Q&A： Ask Us Anything! - Plater's Paradise ｜ The TT Podcast 72.1

Hello and welcome to the TT podcast, the podcast where we normally talk to one person from the TT world to discuss their lives, their journeys and their ambitions with the greatest motorsporting event in the world. However, as you can see, we have no guest or if you're listening to this, we have no guest. It's just me and Steve and an iPad, because Steve, I don't know if you know this yet, but we put out a question and answer form to the public across social media and email and we said ask Steve and Chris anything. Are you feeling confident? Well, I am because I've seen the questions and the majority of them, as I presumed, were aimed at you. So get your best thinking head on as we go into the first ever ask Chris and Steve anything TT podcast. Roll those titles. All right, Steve, firstly, this question isn't on the on the list. How are you, mate? You good? On top of the world, really flat out busy just back from Goodwood Revival as we're recording this great weekend. Weather wasn't fantastic, but still good banter and everybody kind of had a great weekend and enjoyed it. Any good goss from from Goodwood? We've got a few of the BSB riders, a few of the TT riders head over there and some bits and bobs, nothing, nothing over to be honest. You mean nothing you can tell? Nah, Goodwood's always the same. It's more about chilling out and forgetting about racing to a certain degree and just enjoying the weekend. Now, normally what you see at the Goodwood Revival is a lot of people dressing up in their old fashion clothing, but I guess you just get to rock your normal wardrobe, don't you? That's the best thing about it. Open the cupboard, take out your shirt and off you go. Right, Steve, you ready for this question and answer? Far away, young man, far away. Listen, it's not like Steve's quickfire questions. We can go into as much depth as we want to on some of these questions. But first question up is from Lily and the question is, I want to come to the final weekend of the TT and stay a few extra days. What should I do on the island? Well, firstly, if you're coming to watch the final weekend, you get to take in the senior TT, don't you? Correct. So if and I'm sure I've not read all these questions, but I'm sure somewhere along the line, someone's going to say, where should I watch from? Where should we go and watch the senior TT from? Should we watch it in the grandstand, in the paddock, in the fan park, where you get to witness all the after emotions of the race? If it's your first time, I would say yes, or somewhere in the vicinity, possibly Hilbury or Brayhill, so you can get back at the end of the race to watch the end of the senior, you know, obviously, traditionally, you would hope it'd be a six lapper. So you can go out and watch at least three or four laps in different or two different places and then get back nearly to the paddock area to see all the celebrations as well as the interviews and so on. And not just the top guys, but watch all the guys come back and just see the relief on their faces and the happy times. But it's difficult. But if you're staying on at the Isle of Man after the event as well, you know, things calm down quickly. People are trying to leave the island as quick as they can, of course, to get back to work and their normal lives. But there's a massive amount of things to do on the Isle of Man anyway, from massive amount of museums, there's a lot of history there, depends what you're into, obviously. Massive amount. There is, I think so. Yeah, I've had sort of 10 days, two weeks over there just on family trips with my parents and my kids. Yeah, it's great. Really, there's a huge amount of history of the Isle of Man, you know, from many, many years ago, from the Vikings through to obviously World War Two, there's all sorts going on here. The Vikings? Yeah. Are you just making this up? No, I'm not. All right. Come on, but you didn't give us any answers. Where? Give me three specific places you should go and visit on the Isle of Man. I'd say go to Doonglen. Doonglen? Is that what it's called down there? Yeah. Well, I went there with Dean Harrison. It's a nice little walk, beautiful waterfall, picturesque. Yeah, very. Where else would you go? You've got to go to Peel, you know, have a good look around. Peel's a nice place anyway. Some history. There's a lovely museum in the centre of Peel. All these museums, don't they? There's the castle, obviously. You can get on some little boat trips and stuff. There's plenty of fresh fish, but it's just a nice place to go and have a look around. Probably quieter. Eat some Queenies. Queenies. I was there last week on the trial and had a big plate full of Queenies. So nice, isn't it? Right, one final place. For me, probably what I call the posh part, Port Erin, that area. You know, the car for man to get down there and to have a look. It's just so picturesque, it really is. Well, actually, the trial last week kicked off from down there. It is