AS the Cock o' the North international motorcycle road race approaches at Scarborough's Oliver's Mount, racing legend Mick Grant predicted two men will dominate at the tree-lined circuit.
Speaking at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington as he prepared to give a talk on his racing career, Grant reckoned the Cock o' the North would be a scrap between Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson, who raced neck-to-neck at this year's TT Centenary.
Grant, a real hero to Mount regulars, said: "This weekend's racing will be very exciting. It's going to be between Ian Hutchinson and Guy Martin on the day. It will be a very close call.
"You have to look at their TT performance, which was so close that I wouldn't want to call it for this weekend. I wouldn't put money on it anyway."
The pair shared a podium three times throughout race week - alternating between second and third positions - with Hutchinson's brilliant exception of a win for the 600cc Supersport.
Grant, seven times TT winner and Grand Prix winner (Macau 1984), hailed the Oliver's Mount as "totally unique".
"I am a great believer in heritage and this is the only true road racing circuit in the country - I always support it as much as I can," he said.
"It's like motocross racing on tarmac - it's very bumpy but very, very exciting, you get a big buzz out of riding around there.
"Scarborough was always somewhere I went as a kid on holiday - Scarborough has a special place in my heart.
"It has a lot of similarities with the TT in that it is very bumpy and there is hardly any run-off and if you fall off you could hurt yourself."
Grant displayed his bike collection - which dates back to 1978 with replicas of bikes Mike Hailwood rode in 1967 and 1968 - to motorcycle enthusiasts at the Air Museum.
Speaking about the museum's enthusiasm to run motorcycle-based events, Grant said: "I think it is brilliant - there is a great affinity between bikes and planes. Both are mechanical things for fun."
Grant hung his leathers up in 1985, which, he says: "Feels like two minutes ago."
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