John Barton - Interview
Reporter Tom Curphey speaks to the man responsible for turning the Mountain Course from a road into a TT race track.
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00:00So Barty, thanks for speaking to us. So we'll know you're very busy these two weeks, hectic as usual,
00:05but I want to know what you do for the rest of the 50 weeks a year. Tell us a bit about that.
00:09Well basically, it's my job to hand over the TT course to Gary at the ACUE to run the races.
00:15So effectively what we do, we take 37 and three quarter miles of pure roads and we turn that into a racetrack.
00:22So that takes an awful lot of time and planning that goes into the logistics of it all.
00:28So I work really, really closely with some of the government agencies, DOI and DEFA.
00:33I work very closely with landowners, business owners, homeowners around the course.
00:37Without having the marshals, we couldn't do any of this. So we work really closely with them guys, make sure they're happy.
00:43As well as doing initiatives, safety initiatives, I'm always keen to try and put in more safety initiatives around the course
00:50to make it safe for the riders and also for the marshals and medics.
00:55And then you get to this time of the year and it's obviously all about the build, you see.
00:58So I've got to make sure that the roads have all been done and are up to standard.
01:04I've got to make sure the black and white kerbs, the white lining pavement has all been done, the hedge cutting's been done.
01:09I need to make sure the rector cells and the bales are all where they should be.
01:13The prohibited areas, the restricted area signing, we've got to make sure that's all in place.
01:18And as well as obviously the marshals, we've got to make sure the huts, the boxes and all their equipment,
01:23is where it should be ready for the first practice. So yeah, it's a massive undertaking and it's something that goes on all year round.
01:31It's actually a small team, but it's a lot of work you guys have got on.
01:34Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's not me, definitely. I've got some brilliant contractors that work for us.
01:40And without them, this wouldn't get done. And I can't believe, even though I'm doing the job,
01:45I'm still coming across more stuff that gets done that I thought, oh wow, I never even thought of that.
01:49But my contractors are brilliant and alongside that, the DOI,
01:53I can't fault the DOI people for what they do for us and the TT. It's amazing.
01:58And I want to speak a bit about the rider liaison side of it. So you helping out people,
02:02maybe showing them the course and some of the younger ones are the first timers, for example.
02:06What goes into that type of work?
02:08Yeah, see that's the other thing that I do alongside with Milky. So that happens all through the winter.
02:11So anyone looking to do the TT for the first time, they get in contact with us.
02:16We kind of look at their CV and get a feeling of whether we think that they've got the right
02:24attributes to do in it. And if so, they do. Then we bring them over for weekends throughout the
02:29winter and myself and Milky will troll around in the cars and just teach them everything they need
02:34to know about the TT course. And anyone that comes to, any newcomer that comes to the TT,
02:39they're good riders anyway. So it's not down to us to tell them how quick to go,
02:43but we can give them all the do's and the don'ts about the TT course from all
02:47our 30 years experience of riding it and racing it and teaching newcomers with it.
02:53So we can give them all the tools to go about their job safely.
02:56And you mentioned the 30 years experience. You and Milky, obviously well known for riding in the TT.
03:00Does that help you show them which corners to go around properly?
03:03Yeah, absolutely. Because I've raced for 33 years here. Milky must have raced for 20 years here.
03:08Plus, we've also been doing the newcomers for 18 years now. So we get to know all the questions
03:13that they ask us and what we've come across ourselves. So we just give them all that
03:17information and they process it how they want to process it. But it gives them all the tools to do
03:23the job safely. And ultimately at the end of the day, that's what they need to do.
03:27And it must be quite a satisfying job. For example, if you get a young rider come in and
03:30he ends up doing well, you got any examples of someone that you get a lot of satisfaction
03:34yourself?
03:34Yeah, 100%. Because you spend a lot of time with these guys over the winter. You get to know them
03:38quite well. And then when you see them progressing through the two weeks and you see the smile on
03:43their face and they're getting quicker and quicker and then they might win a replica or something
03:47like that. There's a lot of personal satisfaction that goes into it. And it's just, as I say,
03:53it's just nice to give something back. We all found these pitfalls. There was no one doing
03:57this from when me and Milky started. So it's just nice to be able to give these lads a real helping hand.
04:04Yeah.