beautiful, it really is, yeah. Nice. There you go, Lily. I hope that's answered your question. Next question from Giles. I can only presume this is aimed at Steve. What hair products do you use? Did Michael Rutter ask that? He always asks me what hair do I use. Giles, aka Michael Rutter, yeah? Wax, always. What kind of wax? VO2? Is it VO2? Nah, that's too weak. Oh, is it? Dax Wax. Oh, old school. I bet you still use Old Spice as well, don't you? Hardcore. I use a VO2 texturing gum and I follow it up with some hairspray. Maximum hold. And what colour do you use? I don't use... I used to. I'll admit it. I used to dye my hair. On my head, yeah. But no longer. I'm embracing the salt and pepper look, which seems to be going down not quite as well as I'd hoped. Holly asks, what would be your essential to pack for a day on the hedges watching the racing? And again, where would you watch from? Essentials, a chair. I went to the Mikes and I took a chair and it was the best thing I ever took. So take a little portable stool or a chair. Yeah, I think really, a chair and a radio. I know you can get digital obviously on your phone and stuff, but it depends on where you are and what you're doing. But it's just a case of, yeah, that's a good shout, to be honest. Chair, obviously, especially for you older people. But no, you know, it depends on whereabouts you are. There's a lot of places now obviously around the TT course that supply refreshments and various things. You know, I've been lucky enough to get away on the TV side and view in different places. But obviously, if you go in hardcore out in the sticks, I'm going to get somewhere where there's no facilities whatsoever. Maybe a bit of Andrex and, you know, and just enough refreshments to keep you going for the day, really. Why do you need Andrex? What are you doing in the hedge barns? No facilities. Oh, right. Oh, sorry. Right. And where would you watch from then? There's a massive amount of places that I want to go and watch out because I've obviously always busy working. The TV job is sending me out to further afield now, which is great, brilliant. And it gives me more chance to experience different places. Obviously, I know the whole course on the back of a motorcycle, but there's places that I would like to go and watch places like Gorsley, the Kay trees, some really fast and phenomenally quick places that would without doubt, you know, make the airs in the back of your neck stand up. But yeah, I think Gorsley is one that that's one that's purely it's so quick, so fast, it really is. Some places over the mountain, I'd like to go and watch some of the faster sections, I suppose, really. Yeah. And I guess really anywhere from ginger all through to Ramsey where the bikes are dancing. And, you know, I'm not going to say the boys are out of control, but where they're kind of slightly more passengers than riding their bikes. Yeah, they're just sat there waiting for it to smooth out. I'd go. I love Hilbury. I went there for the first time this year. Love it there because you've got the sheer speed of them coming into it. But then if you walk further down into the corner, you can see them coming out as they head up towards Crognamona. I think it's amazing up there. So there you go. That's answered your question, hasn't it, Holly? Right. This one's from Chris Critchard. I think this is a really good question. If you could have any part of the TT course named after you, where would it be and what would it be called, Steve Plater? And what would it be called? Well, yeah. Would you call it Plater's or would you? Well, I think we all know it'll be called Plater's Paradise, won't it? 100%. That's pretty obvious. It's got to be somewhere up on the mountain section for you, surely. Yeah, for me, probably up in the mountain section, probably at the end of the mountain mile. That's where I was really, really fast. Yeah. And it'd be called Plater's Paradise, pretty much there. There or Brandish, to a certain degree, because my first year, which was the centenary 2007, Brandish changed from being, I believe, don't quote me on this, a third gear left-hander to a fifth gear. Ultra quick, ultra smooth corner, which you just always thought you could have gone a bit quicker, but was so, so fast and so good. Brandish, the left before you go down towards Hilbury, right? Correct. Which is a great place, but obviously, I loved all that section anyway. So there you go. Can we unofficially name either Brandish, Plater's Paradise and get a little sign set up there for next year in 2025 people? I might put one up myself. And we'll get them on the radio into Plater's Paradise. Right. John asks, Steve, the Isle of Man TT is known not just for its speed, but for its incredible mental and physical demands. Can you describe the mindset you need to maintain during a race and how you handle the moments where concentration might falter at such high speeds? Cracking question, that one. Yeah, John, brilliant question, mate. Because I've said in various podcasts