Mitch Rees on Isle of Man TT: 'I knew I wanted to race there'
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PHOTOSPORT
Most sports people have an ultimate target they'd like to achieve during their careers and for many motorbike racers that target is the Isle of Man TT.
This year Whakatāne rider Mitch Rees gets that opportunity.
The 32-year-old will join an elite group of New Zealanders to have ridden the iconic event on the island in the Irish Sea.
There are also a handful of New Zealanders to have won there including four times world champion Hugh Anderson.
Graeme Crosby, Bruce Anstey, Paul Williams, Rod Coleman, Dennis Ireland and Brett Richmond are the other Kiwis to have tasted success.
Anstey, with 12 TT tiles, is considered one of the greats of the event.
Unfortunately the 60km course has also claimed more than 150 lives, including nine New Zealanders.
"I like to ride motorcycles and it was just one of those things... if you could do it, you'd do it," Rees told RNZ.
Rees is a three-time New Zealand Superbike champion and has recently been competing in the British Superstock Championship.
"It's probably something I've always wanted to do," Rees said.
"I went there and watched it last year and knew I wanted to race there."
The 60km Isle of Man TT course is a street and public rural road circuit that includes the Snaefell mountain road and has a highest point of 422 metres above sea level.
While he hasn't raced there, Rees has driven it a number of times as well as using a simulator.
He said the TT road race community is very helpful and he had spent time with the likes of last year's Superstock winner Davey Todd who pointed out many of the intricacies of the course.
Rees already has most of the 60km-long course memorised.
"You have to, I really put some effort into learning it when I returned home from watching it last year.
"I've been watching onboard video from GoPros, while there is a game the Isle of Man has developed that can be downloaded.
"It does give you a really good feel for how the course looks even down to the shade of the trees."
There is the inherent danger associated with the event and the sport.
Rees raced at the Superbike meeting in England earlier this month when
fellow New Zealander Shane Richardson was killed.
He is one of just two riders who are newcomers to the Isle of Man this month.
Riders are basically vetted before their entry is accepted and they then need to finish within a percentage of the fastest times to qualify for a race.
Whakatane motorcyclist Mitch Rees.
Photo:
Supplied / Facebook
Rees, like all other motorbike racers, know the risk.
"It is the most dangerous event in the world effectively.
"You have to be very calculated in what you're doing because you're going at such a high speed.
"People say you must turn your brain off and just go flat out, but it's the complete opposite because you're calculating everything in such a fast time.
"If you took away the danger, everyone would do it."
Rees will be riding a Honda CB1000RR-R for the highly successful British Padgett team. The same team that 12-time winner Bruce Anstey use to race for.
He spoke with Antsey in the lead up to the two week event.
"He (and everyone else) said go there and enjoy yourself, it is going to be one of the coolest things you'll ever do so you need to make sure you enjoy it."
Rees will compete in the Superstock 1000 and Superbike classes.
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