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"He never even completed one lap."But the prospect of going home in a box is not one that seems to bother many of the participants. "It is inherently dangerous," says Albert Price, a mechanic from Wolverhampton, "but that's all part of the experience. It's just genuine working blokes having a holiday."And so, to this raucous festival of fear and challenges, come the leather-clad men and women every early summer."It's anarchy," says Poppy, a driver with Bunty's Taxis "The bikers go all over the place. You can't move for them in Douglas."They park in the middle of the street - they even cycle in the nude."Others on the island are more enthusiastic. Even on Thursday night, when the first few bikers arrive, there are signs welcoming them.The paddock outside Castletown is where they head once here.On Friday morning, 30-year-old Luke Notton and his sponsor, John Oldfield, are looking over the two Walmsley Seeley bikes Luke will be riding in the Pre-TT Classic races. These are on a shorter circuit to the main TT races, which go over the mountain in the middle of Man.But even the Pre-TT course goes past front doors and railway crossings There are bends as sharp as those on the main TT.
An unseated rider is likely to find himself hurtling towards a fence or a wall at high speed."I don't think about it," says Luke, a European champion "I've broken ribs. When I broke my shoulder, I rode the next day."John Oldfield looks on jovially. He used to ride in the TT races himself, until he crashed and broke his back in 1981."When you fall off," he says, "the first thing you should do is find out where your bike is. I thought I'd got away with it, and then the bike went straight into my back. Took a year to heal."Over in Douglas, they're preparing for the crowds to arrive.
Paul Spellerconcedes that the festival is not to everyone's taste "Some local people don't like it But they book holidays to avoid it.". They are cheeky little wines whose light, aromatic flavours have unexpectedly muscled their way into the international market. But these impertinent bouquets are not from the Loire Valley or California, but the more unexpected quarters of Kent and Sussex. English wines, once a laughing stock, are emerging as a serious force in the world market, new figures reveal. As a result of rising temperatures caused by global warming, which has prompted warnings that some wine regions in France may become barren, English wine is even being enjoyed across the Channel by our Gallic cousins.Viticulturalists yesterday said that the longer hours of sunshine means English wine is becoming more drinkable because the grapes are ripening better on the vine.Nyetimber in West Sussex, which produces two award-winning sparkling wines, is typical, having seen a six-fold rise in sales from 10,000 to 60,000 bottles over the past three years. "We are now selling everything that we produce and we have to be careful about selling out," said Andy Hill, a songwriter and producer who owns the vineyard.As well as winning a gold medal at last year's International Wine and Spirit Competition, his wine is sold in some of London's leading restaurants - Gordon Ramsay, Oxo Tower and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen.Denbies in Dorking, Surrey, the largest vineyard in the UK with 265 acres, has seen sales increase by 15 per cent. Last year's vintage won four International Wine Challenge awards.
