Former Isle of Man TT and British Superbikes racer James Whitham joins hosts David Prutton and Iwan Thomas on motorcycling podcast Full Chat to discuss his career and when he knew it was time to retire.
Whitham is best known for his racing career in the British and World Superbike Championships where he raced alongside some of the biggest names in the sport during its heyday in the 90s. He’s also a two-time British Championship winner.
The 58-year-old discussed his time on the track and his relationships with fellow riders, including funny stories about his good friend Carl Fogarty.
The moment James Whitham knew he had to retire from racing
During the episode, Whitham explains when he knew it was time to retire from racing after a testing event in Almeria, Spain.
“People go on a bit longer now, people race until they’re in their 40s, and they tend to stay a bit fitter, in the fact that they don’t get hurt as much.” he declared.
“There’s still big accidents in motorcycling, you know these things are going 200mph about six inches away from somebody else who is doing the same thing, and wanting the same thing (to win). There’s an inherent risk, especially at places like the TT. Even on short circuits there’s an inherent risk.
“I loved the fact that racing had an element of danger. We were always carrying a broken collarbone or a broken ankle, that’s not the case now. They still have the big crashes, but there’s less of the little tops, knocks, dings and broken collarbones.
“So I think people are able to stay fitter and go on longer. In my day people were generally finished by the time they were in their early 30s. At about 35 or 36 I was doing the Supersport World Championship and was competitive. I won rounds every year, so I was in the mix.
“But it was also my living, so that’s another thing you’ve got to think about, you’re going to have to do something else to earn a living, but it always had magic to me, even if I was questioning myself over the winter break.
“We’d go testing in January somewhere warm. I went testing in Almeria, and you’d see your bike with your name on it with brand new colours and new leather and the magic’s still there. You’re just looking in the garage at your bike thinking ‘Here we go again’.
“And I didn’t have that when I was 36. I had a contract for three seasons, and we were testing and the magic had gone. I was looking at my bike in the garage as the mechanics worked on the bike and I thought ‘Something’s changed here’.
“I didn’t say anything and we tested pretty well, but on the flight home I just thought ‘You’re done’. And if you’re thinking that and someone’s put millions into your effort (for the season) then you’re done.”
Plenty more episodes of Full Chat to enjoy
Series three’s engine is just being turned on, but we’ve got a host of episodes for you to listen to if you’ve missed the previous two series of our motorcycling podcast.
You can listen to Full Chat on Spotify, Apple, YouTube or various other platforms if you want to see what all the fuss is about.