Startline - Road Racing podcast

Sometimes the best journeys in motorsport are the ones you never planned. For Czech road racing rider Kristýna Jakesch, what began almost by coincidence has developed into a passion that has become a huge part of her life. Having started racing around nine years ago, Kristýna has worked her way through the challenges of learning the sport, finding opportunities to develop and establishing herself...

What does it take to keep chasing a dream when the finish line is never quite the end of the story? In this episode, Beth sits down with classic motorcycle racer Jeff Smith to talk about a lifetime spent on two wheels, the friendships forged through racing, and the special place the Isle of Man holds in his heart. From racing around a warehouse on a childhood mini bike with his brother to winning...

A year ago, Startline began with a conversation and a dream. Our very first guest, Ashley Robson, was hoping to make it to the Manx Grand Prix. Twelve months later, she's back - and this time she's got an incredible story to tell. From the nerves and excitement of her first solo lap of the Mountain Course to breaking the 100mph barrier and securing a ninth-place class finish at the Classic TT, it'...

What happens when a lifelong TT enthusiast decides that watching from the hedge isn't quite enough? For Simon Warren, the answer is Melbray Racing  - a team that has gone from a chance conversation and a dream to standing on the podium at the Isle of Man TT in a remarkably short space of time. In this episode of Startline, we discover how Simon's childhood fascination with motorcycles, a chance en...

This week, we’re hearing from a rider who travels a very long way in pursuit of a dream. Skyler Gore grew up racing motorcycles in a small farming town in Oregon, with bikes very much part of family life. But since he was around 15 years old, there’s been one particular ambition that has stayed with him - getting to the Isle of Man and becoming part of its extraordinary road racing story. After ma...

For Callum Hirst, racing the Mountain Course has been the dream for almost 20 years. He was just nine years old when his dad brought him to the Isle of Man for the Centenary TT in 2007. Standing at the top of Bray Hill and watching the bikes come past, Callum turned to his dad and told him that one day it would be him. Now, that dream is beginning to feel much closer. After years in motocross, Cal...

Canadian racer Dallas Reynolds has taken rather an unusual route towards the roads. After 13 years in the Canadian Army, including deployments overseas, Dallas turned his attention increasingly towards racing, progressing from club competition at home, through the Canadian national series and ultimately onto the Irish roads. Now, the Isle of Man is firmly in his sights. In this episode of Startlin...

For some people, racing is something they’ve been doing all their lives. For Martin Clare and Amanda Mason, the journey has been a little less straightforward. In this episode of Startline, we catch up with the pair in the Manx Grand Prix paddock to talk about how they found their way into racing, their love of the roads, a new sidecar partnership that is very much still a work in progress and why...

Ben Wilkinson has one goal firmly in his sights: racing at the Manx Grand Prix. After beginning on motocross bikes at the age of 11, Ben moved into circuit racing before turning his attention to the roads. But his journey suffered a painful setback following this year’s Southern 100, when a low-speed road-bike accident left his shoulder broken in four places and his arm out of its socket for four...

In this episode, we catch up with previous Startliners Illiam Quayle, Markus Karlsson, Andy Herd and Andrew Coulter to find out how Manx Grand Prix 2026 lived up to the dream. We hear how they expected it to be, what was the reality was like, their advice for anyone wanting to be a newcomer in 2027 and most importantly - whether they want to do it again... You can find Illiam Quayle Facebook and I...

Belgian racer Laurent Hoffman has been back on the Isle of Man Mountain Course after a 12-year gap, and the comeback story is even more dramatic than it sounds. After a crash at TT 2014 left him in a wheelchair and doctors telling him he’d likely never ride again, he returned to the Island with a rebuilt team, years of preparation, and some clear goals. Laurent shares the inside story of growing u...

In this episode, Beth chats to motorcycle racer Richard 'Eggy' Eglin about more than 30 years of racing, from his first time at Mallory Park in 1991 to competing at the Southern 100 and Ulster Grand Prix. Richard talks openly about his recent S100 victory, the challenges and costs of racing, the importance of the people who support him, and why the racing community means so much to him. He also sh...

The waiting is almost over. The paddock is beginning to fill, the tents are going up and, after a year of planning, the 2026 Manx Grand Prix is suddenly very real. In this episode of Startline, we’re at the TT Grandstand with Manx Motor Cycle Club Chairman John McBride and Secretary and Treasurer Ned Bowers for a final look ahead before the action gets under way. We talk about an exciting internat...

