WHEN THE TT STOPPED BEING A GP
On the morning of Friday 9 June 1972, the Isle of Man was enveloped in thick fog and battered by heavy rain. The British round of the 125cc world championship was due to get underway at 11am. Should the race be postponed? Of course not, said the ACU jury.
Despite the horrendous conditions, the early race leader was TT rookie Gilberto Parlotti, who had travelled to the Isle of Man to protect his lead in the 125cc world title chase.
By half-distance – at Ramsey on lap two of three – Parlotti was still ahead of eventual winner Chas Mortimer. But it all went wrong when the 31-year-old Italian rode through the high-speed Verandah right-hander on the Mountain.
His factory Morbidelli two-stroke twin skidded sideways and flung its rider into a concrete fence post. The four-times GP winner was airlifted to Nobles Hospital but was dead on arrival.
The inquest into the accident found that the Morbidelli’s screw-on fuel cap had come undone, covering the rear of the machine in petrol. The chief scrutineer believed this was the cause of the accident.
The effect of the TT’s 58th fatality was seismic, signalling the end of the TT as a round of the grand prix world championship. Parlotti was good friends with Giacomo Agostini,
