Following on from the success of the inaugural sixties themed 2013 Isle of Man Classic TT Races presented by Bennetts, the Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development has confirmed that the 2014 Classic TT Races, part of the fortnight-long Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling, will pay tribute to Joey Dunlop and will have an 'eighties' theme running throughout the event.
Entitled 'Joey Dunlop - Road Racing Legend’, the Classic TT weekend will celebrate the career of Joey Dunlop, not just at the TT, but also during the F1 World Championship days as well as his career in Ireland, with the 1980s a particular focus when Joey was at the height of his career.
Big hair, shoulder pads, ripped jeans and neon clothes are expected to be the order of the day with the fancy dress themed Paddock Carnival at the Grandstand on Friday 22nd August, while the paddock will turn back the clock and echo to everything from grunge to Madonna with live music and DJ's reflecting the best of the decade.
The Department of Economic Development is working with Joey's family to curate an exhibition of his racing machines from throughout his career, which are currently being researched. The free entry exhibition will be situated at the heart of the event in the paddock throughout Classic TT.
There will also be a parade lap sponsored by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company featuring Joey’s 26 biggest career rivals, with appropriate representatives when a rider is unavailable. This will include some of his leading fellow competitors from the 1980s F1 World Championship days as well as his earliest rivals from the Irish Road Racing scene not to mention his many TT rivals.
The Classic TT weekend will again feature two race days on Saturday 23rd and Monday 25th August with this year's programme again including Formula 1 and 2 machines, a 350cc Race and the 500cc Race. It will also feature the hugely popular VMCC's Festival of Jurby on Sunday 24th August.
Trevor Hussey, Head of Motorsport, Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development believes that the Classic TT is changing the perception of Classic Racing. He commented: "There seems to be an unwritten rule that Classic Racing is just pre-1960's machines but we are looking to change that with the Classic TT. The 1980's not only gives us a rich motorcycling theme but was also a strong cultural decade and we will look to really expand on that."
He continued: "It also gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to one of the greatest names in the TT's long history and we are really keen to develop an appropriate celebration of Joey Dunlop's racing career as his name is synonymous with the TT Races."
