How ironic! According to the Met Office at Ronaldsway, May 2025 was the sunniest on record for the Isle of Man.

The office stated that just over 0.4 mm of rain fell in the first three weeks of the month.

There were also 319.4 hours of sunshine, which is more than the previous record set in May 1977.

Temperatures were also record-breaking, with the mean of the daily peaks reaching 16.7 degrees Celsius - two degrees above the long-term average. The hottest day of the month was the 12th, with 23.2 degrees recorded at Ronaldsway.

In fact, I was reminded that since March this year, our weather has generally been good.

We have enjoyed nice weather in May for a number of years now, followed sometimes by more mixed conditions.

The motorcycle community, generally by nature, are positive thinkers and accept the rough with the smooth.

Without exception, those I spoke to accepted and acknowledged the difficulties experienced by the organisers - in particular the Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson and team, the TT marshal organisation, and the medics, with volunteers standing patiently for hours on end waiting for a break in the weather to start the races. To all of them: thank you for your commitment!

To continue on a positive theme, a few thoughts on TT 2025. I enjoyed getting around to different spots to watch the exciting practices and races once again.

I spent two race days at Sarah’s Cottage, and for the first, had to be there by 7am to get the best position. Along the route at Braddan Bridge, people were already sitting eagerly, anticipating the races to begin - and the same applied to the hedges along the course as I travelled to my destination. Roy and his lovely wife Alma, like so many others, always offer warm hospitality at this location, with free seating and great value-for-money catering.

Whenever and wherever you decide to watch the races, while waiting for the start, conversations and experiences are shared and often friendships are made.

There was a great atmosphere at Sarah’s, and although there were delays to the start on both days, we enjoyed thrilling racing.

This year, one of the new innovations I took advantage of was the new grandstand at the Railway Inn at Union Mills.

Again, free entry was available and, like Sarah’s Cottage, buckets were in place for charitable donations. There was a jovial atmosphere as we waited for the start.

I always enjoy the banter exchanged between the various contingents of different nationalities - including Dutch, Belgian, German, Italian, and French fans.

I was stood next to a visitor from Australia who has visited off and on some 10 or 15 times since the 1980s. Another large group were long-term Irish fans who share our passion for the most exciting motorcycle racing in the world.

Again, the on-site catering was excellent, with ample portions and great choices at reasonable prices - which looked really appetising. I really hope all their efforts resulted in a successful event, and I will certainly be back, as the position is exceptional.

At last year’s TT, it was, in my opinion, totally appropriate that the record 26 wins achieved by Joey Dunlop saw the baton passed to his nephew Michael, who, by the time he entered this year’s event, had increased his total to 29 victories. That total now stands at 33 race wins.

More than that, though - his incredible record of victories extends across seven different manufacturers (or eight, if you count the Classic TT races, which I certainly do).

These victories have come with Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Paton, BMW, Suzuki, and this week, Ducati - marking the first time in 30 years that the Italian manufacturer has won a race.

The Classic TT victory was on an MV Agusta in the 2016 Junior Race. This year, the TT Motorsport team renamed the 27th Milestone ‘MD’s’ in his honour.

It was also great to see now-Laxey resident Dean Harrison (yes, we will claim him as dual nationality!) bring Honda Racing its first TT victory in 10 years with the win in the first Superstock race - only to double up by taking his second win for the Japanese factory team in the second Superstock race on Friday. Very popular wins for the rider - his first since 2019 - and very well deserved.

I always think the Superstock races are ones the manufacturers especially like to win, as these machines are closer to what customers can purchase from dealerships.

Of course, the Superbike and Blue Riband Senior TT races for the larger capacity machines are also very important - in fact, I believe any TT victories have a beneficial effect for the manufacturer concerned.

From a local rider perspective, well done to Mikey Evans, whose birthday coincided with his first podium in Supertwin Race 1, where he finished in an excellent second place on his Kawasaki.

Other local competitors in the solo races have also shown fine form, in particular Nathan Harrison and Conor Cummins. Well done all!

Without a doubt though, for me - and I’m sure many others - the most emotional moment came when, once again, Ryan and Callum Crowe followed up last year’s double sidecar victories to make it four in a row.

They dominated the races from start to finish and were 10mph faster than any other team through the speed trap at Sulby Straight.

It’s hard to comprehend how much effort, time, and expense they and their supporters put into their fantastic successes. I was proud to once again stand and join in with our national anthem, relayed from the grandstand via Radio TT.

They certainly made me proud to be Manx!

I think the development of The Legacy Lap on the Sunday preceding the main race week is an excellent addition to the TT programme. Riders take the opportunity to honour TT heroes past and present with a controlled lap of the course.

Despite miserable weather, many people gathered around the course early Sunday morning to witness this expression of all that is good about the motorcycle family and community.

Usually, the Superbike TT follows the same day, which I think is a winning formula - although this time, the weather prevented that from happening.

This year, Political Member for Motorsport (and my daughter) Sarah Maltby rode with Travelling Marshal Jim Hunter - who celebrated his 40th year of involvement with the event - on the lap.

She also welcomed lots of people and businesses from near and far to the TT grandstand, including TT fans Lieutenant Governor Sir John and Lady Lorimer. She also introduced a new initiative: an official charity partnership. This year, it was ‘Mannin Cancers’ - and recognition continued for loyal TT fans who have visited for many years.

The TT is an event with a rich history, going back to the bold decisions taken to introduce the races at the start of the last century. The success of the event depends on a team of people - from marshals, medics, and other volunteers to the race organisation and more.

Thanks to everyone who plays a part.