about having their first half-a-week off in months. I used to drive our van sometimes, with a caravan on the back of it. So the lads waved us off at Snetterton with big grins on their faces. Andrea and I had somewhere to go, so I was driving flat out

but the Festival is the big event. I just wanted to be a part of it, but they said, 'Oh, we've got Bruce Anstey's TT-winning Triumph for you to ride'. I thought fine, no bother. They do look after you properly there and it's flippin' well organised. You've got

had hurt himself so I got the call up. It was my first 500cc race, at Magny-Cours, and it was real rush to get the special dispensations from the ACU and FIM to ride.The bikes were bang on and not slow at all. I remember slipstreaming Schwantz

Schwantz, Boet van Dulman, Mick Doohan, etc, etc. Andrea picked me up from hospital – she was really pissed off because she’d bought a new frock and stuff for the big bash the night of the hillclimb. There’s no way I was going to that.In the car on the way

stopped at the door of the pit-garage and Steve rolled up alongside, lifted his visor and shouted out behind this big grin, "Two-One!" He never loses his sense of humour Steve, and he's a right good thing. He's bang up for it at the moment but he needs

dealing with I kinda half recognised. He was called Ryan I think, and it turned out that he used to race Supermonos, and he had a Honda jacket on and that. Initially he was looking at me dead funny like. The lad had said to me, "It's James Whitham isn

banging on about, which I go to in Misano. The bloke who runs it always looks after us and although we hadn't booked, and the place was absolutely packed out, he took us in, whipped the reserved sign off the table (reserved for someone else, that is

Barratt home then new doors are fine, but our place is 250 years old and you have to take your time. I know it's a bit anoraky, but I love it. Talking about anoraks, I got a letter through the other day, simply addressed to 'James Whitham, Bike Racer