in different places that I don't believe the TT is too physical. You need a certain amount of bike fitness, obviously, but realistically, it's mentally draining rather than physically. And if you're not concentrating hard enough, then you're in a whole world of hell. You really are. You know, to give you an instance, in, I think, my first year there, I didn't really worry too much about pit boards because I was still massively learning, getting faster every time you're riding a bike. Going, coming to Ramsey, Parliament Square, right, left, flick around, up the short straight, up to the next corner. And somebody hung out a pit board on the right-hand side. And I looked at him and I thought, flipping heck, that's for me. Who's that then? And just with those slight thoughts, I then ran on and was so near to hitting the kerb. But that's the braking concentration. And that section is only really third, fourth gear. It's not high speed like the rest of the course to a certain degree. So that just goes to prove how easily, with a break of concentration, you can get caught out massively. Another instance is 2009. I think it was the first superbike race. I was going across the mountain section, actually, and you come into, I can't remember what the mileage or the corners called, but you come into a right, a short straight, then a fast left. You're still climbing. And somebody had crashed. There was marshals waving the flags. The marshals did a fantastic job. But as I went through the right of the short straight, the rider ran across in front of me and jumped over the fence out of the way, which was perfect. And I just thought, flipping heck, magic is all right. But as I went to the left, I'd taken him off the ball. I ran wide, straight down the white line, across onto the grass, smacked up the big black and white bollards. And luckily, I managed to right myself, get back on the course and then carry on. And nothing had happened. But again, that slight lapse in concentration can bite your backside. So realistically, for me, I think all of my experience with many, many, many, many years of world endurance racing, 24 hours, helps you to keep concentration quite easily to a high level for a long, long, long time, even when you're getting tired. It is crazy when you think about it, six laps, 220, 220 mile-ish, something like that, to maintain concentration. Massive, without making any mistakes. You can't afford any mistakes, obviously. Yeah, it baffles me. Hopefully that answered your question. Mark says, for a first time visitor to the TT, what travel and accommodation advice do you have and how easy is it to move around the course? Love the podcast. Thank you, Mark. Well, you could answer this one. Well, I'm not going to give any advice on where to stay because I like my little house that I've got on Douglas. I mean, in Douglas somewhere. Little house on the prairie. Accommodation seems to get booked up relatively quickly, doesn't it? Realistically, the majority of accommodation is somewhere. The most of it is they're staying in their favourite place and they'll just rebook it for next year, so it can be difficult. There's obviously cancellations of various things, so to a certain degree, it's wherever you can get in the area you would like to stay, whether it be Douglas or elsewhere. And would you go ferry or would you fly over? That's a good question, an important part. Now, like we were just talking about downstairs about the last two or three years at the TT and of course the Manx, there's two things there. You know, I would say to a lot of people, just get yourself over, tick the box. You must go and see the TT. It's incredible, obviously. However, if you're just going to jump on a plane and go over, which is great for a couple of days with the weather, if it's up and down, you may not get to see any action. So it's a difficult one. If you're close to an airport, I always kind of tend to say to people, jump on a plane, bish bosh, you're there, bang, you're straight in. But you do really need some form of transport to a certain degree, you really do, depending on where you want to go and watch. If you just want to head to the grandstand area and the paddock and walking distance down to Brayhill and other places, and you can stay in Douglas, you could do it all. Whether you just jump off the ferry as a foot passenger or get a taxi from the airport to Douglas, you're all in then. But if you want to travel around and see a little bit more of the island and certainly spectating different places, you need to book yourself a car or a motorcycle to get around on. So pretty much that's down to what kind of TT experience you want. Yeah, I'd always suggest for a first-timer, stay in Douglas. It's the heartbeat of the TT really. And even if there's no racing on, you're going to get to see something. You can head up into the paddock, you can get a feel for the TT without any bikes taking to the road. So I think Douglas is the first port of call. How easy is it to travel around the TT course during TT week? Because I find that very difficult and I'm not trying to put people off. The course itself, you can get around it. Not always the mountain section, because as you're probably aware, it's one way for the TT fortnight. So a lot of the guys are going over there at quite high speeds. There are a few accidents. Touch wood this year, nothing too serious. 