The Decade in Review....................2005

The highlight of 2005 was going to be our wedding at Monk Fryston Hall. Nikki had been organising the day for the pretty much for the last year with me moaning about the cost of everything but think that was me been a typical bloke and as usual I shut up as I knew what was good for me!

We found the venue for the wedding whilst out on the motorbike when we stopped off for coffee. The place is relatively small and has that internate, warm and welcoming feeling every time we walk through the door. The day really was perfect, Nikki looked stunning, the weather was spot on and we had all our family and closest friends their on the day. Everyone who was staying for the day was staying for the night so it really made it feel like a long weekend party!

My Stagg Doo was mental and really enjoyable. 12 of us headed out via plane to the IOM for the TT Races. Shame about the weather but nevertheless you come to expect that from the IOM.

I guess the pictures speak a thousand words.............

I guess no wedding is complete without a honeymoon so we had booked a 5star resort on the island of Gozo of the main island of Malta. We had helicopter transfers to the island and resort was just out of this world. Our rooms where not the best in world but for the time we spent in them it didnt really matter. The place had an indoor and outdoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, gym, massage rooms and every evening we ate outside alfresco as the weather was just amazing. We would sit during the day reading and looking out over the island of Malta as Gozo and where we where was set on the top of a very large hill, amazing. The best thing of all was that we had the place to ourselves.

We spent some great times with friends in 2005 which I have put the pictures in below.

Me, Baz and Grant outside our favourite Thai restaurant in Leeds

Me and Ben also did a ride in 2005 for the British Heart Foundation down in Rugby. The day was so well organised that every corner we seemed to go around there where locals giving us food and warm drinks. It was a great circuit and really sent the benchmark for our charity rides that we would do in the furture.

2005 also saw my mum and das 30th Wedding anniversary in which we celebrated in style by booking the family on the north yorkshire railway. We camped in a little village just outside of Pickering then headed on the evening to the railway in which we had a 5 course meal as it took its way through the moors up to Goathland.

The Decade in Review....................2004

We celebrated a couple of big birthdays in 2004 and also moved into our new home in Brayton, Selby. Reflecting on 2004 alot of planning went into the wedding for the following year but we still managed to get away quite a bit.

Having sold my house in Leeds I had then bought another buy to let property in Hull. I was still looking at property on a buy to let basis and when I saw the release of some properties in the sort after village of Brayton outside Selby me and Nikki made the trip there for the release of the prices. We happened to arrive first in the que and got the chance of putting a deposit down there and then, and we did on the house below. This is probably the only regret I have had so far in that I didnt buy more that where on sale that day! We did originally do this on a buy to let but as the property went on we decided to move in.

Me and Ben had another trip to the Lakes to spend a couple of nights camping, having a few beers and covering about 100 miles on the bikes. I was wondering why Ben seemed to be always pulling away from me on the downhills and I guess in general. It wasnt until we got about 10 miles back to the site that I realised my front brake was catching, Brilliant! We stayed on this occassion of onew of favourite sites at Thirlmere near Keswick.

Me and Ben at the waters edge of Thirlmere

Dave's 60th Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Dave's 60th with a surprise bash at his local watering hole the Barlicorn in Barwick in Elmet. As a present we all chipped in and got him a red letter day driving day experience.

A very happy Birthday Boy below................

In September we celebrated Nikki's 30th Birthday and did it style by going to the Lakes. We camped in the valley next to Thirlmere. When we set up the tents, not a problem, weather was good, we had a good pitch and the pub was in spitting distance. After some food and a few beers we headed back to the tents to be confronted with a massive down pour that lasted all night. Been in the valley, the winds where terrible and we seemed to get the brunt end of this storm with the campsite been flooded. Unfortunately we could only stay the one night but we did have a laugh!

Thailand 2004

In the October of September we went to Thailand for 2 weeks. We booked flights, a 1 nights stay in Bangkok then 12 nights at a Krabi resort hotel. We had an actioned packed two weeks of horse riding on the beach, eating from street vendors, hiring motorbikes, going on speedboat trips to the Phi Phi islands, snorkeling and a trip to the hospital (if you could call it that) when Nikki got an allergic reaction to the sun. She got given an injection and moments later after recieving the injection she passed out. No one in the hospital could speak English and I was stuck in this room with Nikki passed out not knowing what injection she had been given and what was going on! Should have checked the life insurance. Nevertheless the injection did seem to do the job and it made her feel alot better. The majority of time was spent in the islands and it was amazing to do everything we did. Just wish we had more time.

TT 2004 - Our 2nd visit to the IOM

2004 saw the ACU sign a 20 year agreement to hand over control of the TT to the Isle of Man Government and for the Manx Motor Cycle Club, which runs the popular Manx Grand Prix, to organise the TT Races.

John McGuinness (Yamaha) set the pace in the opening Duke Formula One race, with a sensational opening circuit of 17 minutes 43.8 seconds, (127.68mph) ensuring that the last Formula One TT went out with a ‘bang’, clinching victory by 18.6 seconds over TAS Suzuki mounted Adrian Archibald, with team-mate Bruce Anstey third.

As well as the fastest ever lap in the 97-year history of the TT, McGuinness also established a new fastest race average over four laps of 125.38mph.

John McGuinness went on to take wins in the Junior TT and Lightweight 400, three in a week, to join TT great, Mike Hailwood, Joey Dunlop, Steve Hislop and David Jefferies in the elite hat-trick club.

Kiwi Bruce Anstey spoilt the party for John McGuinness when he powered home a blistering record-breaking victory in the delayed 1000 Production race, upping the class record to 125.10mph on his TAS Suzuki. McGuinness, Yamaha, who led at the end of the opening lap was 18 seconds down at the flag, with local rider Jason Griffiths, also Yamaha-mounted, slotting into third.

Former 125 British Champion Chris Palmer created a bit of TT history, when he clinched victory in the last-ever 125cc TT, in record-breaking style, repeating his win of the previous year. Ian Lougher had no intention of letting his long-time rival Palmer have an easy win, until his efforts were thwarted when the Welshman’s Honda threw its chain at Milntown Cottage, allowing Robert Dunlop to inherit second place in what was his final TT. Manxman Nigel Beattie completed the podium in third.

After being dogged by bad luck all week, Ryan Farquhar’s fortunes took a massive turn for the better when he brilliantly won the Production 600 race, to notch his first TT triumph and give Kawasaki an important and historic TT victory. It was only Kawasaki’s sixth TT win and the marques first for 20 years, since the late Geoff Johnston won the Production race astride a 900 Kawasaki in 1984.

Farquhar took the three-lap, 113.19-mile race by the scruff of the neck from the outset, and led all the way on corrected time, after he overhauled John McGuinness during the closing stages of the first lap. McGuinness was first to complete the race, ahead of Anstey and Farquhar, but when the times were shuffled, Ryan was declared the winner by 2.3 seconds, as Production 1000 winner Anstey recorded his second runners-up slot, nine seconds ahead of McGuinness.
TAS Suzuki teamsters completed a one-two in the ‘blue-riband’ event of the TT, the Senior. It was Adrian’s second successive Senior TT triumph, as another Suzuki rider Gary Carswell took a magnificent third place.

Pictures of 2004 tour of the IOM TT, this time on my CBR600!

Pictured above, Richard Britton, one of the happiest guys in the paddock. Come rain or shine, win or loose he would always have a smile from ear to ear. He later died in 2005 at race near his home where by his engine siezed when he was only doing about 40mph. He was killed instantly.

The planning had been done in 2004 for the wedding, now to 2005 for the big day......

The Decade in Review....................2003

My Proposal to Nikki.......

I proposed to Nikki in 2003. We had been together for over 3.5 years and things where going great so I rang up Nikki's Dad and asked for permission to propose to his daughter. Luckily he said yes, god knows what I would have done if he had said no! I told Nikki there would be shooting stars up on Otley Chevin at 6am and we had to get there for then to ensure we didnt miss them. I had the ring, a bottle of veuve clicquot, a rug so all i needed was a beautiful sunrise that would provide the perfect setting for my proposal. Everything went according to plan and we got there for about 6am, only problem was it was thick fog, and I mean you litterally couldnt see in front of you. Ben always reminds that when i proposed to Nikki I bet she couldnt even see the ring it that was that foggy. By the end of the year we had set a date of thr 25th June 2005.

2003 also saw the first family get together of the May and Harkers at my Mum and Dads house at Easter. As always a great spread was put on by my mum and dad and both sides of the family got on great! Check me out looking like a Goth!!

Aunt Marjorie - Trips to Birmingham

Every Easter or at least once a year we headed down to Birmigham to see Aunt Marjorie who was Nikki's Grandads sister. Nikki's Grandad still lived in Leeds so it was nice once a year to have a big family get together by going out for some food and more often than not enjoying the spring / summer weather in Aunt Margories garden.