Motorcycles have been part of Kyle Casement’s life for as long as he can remember. Raised in a motocross family, Kyle began riding as a young child and went on to compete in British Championship events, beach races and arena cross. He later qualified as an electrician before establishing BVS Vehicles - a business that began with selling a few cars to help fund his racing and now plays a central pa...

Adam “Stretch” Rayner may be a latecomer to motorcycle racing, but he is certainly not short of ambition. The six-foot-six welder from South Yorkshire candidly admits that his early riding was sometimess reckless.  A stark warning persuaded Adam to change direction, gain his racing licence and take his natural ability into official competition. Since beginning racing in 2023, Adam has set his sigh...

Markus Karlsson has spent almost his entire life on two wheels. The 27-year-old Swedish rider received his first motorcycle at the age of two, began racing at seven and grew up surrounded by bikes, with a road-racing father and a mother who served as a motorcycle police officer. Now Markus is preparing for his biggest challenge yet: making his debut at the Manx Grand Prix in 2026. In this episode,...

If you've ever wondered what it's really like to race on the Isle of Man, here is a behind-the-scenes look from someone living the reality. Growing up, Chris Moore was surrounded by racing - his stepdad was a TT legend, and it all shaped him into a rider who’s been chasing the Isle of Man dream for more than 35 years. It was a life-changing moment in 1996 which helped open the door to the racing j...

In this episode of Startline, Beth meets John and Linda Mullin - two people who prove that road racing is held together not just by speed, skill and bravery, but by tea, calm, kindness, knitting, and the odd well-timed nana nap. From marshalling around the Mountain Course to supporting riders in the paddock, John and Linda share brilliant stories of friendship, teamwork, nerves, laughter and what...

This episode of Startline was recorded in front of a live audience at The George in Castletown on the Isle of Man. Beth catches up with Isle of Man road racer Grant Thomson after a season that has already brought incredible highs and difficult lows. From a tough first outing at the North West 200 to standing on the top step twice at the Pre-TT Classic Road Races, Grant reflects on how 2026 has unf...

This week on Startline, we’re joined by Aaron West, a racer from Colorado with one of the most unusual routes to the Manx Grand Prix you’re likely to hear. Aaron didn’t grow up on two wheels. In fact, he only learned to ride a bicycle after seeing TT highlights at the age of 19 and deciding, almost immediately, that one day he wanted to race on the Isle of Man. Since then, he’s gone from a profess...

This week on Startline, we meet Andrew Coulter -  a Manx Grand Prix 2026 newcomer from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who has spent years quietly carrying a dream that first started when he was just a kid riding bikes in the street. Andrew’s route to the Mountain Course hasn't been instant or easy. There have been gaps, setbacks, crashes, work pressures, family life and all the usual chaos that comes...

What makes someone spend years chasing a dream that most people would never dare attempt? And what is it about road racing that keeps people coming back, despite the risks, the setbacks, and the sacrifices? In this episode, Beth Espey sits down with Irish road racer and psychologist Stephen Walsh, whose life is split between brain injury rehabilitation by day and classic motorcycle racing at weeke...

In this episode, we meet Brandon Kavanagh - a 27-year-old racer from County Wexford who is already making his mark on the roads. Brandon made his Manx Grand Prix debut last year, hitting his target of a 110mph lap, and he’s now preparing to return with the Roadhouse Macau Racing Team on a new Suzuki GSX-R 750. But Brandon’s story isn’t just about riding. He’s grown up around bikes, works long days...

In this episode of Startline, Beth Espey is joined by Irish road racer Andy Farrell - a rider with two Manx Grand Prix wins, membership of the Tommy Club, and more than a few stories from a life spent around bikes. Andy’s love of racing started in Skerries and what began as a fairly impulsive decision to go road racing turned into a 20-year journey through Irish national road races, the Manx Grand...

In this episode of Startline, we meet Fraser Heginson - a Manx-based rider whose love of bikes runs through just about every part of his life. From growing up around the TT paddock and watching his heroes on the Mountain Course, to racing CB500s, Aprilias, classics, and even having the odd go as a sidecar passenger, Fraser’s story is full of humour, honesty and genuine passion for the sport. Now h...