2024. But there are the negatives and that's often closed. But the rest of the course is good. You just have to use your head, be sensible. It's not a racetrack when the roads are open. And the sooner people recognise that, the better. And it's very difficult to control adrenaline and trying to treat it like that. But it really is, you know, it's people are going to work. You know, there are kids around, running around and so on. So you really have to treat it with respect. Don't listen to the fun sponge go as fast as you. I'm joking. But I think that the point you make there is like the police, because there is that there's no speed restrictions on the mountain. They're like, do what you want on there within reason. Follow your own abilities. But through the through the villagers and through the little A roads and B road, just show a bit of respect for the locals and everyone else that's on those roads. Yeah. Yeah. I hope we've answered that question enough. It's a difficult one to answer. It is such a widespread question, but a good one. Next up, Keris asks, have each of you got your eye on an up and coming rider? If so, who is it and why? At the moment, no, no, no. Obviously, you keep wide, you keep wide eyed and bushy tailed. Yeah. And you're always looking out. It's it's a difficult one. Obviously, this year, Davey Todd, you know, what an awesome job. He made a massive improvement, not just in his results, which were incredible, but of course, in his lap time without without kind of taking any massive risk. And I think he's obviously, you know, a massive name for the future as well as what he's achieved already. But after Davey, it's a difficult one, really. There's a few guys kind of knocking on the door and getting faster and faster. But it's one of those where conditions were a little bit up and down for 2024. So people don't get a good run all the way through. It's so difficult when the conditions are so changeable. My first year, like many others in mine was the centenary. The weather was perfect for the for the full fortnight. So it kind of gave you a chance to get your head down, get going, keep learning and so on. But it's always difficult when the conditions are up and down. So difficult one to answer, really. For any new names, there's a few younger guys coming through. I know already of one or two fast guys that will be coming next year as newcomers. So keep watching the press. And for sure, one or two of those guys will be fast in the future. My answer to that, Gareth, is Ryan Kringle. A good one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think given the right bike that doesn't keep breaking down and his head's in the right space, I think he could be a genuine top five potential in a couple of years, if not next year. Nick asks, can you see the TT adding a prototype or unlimited class in the future, allowing manufacturers to build whatever bike they want that's safe? A big, flat no. You know, it's, you know, it's a fine idea. And in the past was was great because you could kind of compete with anything, especially in the senior. But for me, it would be much better, more economical and far better to have a series like my F100R Cup machines at British Championship, where everybody's on exactly the same. Take a set of keys out of the hat and everybody race the same. That would be, it would show the true fastest rider on the TT course. Oh, I like the sound of that. That sounds good. James asks, what will the TT look like in 20 years time? One thing I do know, Steve Player will still be there. At the side of, what a flippy neck! I'll still be there, probably the same set of overalls on actually. That's a good question. What will it look like? You know, obviously in my time at the Isle of Man TT, which pretty much now has been sort of 17 years, realistically, from competing and then and then working on the TV coverage. I've seen a few changes, you know. Brandish, I said earlier, was changed the year I went. There's one or two other sections around the course that have been changed. Not massively, but they changed little bits and bobs for safety as well as smoothness. You know, we've all said before how rough it is between Ginger Hall and Ramsey. They've changed some of the runoff areas through there. The actual tarmac's no different, but it's such a different feel factor and it opens it up. The tree lines have gone and so on. Every now and again, something gets changed. Quarry bends has changed over the years. I mean, it's a difficult one. What will it look like? It'll pretty much look the same kind of thing and that's the beauty of the Isle of Man. It'll still be demanding