The start of my passion and love for the IOM TT

IOM TT 2003

For me, the abiding memory of TT 2003 will have nothing to do with the racing, but the tragic death of lap record holder David Jefferies during practice on Thursday 29th May.
The loss cast a dark cloud over the meeting, although it was somewhat lifted by the fittingly superb racing that was witnessed just like every year I have since been. For me this just highlighted the danger and I guess the attraction of the races. Not in a morbid way but the fact that people come here to race and risk their lives every year for the thrill of riding around the worlds most famous road race circuit. These riders are talented, fearless, skilled and are not motivated by money. If they where they wouldnt be doing this. They are motivated by their passion and love for riding motorcycles around this unique track.

By the time racing finally got underway after the delayed start to the six lap Duke Formula One TT, Adrian Archibald and the TAS Suzuki team were in the line-up and fittingly, after taking his debut TT win, the Ulsterman dedicated his emotional victory to his late teammate DJ, Man Mountain.

McGuinness and Lougher on the V-twins set the early pace. In fact, the MonsterMob rider led for two laps until overhauled by Archibald during a slow pit stop. Once at the front, Archibald drew ahead to win by 75 seconds from Lougher's Honda SP-2 with McGuinness clinging onto third place narrowly ahead of Jason Griffiths.

Chris Palmer, now a Manx resident, took his first TT win in the Ultra Lightweight event. The veteran set off cautiously, overhauling early leader Michael Wilcox on the second lap and posting a 110.41mph lap record along the way took the flag some 40-seconds ahead of Wilcox, with three times 125cc winner Ian Lougher third.

John McGuinness, who only got hold of a 400 Honda on the eve of the race, won the Lightweight 400cc TT. Leading from start to finish, he resisted early challenges from Ulstermen Richard Britton and Ryan Farquhar, the pair finishing in that order.

Triumph won the Junior TT with Kiwi Bruce Anstey aboard, their first TT victory for nearly three decades. His winning margin was 11 seconds from Lougher's CBR600 Honda, while Adrian Archibald as GSX-R600 was another six seconds behind in third. Ryan Farquhar, a relative novice to the TT, set a new lap record of 122.30mph on his final lap.

It was the first Junior TT to be won at over 120mph.

Kiwi Shaun Harris gained his second TT victory with a win in the 1000cc Production Race with an emphatic performance on the all-conquering GSX-R1000 Suzuki. The big Suzuki grabbed 16 of the first 17 places. Harris had a 16 second advantage over fellow Kiwi Anstey with Ryan Farquhar taking the final podium place.

New Zealand's third win of the week came in the 600cc Production TT, when Shaun Harris took his second victory. Started in sunny conditions and scheduled for three laps, it was reduced to two when mist clouded out the Mountain. In second place was Ian Lougher with Ryan Farquhar taking a further excellent third place podium.

The Senior TT was reduced from six laps to four and postponed to the Saturday because of the same weather conditions that had cut short the Production 600 race. In the early stages it was McGuinness's F02 Ducati that led from Lougher's SP-2 and Archibald's GSX-R.
By Ramsey on lap one the Ulsterman had forged a narrow lead, which he increased all the way to the end. John McGuinness brought the MonsterMob Ducati home in second place with Ian Lougher placed third on the Honda from Jason Griffiths, Ryan Farquhar and Shaun Harris.

Senior at the famous Cregg N Bar












Me at the famous Bray Hill where the bikes tarvel through the dip at 160mph+

Breath taking.......

Summer 2003 - Some snap shots

I love this picture of my Grandma and Grandad. It was taken at a summer party my Mum and Dad in August 2003.

Me with my Mum and sister and my mullet!

Me and my best buddy Ben enjoying summer 2003.

Me and my dad enjoying a trip out on the motorbikes up to the Lakes and pictured above, Honiston Pass.

December 2003 was a pretty busy one, live gigs and buying more property! I love playing the drums and for a period of about 4 months I used to travel over to Hull to rehearse with a band every week. It was great fun and you cant beat the feeling of playing in a live band. Main songs / artists included Mick Jagger, Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi. We played a gig at the Adelphi In Hull which was one of the biggest buzzes I have felt, it was mental!

In December 2003 we also bought a buy to let property in Hedon on new the new Barrat estate. From the sale of my house in Leeds we had some money left over and thought with the success we had with the one in Leeds let get back on the ladder again but this time with a buy to let property. It went through in Dec 2003 and we had a tenant lined up staight away that moved in.
This venture over the period of a couple of years proved to be very challenging and not something that I would look to do again. With Unreliable tenants (not paying but the way they live), the extra money such as landlord certificates etc just seemed like extra hassle along with a full time job. Saying that, would I have done anything differently and if given a second chance would I have done the same again, Yes I would.