The need for speed

"The reason I do it is because if you do it wrong, it will kill you.

If you think it's too dangerous then go home and cut your lawn and leave us to it."

Guy Martin.

Guy Martin fireball 2010

The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) practice week has started, with the first race being held on Saturday 2nd June.

It is a race like no other, run on closed public roads and first held in 1907 at a time when road racing was banned on the mainland and the speed limit was 20 mph.  Average speeds are now over 130 mph, with some riders topping 200 mph. Members of the public can ride the mountain section of the course on 'Mad Sunday'.

My 1977 copy of The Oxford Companion to Sports and Games reveals that:

'The Snaefell Mountain Course over which the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races are run starts at the town of Douglas on the south-east coast, taking on a wide sweep to the west and north to enter the town of  Ramsey on the north-east coast and thence return to the starting point, each lap measuring 37 3/4 miles (60.6 km) and taking in over 200 bends while climbing from sea level to an altitude of over 1,300 ft (396 m). This circuit is the epitome of the natural road course, all the roads used being ordinary public highways closed for the racing and practice sessions. It is generally accepted as the most arduous and demanding (of motor-racing circuits).'

John McGuiness holds the lap record of 17 minutes, 12.30 seconds and also the race record (6 laps) in 1 hours 46 minutes and 7.16 seconds. His average speeds for these records are 131 and 127 mph.

 

From Monday 28th May you can watch the action from the comfort, and safety of your sofa, on ITV4.

Countdown

  

• 21 days to Euro 2012 in Poland and The Ukraine
• 31 days to Wimbledon
  
• 62 days to the Open Championship at Royal Lytham
• 71 days to the London Olympic Games

The football and rugby seasons are drawing to a close. The finals of the Champions League, Championship, Leagues 1 and 2 Play Offs, Heineken Cup and Aviva Premiership all being played out this and next weekend. But when one door closes another opens and so we have an exiting summer of sport to look forward to.

The first test match against the West Indies has started and there are the One Day Internationals against Australia and the test match series against South Africa to come. England's number one test ranking will be put to the test.

The BaBas play England, Ireland and Wales. These teams then head off for tough tests against South Africa, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

You can get 13/1 for England to win Euro 2012, Andy Murray 15/2 to win Wimbledon, Lee Westwood 14/1 to win The Open and Dai Green 9/4 to win the 400 m hurdles. A £10 accumulator bet would return £58,012.

Or, slightly less speculatively, Spain at 5/2, Djokovic at 13/8, McIlroy at 9/1 and Bolt to win the 100m at 4/7 would return £1,433.

Do you feel lucky?

Little Maestro

"Sport is war minus the shooting": George Orwell.

But for the man who could be your Little Brother - Lionel Messi, football is all about the shooting.

In the last four seasons he has scored 38, 47, 53 and now 68 times so far with three games remaining. He's surpassed Gerd Muller's '72-'73 vintage of 67 goals for Bayern Munich and Pele's 66 for Santos in '57-'58. Way ahead of our own Dixie Dean's 63 for Everton in '27-'28 of whom Bill Shankly said "He belongs to company of the supremely great, like Beethoven, Shakespeare and Rembrandt. This Young Master's achievement puts him in the same category, aged just 24. Watch all 68 here:

Messi's goalscoring average for the Argentine national team is worse than his Barcelona average - 1 in 3, compared to 1 in 2 so he's not up there with Ferenc Puskas who almost scored a goal in each international game, or Muller who slightly bettered that. As for all time goalscoring greatness, will anyone emulate Pele's 1281 goals in 1363 matches? Charlton Athletic will win the Premier Leauge before that happens!