for a rider and probably one of the biggest obstacles to ride at and, of course, to win at. But then as a spectacle, how do you see it? Do you see it more? With the advent of social media, we've seen an influx of TT fans because they're getting access to clips and videos, some great content from the podcast that people have never experienced. So people are finding out about the TT each and every year. More people are coming. So in terms of like a spectacle, are we going to see it as popular as it is now, even more popular? Do we think we're going to have a few peaks and troughs in between here in the next 10, 15, 20 years with it? Yeah. I mean, realistically, if I could predict the future, I'd be a lottery winner on the right time and everything. But no, seriously. Yeah, of course, it's going to be bigger and better. The organisation that run the Isle of Man TT races are always 500 mile an hour, trying to make things better. Already in my time, the TT has gone from not a small event, but something that needed reinventing a little bit, which has done a magical job. I get recognised in various countries that I go to because I'm involved with the TT, not because I've won it, pretty much because you're one of the faces of many decent people on the on the TV side. But which is great. You know, I'm not talking as far afield as New Zealand, Australia and America, which is great. There's rumours of a feature film being made about the TT. It might be fictional, but it still will be a massive spectacle and going out around the world, which is the most important part. And what does that bring? That brings more people to the two week event, making it busier and better. I do think, you know, over the course of time, we're going to be seeing different things happening on the island to accommodate these people. But pretty much, the course will stay the same and the Isle of Man will be adamant to keep that history there and to keep it pretty much the same as it possibly is in years to come. Love it. Dean asks, I don't know if this is Dean Harrison, why hasn't there been a stronger representation of Italian marks at the TT? Italian marks, I guess that means Ducati, Ducati, Aprilia. Yeah, I mean, obviously they are more of an expense side, you know, Aprilia make an incredible MotoGP bike. Have they got a bike good enough to win at the TT? I would say probably not. You know, at the moment, it seems to be the BMW seems to be the strongest brand with the Honda knocking on the door massively as its closest competitor in recent years. But the Italians build fantastic bikes, beautiful bikes, but they're very expensive to run. Very. And that's probably the main reason why most of your privateer teams steer towards other manufacturers. Yeah, I think, I don't know if the, not the rumour, the, what would the word be, the consensus that Italian brands would be considered unreliable. In the past, in the past. Yeah. Yeah. But hey, listen, times move on. And they're all incredible bits of kit now, you know, fabulous engineering, beautiful and reliable. So, you know, they've won every other championship from British to World Superbikes to MotoGP, you know, and all in the same year. So it's, they're obviously competitive enough, but TT is without doubt, we've said it a thousand times, the biggest test for man and machine. But, you know, they cost a lot of money. Yeah, Ducati, come on, put your finger out, get some money into TT, get a bike there and win it and win everything. MotoGP, Worlds, British. And Toddy, Toddy, Toddy run. Yeah, he did, yeah, the Supersport. On the Supersport this year, obviously with the 959V Twin in Supersport and, hey, it was competitive. But yeah, I don't think it'll be too long. I think it will happen, but it's just a case of. Yeah, Brownie was on the Aprilia as well this year, weren't he? That's right. Yeah. It's just having the funding. Exactly. It always comes down to money. Right, next up, this is serious, from Alex. If your life depended on it, who would you pick to win a six-lap senior race any era on any bike? Do you know what? Before you answer this, Steve, my first thought was Michael Dunlop on any bike. But do you know what I'm going to say? Not because he's in the room, not our producer, Tom. I'd put Steve Plater on it. I genuinely would. Because I think there's not many that like a fight as much as Steve Plater on a bike. And when the chips are down, I'd want to be in Steve's corner. Hey, listen, there's a lot of ingredients that go into winning a TT. You know, you can pick the right rider or rider fast enough, the right package, the right team. The people around the rider are just as important. And of course, the right machinery. But you also need a bit of luck over the course of an event. I had some luck, you know, when I won my senior, John McGuinness snapped a chain. But also that year, the man that was really on the pace, or arguably the fastest through practice, was Cam Donnard, who crooked himself at what the corner's called, just before Kate's. So