JAMIE COWARD - A WORKING RACER
Jamie Coward is one of the top TT privateers, meaning that as well as regularly competing on the Isle of Man and elsewhere, he also holds down a full-time job. In episode 10 of The TT Podcast, Jamie tells Chris Pritchard and Steve Plater how he balances working life with challenging the greatest motorbike racers on the planet.
As a privateer Jamie receives support from teams and is currently working with KTS Racing powered by Steadplan. In previous years, the people behind the team have supported Dan Cooper and Glenn Irwin at the TT and North West 200. Jamie’s pleased they’ve put their faith in him.
Something that differentiates Jamie’s experience of road-racing to that of the top riders is that in between race meetings, Jamie has to go back to work. He tells Chris and Steve he’d like to try riding professionally at some point, but his team isn’t in the place for that right now: “It would be nice for maybe a couple of seasons to do it professionally, and look after yourself properly. It would be nice to see what I could achieve at that sort of level”.
Jamie will lead the 2022 Bennetts Supertwin TT Race, as he carries the prestigious number 1 plate. He’s excited about this and says when the seeding conversations began, he did push to be at the start. When asked why, he says: “You’re racing the clock; you’re racing the course; you’re racing the mountain. That is the be all and end all for me”.
Talk about family is a big part of this podcast episode. Jamie’s father Paul Coward raced, and had his own success racing in Yorkshire, Ireland and on the Isle of Man. The whole family will be with Jamie over the TT fortnight, and he tells Chris and Steve candidly about the pros and cons of this!
Jamie began racing on the Isle of Man at the Manx Grand Prix and says he felt it meant there was less pressure on him when first racing on The Mountain Course, compared to those who go straight into the TT. However Jazmie admits that now he is where he is, he wishes he’d also started racing on short circuits earlier.
He may have won in the Junior Classic TT in 2019, but Jamie is still after a first place finish at the Isle of Man TT Races. When asked for his 2022 aspirations, Jamie tells Chris and Steve he’s feeling confident, but the main focus is keeping his wheels on the ground: “The main aim when you go racing is to win a race, but I always look at the TT differently because it’s against the time. If I can go faster than I did last time, I’m doing a good job”.
You can either watch the full Podcast by subscribing for free to TT+ or listen to Episode 9 of The TT Podcast through your favourite podcast provider.
