More than 150 historical racing engines rode today after the races on the TT Circuit in Assen. The heroes of yesteryear were allowed to show themselves on their iconic engines. Hartog (77), Randy Mamola (65) and Giacomo Agostini (83), among others, rode along in the Legends Parade.
No matter how old the engines and their drivers were, the gas levers were occasionally pulled open for a while: just show and feel for a moment what the machines can do.
The Legends Parade formed the dessert of the race weekend in Assen. Immediately after the GP won by Marc Márquez, the winners and participants of the past were allowed to ride their laps on the circuit. The honorary rounds were organized because of the hundred -year anniversary of the TT.
“It’s fantastic,” says Giacomo Agostini. The Italian stepped on his Yamaha with which he won the TT in 1975. “Coming back in Assen is very emotional. I have many beautiful memories in Assen, I have won here fourteen times. And the audience is fantastic, there are 200,000 people this weekend.”
There are also nerves, as with Wil Hartog, the winner of the TT in 1977. When he has hoisted himself in his ‘tight’ suit, there is a realization that he must go on the track resulting in uncertainty and fear of failure. “As you get older, it won’t get better.” But after the race Hartog has a huge smile on his motorcycle. “Wow, wonderful. What an experience, what a bliss.”
View the TT Journaal here, closing the report on the TT Legends Parade