I represent Team “Past It” an F2 sidecar team who competed in this years TT races. The team name derives from the rider’s ages, driver Robin Daykin being 74 years old and passenger Annette Daykin (Robin’s long suffering wife) being 60 years old. Robin and Annette race in Shoei helmets but at the TT we had been having great difficulty getting suitable visors and tear-offs.
You can imagine my relief when I looked out of my camper van one morning and saw the Shoei service van parked in the paddock. I quickly introduced myself and the Team to Paul, who was providing the service, and he very soon had us sorted out with a clear and dark visor for each helmet along with suitable tear-offs. In addition we only had to present the helmets to Paul after each session on the circuit and they were duly serviced and fitted with more tear-offs ready for the next session. Team “Past It” were very grateful for everything that you and Paul did for us and it certainly meant we had one less thing to worry about.
The Team received a great deal of publicity mainly because of their ages, Robin being the oldest rider ever to compete at the TT, and because it was 54 years since Robin last raced on the Mountain circuit having competed in the 1957 Manx Gran Prix on an AJS 7R, 54 years between a first and second appearance on the TT circuit is also a record. Unfortunately Paul only had some small Shoei stickers to give us but these were duly displayed on the sidecar outfit, the team van and the display poster outside the awning. Many many photos were taken of the outfit, both on the circuit and in the paddock, and the Shoei stickers will be seen on all of these.
There was also an Austrian film crew filming a documentary of Klaus Klaffenbock and they spent a lot of time filming Team “Past It” on and off the outfit. This film crew has some tie up to the Red Bull drinks firm owner. Although the film is to be shown all over the continent it will not be shown in the UK, unless plans change. Robin and Annette unfortunately did not qualify for the first sidecar race, never having got a clear practice lap in all week, but they qualified for the second race and were ov erjoyed to get the much sought after finish.
In addition to their Finisher’s Awards they were also presented with the Marshall’s Trophy for the Best Newcomers and the Frank Cope Trophy, a huge cup and two silver replicas. Photos can be provided if you would like any for publicity purposes, Robin and Annette may not be as well known as John McGuinness or Guy Martin but they are well known and well respected in the sidecar world……and, I suspect, by a lot of TT spectators now who have re-christened them Team “Not So Past It”.
Thank you once again for the assistance so freely given to Team “Past It” it is much appreciated and if you want to supply us with some larger Shoei stickers we will make sure they are duly displayed. Although I live in West Yorkshire, Robin and Annette live in Turriff, Aberdeenshire but travel to England and Wales for all their racing. Next meeting is at Cadwell Park on 2/3 July followed by the Cock ‘o the North meeting at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough on 23/24 July
Regards Dan Clark
