Unrestricted: Isle of Man Tour 2024

Written by: Chris Fox

Those who know me know I love a McLaren, and having sold my 600LT last year, it was only a matter of time before I found a replacement. It has come in the form of a 675LT in my perfect spec. With a collection date of 2nd September, what better way to get acquainted with my new wheels than joining the Supercar Driver Isle of Man Tour two weeks later?

It had been a long, long time since I was last on the Island, travelling with my dad and great uncle several times for the TT in the Joey Dunlop era of racing, with memories revolving around squeezing on the IOM Steam Packet from Heysham to Douglas. We would travel over in a Rover SD1 Vanden Plas in Bordeaux metallic, with a million motorbikes packed into the hold and then those same million motorbikes lining Douglas Bay on any square inch of pavement or promenade. Experiencing the racing, sitting on the roadside, behind walls or high up on the mountain watching racers fly past at supersonic speeds, and once riding the circuit myself on the back of a Honda VFR 750F, they were special times.

Now, much older, I get that the other thing that made it special was spending time with family and making many new friends all with the same love of motorsport, sharing stories, and creating memories.

We boarded the IOM Steam Packet this time from Liverpool, gently driving up the ramp, splitter intact, and manoeuvred ourselves onto the lower deck, this time surrounded by some special supercars and a few holidaying civilians for the three-hour crossing, during which we were treated to a sunset as we sailed out on the River Mersey with the Liver Building on the shrinking horizon. Time to say hi to new and old faces in our group and a nap before rolling off a much steeper ramp onto the Island and away to The Comis Hotel and Golf Resort, our base for the next few days.

Tuesday morning started with a quick breakfast, a driver briefing, a radio check and then off in two groups with a lap of the TT course on the itinerary. 10 minutes later, we turned left onto Union Mills — a complex part of the TT course where I stood behind the stone wall years ago. That was when the reminiscing began and continued for the next 37 miles. I bet I bored my passenger relentlessly as I recalled my experiences at Ballacraine, Ballaugh Bridge, Gooseneck, Creg-ny-Baa and so on, reliving the witnessing of the superheroes of the day race past — mega!

Driving on the Isle of Man is unique as there is no national speed limit, these roads are unrestricted. As we left Parliament Square in Ramsay town, Ramsay hairpin and then the Gooseneck, the Mountain Section opened up before us. To say we enjoyed the unrestricted road would be an understatement, luckily with little traffic, before calming down and pulling into the iconic pits for a photo opportunity and the opening of the largest bag of wine gums that I’d purchased on the crossing and shared along the pit lane.

Back on the road with a coffee stop destination next, heading west to the seaside towns of Peel, Dalby, Port Erin and Port St Mary. We enjoyed some great flowing sections of road, all whilst recalibrating my brain and reactions in the 675LT en route to The Sound Café on the Southern tip of the Island, where a great coffee was enjoyed in the blazing sunshine, whilst Seal spotting and hoping for an Orca to glide by.

The nature of driving on an island is that you crisscross it, and Jake managed to find many great roads to link our destinations, often going in both directions and offering a unique perspective, including how the gentleman painting his long fence progressed over the several days we were there!

It was The Bay Green Restaurant for lunch on the Golf Links near Derbyhaven, offering more chance to chat about our day so far whilst enjoying the sunshine and views of the bay before getting back on the road, this time heading to The Bungalow, high up on the mountain section. On the way, there were more great sections of the TT circuit and the ascent from Ramsay at derestricted speeds before parking up close to the Victory Cafe, a must-stop to experience great cake and hospitality from Vicky and Benn Quirk in this biker’s haven. This break gave the media team the opportunity to set up for grabbing some tracking shots on a quiet road off the mountain as we returned to the hotel.

As some headed to the gym and spa, many others settled for a debrief on the terrace with a cold beer, conversation flowing, and before long dinner was beckoning. With the weather being so good, a plan was hatched that evening to be up early the next day for several runs over the mountain section with the hope of catching the sunrise.

The morning alarm came too soon, and bleary-eyed, off we went as dark became light. We were soon on the mountain section, but in the opposite direction, climbing through fog and cloud before dropping in towards Ramsay in the north, and we were treated to a clear sky and a great sunrise with a burst of orange across the horizon as we flowed downhill into town.

My extra morning treat was to follow another fine example of a McLaren 675LT in orange, listening to those whip cracks and watching that air brake popping up was fabulous. I did pinch myself many times as I too was now a proud owner of a 675LT and driving on that same road into the sunrise.

After a quick breakfast back at the hotel, it was time for a trip north along the eastern coast road linking some fine squiggly roads and sea views, bringing this fine group of cars and drivers to the Point of Ayre Lighthouse with views across to the Lake District and Scotland — chance again to stop and chat and share another wine gum (I still haven’t finished the bag).

A short hop from the lighthouse led us to the Isle of Man Motor Museum, where the passionate team have curated an impressive but in places very random selection of transport exhibits from space capsules to some of the longest vehicles ever made with many motorbikes thrown into the mix.

Parking out the front gave a fine perspective of all the cars on the trip, so fine that one of the officers from the Isle of Man Constabulary visited for a ‘chat’, introducing himself and noting our presence on the island. I was slightly concerned that he might have asked who the McLaren owner was, whilst I was standing there in my bright Papaya Orange t-shirt with McLaren printed across the chest — there would have been no escape!

After another great lunch at The Old Guardhouse Cafe opposite the Museum, we headed off for an hour's drive, first of all south then back onto the TT Course and up again to The Victory Cafe. The view from here down to the mountain section is amazing with maybe two miles of road heading off towards Kate’s Cottage in view. Come race week, the cafe is rammed and the hillside full of fans with an incredible spectacle and atmosphere. Our last run on the circuit followed before heading back to The Comis Hotel for further debriefing on the terrace and another nice dinner.

Our final morning on the island had many heading to Jurby Karting to see how their road driving abilities transferred to the circuit. Judging by the group chat the following morning, a great but sore time was had. A few others, including myself, took the opportunity to seek out one or two extra roads and a few photo opportunities with the help of some local knowledge before heading back to the ferry terminal and boarding for our return trip to Liverpool.

Once the instruction ‘go to your vehicles’ was given, we exchanged quick goodbyes and waved through windscreens at our fellow tour members, and drove off the boat into Liverpool and the reality that the tour was over.

I have done a few UK and European Tours with Supercar Driver since I joined in 2018. Each one has been unique, however the common thread is that they bring a mix of people with a common passion for supercars and the opportunity to drive in incredible company (both the cars and their occupants), sharing stories and creating many fine memories, just like my trips to the TT all those years ago. This Isle of Man trip was another great example of this.

Thanks to Jake and Luke for the research and organisation to enable the tour to run smoothly, maximising our enjoyment, to Paynton for being behind an array of lenses, and to all those Supercar Drivers and their passengers for making another memorable tour.

TT week starts 31 May 2025, just saying.

View the full gallery here.