For Walmsley, the expertise lies in knowing the bikes inside out, and then imparting as much of that knowledge as he can to the riders, “I can’t tell them how to ride a motorcycle, but I can tell them how to get the best out of these particular motorcycles, ” he says

By the end of the weekend, whatever advice he might have given has clearly paid off, with Michael Rutter finishing as runner up on the Ripley Land Racing Honda 350 behind Michael Dunlop on an MV Agusta.

Walmsley receives the plaudits for preparing bikes that are both fast and reliable, but he is not slow to point out that just as much credit should go to Ian and Jane Garbutt, the owners of the Ripley Land Racing team. The Garbutts are fervent supporters of the Classic TT, just as they were of the Classic Manx Grand Prix before that.

Another Walmsley bike competing at the Classic TT was the 350cc AJS 7R of Australian Cameron Donald, who won the Peter Williams Trophy for first AJS or Matchless across the line. Walmsley explains that this bike is a replica of a 1962 AJS, and the only standard framed 7R to lap the TT course at more than 100mph.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk