SIDECAR star Bill Currie rolled back the years by powering to an excellent performance at the Isle of Man TT - almost 30 years after he first raced on the famous island track.
The Great Sutton veteran, riding with passenger Mark Cox, steered his 600cc DMR Yamaha Windel sidecar over the finish line in fourth place in the 2006 Tourist Trophy B category.
Bill, 62, said: 'It was a great race for us and we did brilliantly to finish ahead of some strong teams.
'Our race average over three laps was 107.312mph which was much better than we expected.
'Over the past two years we have finished 10th on both occasions so this is a great improvement and we are delighted.'
Bill gave up the sport in 1976 but, after a quarter-century absence, he re-ignited his love for sidecar racing and has been racing at events across the country for the past five years.
He said: 'I began racing in 1967 and in 1969 I managed to finish third in the Isle of Man sidecar race so to come fourth so many years later is fantastic.
'I had to give racing up in 1976 due to other commitments and I didn't race again for 25 years.'
The evergreen rider admits that he thought his racing days were over and says he has surprised himself with how well he has adapted to the change in his life.
He added: 'I thought I was too old to be flying around the circuit at such intense speeds but I have really enjoyed it since my comeback.
'I always loved it and missed the thrill of racing, so when the opportunity came up to get involved I couldn't resist it.'
