Dave Jefferies And The R1

This may seem a bold claim, but it could be argued that the talents of just one man and the prowess of a new sports bike combined to destroy the Honda V4’s grip on the big Isle of Man TT races.

- Bertie Simmonds

Even in its recalcitrant RC45 form, the Honda V4 was almost unbeatable around the island, until Big DJ’s skill was combined with the tuning talents of Jack Valentine and Steve Mellor at V&M Racing.

The time was ripe for change. Firstly, this would be the last TT of the millennium and secondly, V&M had previously worked closely with Honda and split with them at the end of 1998. With Yamaha UK also wanting to big-up their new flagship sports bike, the scene was set.