I take my body for granted. I don’t exercise enough, I eat bad food, I turn up my headphones too loud. I rarely stop to think: ‘I am lucky to have full use of my legs’. So many day-to-day things in life must be very difficult for those who have to use wheelchairs. I can’t possibly imagine how hard life must be for paraplegics.
One of our regular Future Radio volunteers, Phil Armes, is a paraplegic – he lost the use of his legs after a bike racing accident 18 years ago. Phil was once a regular racer - In a racing career that started in 1981 on a modified 250cc road machine, Phil progressed through the ranks to ride in the 1988 & 1989 Formula 1 world championships. Over the 15 years of racing he took part in one Manx Grand Prix and seven TT’s, competing in 15 races over the iconic Isle of Man course – and set a new standard for the 600cc Production class in 1987 when he smashed the lap record. He also won the 350cc class at the Macau Grand Prix in Asia, and won numerous races across throughout the UK on various sizes of machinery from 125cc right up to 1000cc.
Back in late August, Phil set out to do something astonishing - the parade lap of the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man. On a modified SV650cc Suzuki bike Phil attempted to become the first paraplegic to ride a solo lap of the Isle of Man TT Course.
Unfortunately he came off his bike on the second half of the 37 mile lap. However, Phil insists this isn’t the end: “I have written to the Manx Motorcycle Club and asked if I can go back next year and finish the job properly. I understand they have a meeting in October when it will be discussed, and will let me know in due course.”