There are three road racing meetings during the TT Festival – the two around the demanding 4.25 mile Billown Course at Castletown and the big one itself over the ‘mountain’….so who
rode the most racing miles during the Centenary TT period? Well, I wouldn’t bet against local Isle of Man resident, Chris Palmer. A star at the ‘Classics’, four excellent finishes at the TT and then victory in the 125cc race at the Post-TT meeting sums up a brilliant fortnight for the motor mechanic and retained fireman, originally from Cumbria but now living in Castletown.

Chris’s first involvement in competitive two wheeled sport was on motocross machinery, on which he raced for two and a half seasons…. but that soon changed after a visit to the Isle of Man to spectate at the 1980 TT. “I bought a Kawasaki KH400”, Chris explains “and
contested my first road racing meeting at Silloth in July 1981; I seem to remember
finishing in something like sixth position, but I was definitely hooked”.

Rapid progress followed with the acquisition of the Silloth 250cc Championship title in 1982 on a Yamaha TZ, beating Niall McKenzie’s class lap record in the process. His height, five feet four inches, equipped him well for the smaller capacity machines, so this was the area of the sport on which he concentrated for the early years of his career. In 1991 he finished second in the
British 125cc behind a man he would encounter in many ‘road’ battles of the future, Robert Dunlop; Chris repeated the result two years later when Robin Appleyard took the honours. It was actually in 1990 that Chris decided to race at the place which originally influenced him into becoming a road racer – the Isle of Man. Concentrating exclusively on the ultra-lightweight
event, he came home 13th of the thirty nine starters at an average speed of 94.08mph in a race won by Robert Dunlop. Encouraged by his steady performance, Chris returned the following
year, but luck was not with him…”I lost the front end at Braddan Bridge during a practice session and then cart-wheeled at Guthries in the race.” Little luck either in his next Manx experience when the big end went in the crankshaft of his 125 Yamaha TZ at Crosby on the first lap in 1994.

Chris didn’t race at the TT again until 2002 – why? “I couldn’t learn the course sufficiently well enough and people were beating me who really shouldn’t have been doing so” He did, however, become British 125cc Champion in 1998 with a rider he much admires, Ian Lougher, second in the rankings.

Entries were submitted for the cancelled TT of 2001 and so it was 2002 that saw our Cumbrian friend return to racing on the Mountain Course, and with vengeance as there were starts in the
Senior, Formula 1, Production 1000 as well as the 125cc Race. Why the change of heart? “Well, I had made the Isle of Man my home and during a ferry journey to the Island I had a conversation with Nick Jefferies who suggested that I had another go at the TT as I would now
have plenty of time to learn the course on a road bike”. This he duly did and, as well as coming home 4th, his best result so far, in the 125cc Race, he was now circulating at speeds of over 114mph on the larger capacity machines; 18th position in the Senior was certainly a credit to a rider in his first TT on such a machine.

So began a fantastic sequence of results in which Chris has finished every race up to and including the end of the Centenary meeting….well, with one exception. “The highlight of my TT
career was when I won the 125cc Race in 2003, but later on that day I pulled in after one lap of the Production Race as I was unable to concentrate. Well, could you race seriously with a smile
on your face?” What odds that the rest of the race was spent in the beer tent? For the record, Chris headed home the Honda benefit [all riders who finished were on them] at an average speed of 108.65mph nearly forty seconds in front of Michael Wilcox with Robert Dunlop,
Ian Lougher and Nigel Beattie following in line astern. Chris was awarded the TT Supporters’ Club Trophy – a silver tray on a plinth – for his efforts. Twelfth, nineteenth and twentieth positions were also secured during TT Week 2003, but it was that victory which is Chris’s TT highlight
to date, “I was delighted as I had really come from being a nobody to be successful on my return to TT racing after a few years break”.

How does a competitor cope with such a variety of machinery? Don’t forget, Chris not only rides in classes from ultra-lightweight to superbike, but is at the forefront of classic racing on the
Isle of Man and at the Oliver’s Mount circuit in Scarborough. “For many years I have been working with my mechanic, Sean Oates, who is excellent at developing the feedback I give him. In the first place, we acquired an ex-Chris Heath machine and just learnt how to ride it at
Jurby with Sean adapting the suspension to cope with my weight and small frame. It’s just gone on from there, with Sean working tirelessly, on many occasions to midnight, to get the machines ready, so I just jump off one on to another. Also, I am so grateful to Fred Walmsley for the
preparation of the classic bikes and to all my sponsors”. Aboard Walmsley’s Manx Norton, Chris maintained his supremacy in the Senior pre-TT Classic with his third victory in a row at this year’s meeting. Leading by an incredible five seconds at the end of the first lap, he  controlled the race from the front in what most considered to be very dodgy wet conditions.
Chris also finished second in both the Singles Classic and Post-Classic Superbike events.

2004 and it was ‘as you were’ as regards the smaller bike race at the TT, increasing his winning margin to nearly a minute, this time with Dunlop as runner-up. As it currently stands, Chris Palmer is the last winner of a 125cc Race at the TT meeting; much comment has been made recently about the number of solo races at the TT – how does Chris feel? “There certainly needs to be more classes, but I’m not too sure as to how we progress. I feel there is
insufficient quality in depth with respect to both quality two-strokes and riders of such machines, but something has to be done as, to the average spectator, there is little difference between 600s, superbikes and superstocks. One change I would encourage at the TT is the redistribution of the prize fund, giving more to say, 6th to 15th positions. The top riders
with their manufacturers’ contracts fill the first few places to take the bulk of the prize money; the top privateers need the money in order to make proper challenges to those above them in the finishing order”.

Excellent results followed on the Mountain Course in the ensuing years, none more so than the popular victory in the Senior MGP of 2006 aboard the 499cc Manx Norton ahead of Steve
Linsdell’s Paton. 2006 had also seen Chris receiving the TT Supporters’ Club Trophy again, but, this time, for being the first rider on a 600cc machine to complete the distance in the six lap
Senior Race.

What of the Centenary TT? In the best field for years, Chris managed 9th, 11th, 13th and 20th positions with his best result coming in the 600 Supersport Race with average speeds nearly
20mph faster than that of his first finish way back in 1990. Was it all plain sailing? “No. During one particular practice session I experienced suspension problems which frightened me to death. I came in, Sean made the necessary adjustments, but I just didn’t feel like going back out! The worst race for me was the Superstock; I couldn’t get the bike to handle properly. In actual fact, I’ll probably not bother with that class again. Sadly, the other incident, which proved to be a tragedy, was coming across the horrific accident at the 26th Milestone during
the Senior shortly after it happened”.

The day after that, Chris was back in winning mode with victory in front of Robert Dunlop in the 125cc at Billown and a second place behind Robert’s lad, William, in the 250cc event. To prove his undoubted versatility consider Chris’s results at this year’s Southern 100…two 125cc  victories, third in the Superbike, fourth in both the 600cc and Invitation Races and an excellent second in the 250cc …..then it was on to the Manx and another fine podium position, second
place on his G50 Matchless, thirty-three seconds behind winner, Ryan Farquhar in the
Senior Classic.

An excellent year for an excellent rider, who still takes his road-going R1 out in his spare time to learn the intricacies of the Mountain Course. I think we all join Chris in thanking Nick Jefferies for the sound advice during that ferry journey. More than most, Chris reminds us of the legendary days of the 1960s when riders would jump off a high capacity machine on to a small two-stroke and race both competitively at the front of the field. Many thanks go to Chris for
helping with this article.

Graham Bean