AT the 2007 Isle of Man TT I saw John McGuiness shatter the lap record with an average speed of 130mph which made me think back to 1955 when Geoff Duke was declared the first rider to lap the course at 100mph.

A new record back in the day but it was corrected to 99.97mph. So the first 100mph was credited to Bob McIntyre. The point being that there was only 30mph difference in 52 years which shows Geoff was a flyer back then. In 1981 I went to the TT for the first time where I saw Geoff doing a parade lap around the course with the late, great Mike Hailwood’s widow riding pillion.

Mike had been killed in a car crash the year before, which is a memory I won’t forget.

Another one dates back to 1998 when I woke one morning to find in my Blackbrook letterbox a letter from the Isle of Man.

I opened it and it was a personally signed photo of Geoff Duke on his Norton. It was a black-and-white photograph on which he sent his best wishes. It made my day and I still have it.

It could have only come from a St Helens fellow.

Brian Pickavance

Sutton Park Road