he was out of action as well. So, hey, listen, and over the years, we've just said about the TT being the biggest test for man and machine, but it's reliability, it's an endurance race. So there's a little bit of luck involved with any win around the TT. Not only have you got to be really fast on good machinery with a good team around you, there's a little bit of luck also. So, who would I put on if my life depended on it? I know, I know. It would be Steve Islop. Would it? Yeah. I was going to change my answer to Bruce. Steve Islop. I'd put a happy hizzy on it. Yeah, he's got to be. He's definitely got to be happy. Yeah. Put a happy hizzy on a Milwaukee BMW against Steve Palletta and watch all hell break loose. I think that'd be a race I'd pay to see. Sarah Jane asks, have you ever had an oh ---- moment where you know it's not going to end well? If so, when and where? And did it affect the subsequent performances? I presume we're talking about bikes here and not anything else, right? Well, it could be about your love life. Well, I was going to say I've had plenty of those moments and they have affected my subsequent performances. For me around the TT course. Yeah, I've had one. I mentioned it earlier over the mountain where I run off was slight lapse concentration. I run off the side of the track onto the grass, smacked up some bollards and luckily the bike right itself and come back on the track fourth gear very quick. So I got away with that one. But and then one other Stella Maris just running out of road slightly. They didn't run out of road, but very, very nearly. And that's the two moments that I can recall. You know, if you watch some YouTube clips, you might have a lot more in your head that you've seen a big top of a big hour and place like that. But that was just a case of learning the course. And I didn't think there was close moments really. Is that the one where John came and spoke to you afterwards? Yeah, my Guinness. No, no, I've got none. Obviously, I've had issues elsewhere. Northwest 200 place like that with broken necks and ended up on clifftops upside down and various things. But there were good days, not bad days. Well, he survived. Yes. So when you had your moment fourth gear up at the top of the mountain, did it affect you afterwards or are you? No, in all fairness, when you go upside down, you cannot afford to be thinking about the past. Yeah, it's not even the present. You've got to be in the future. You've got to be looking ahead and concentrating on what's coming. So you have to very quickly turn things around and keep pushing on. So has there ever been a place, just going off on a tangent here, where you've had a crash, whether that be the TT or short circuit, and it's put you out for the weekend or it's put you out for the rest of the time that you spent at that track and then you don't arrive at that track for another year. Do you have it in your head? Oh, the last time I was here and went around this left-hander, I stacked it. Do you have that in your head? Right. So you just get back on the bike and off you go. You only remember the good times, not the bad times. I suppose so. And I think that's the same for any rider. If you have those sort of thoughts, you're never going to be fast. That's why I'm so slow. Thanks, Sarah-Jane. Chris, not me. Which corner or section from any other road racing circuit would you incorporate into the TT course? Oh, I like that. So when we say road racing circuit, are we talking road roads? Yes, I believe so. Deer's Leap, is it Deer's Leap? Is that Ulster? Ulster Grand Prix, yeah. I'd stick that in somewhere. And I'd also put, for me, I'd put station cornering from the northwest. What, station corner up under the bridge and...? No, it's on the back section. You come out of Mill Road roundabout, drop down past the garage on the right. And as you're running down towards Colerain, so it's a flat in... Oh, the fast right? Sixth gear fast right, yeah. Where would you stick it? Oh, good question. Well, it's got to be somewhere where you flat out. Because that is a borderline corner. Do you do it flat or not? Some do, some don't. Did you? And it's always been the same. Yeah. Obviously, it's faster now because bikes are faster, tyres are better. But it's just, yeah, it's incredible. Where would I put it? I think, really, it needs to be on the mountain section because it's such a fast corner. And you need to be able to... Well, you can't really see through it at the northwest, to be honest. So I suppose it doesn't matter too much. But... God, that's a good question. I'll tell you where I'd put it. Go on then. I would put it... I'd put it... Come on. Two-thirds, halfway or two-thirds way down. So I'll be straight. Yeah. Just to make it nice and fast. Right, we're going to end part one of the Q&A right there. But I'm going to leave you with this cliffhanger. The next question up in part two is... Would Steve like to do a closed road lap of the TT course with Chris's pillion? You'll find the answer next week. Bye.