glencruthery road at the grandstand, helmet off and dangerous is not happy, 'something came off your bike and nearly hit me! i had to duck!' i check over my bike, my initial thoughts are that my fuse-box lid has gone awol, a common fault on ducati's, no, that's all present and correct, i have a good look around my bike and nothing seem's obvious. we have an ice-cream and a walk around the pit's, i spot micheal dunlop and prepare to get a piccy, i reach into my pocket and bollocks! my fucking camera! double-bollock's! that was what it was then, gutted, back to the digs and tell rosemary, who decides to contact manx radio in the vain hope someone has found it, off to the pub and on our return, there's a note, someones found it and handed it into the police station in douglas, the bad news, it's hit their windscreen at a hundred and twenty five emm-pee-hhhhh.......................