TT hopefuls Allan Schofield and Ian Simons thought they had blown their chances before they even got out on the track.

For the sidecar pair blew both their engines up as they attempted to qualify in their Honda outfit for the two, three-lap sidecar races they have entered tomorrow and on Monday.

Schofield, from York Street, Bury, took up the dramatic story as he spoke to the Bury Times trackside on his mobile phone direct from the Isle of Man.

"We had done two laps and we were third fastest on Monday, lapping the 37 and threequarter mile course at 106.75mph. Then we blew both the engines up," said Allan.

"We needed one more lap to qualify and we have rebuilt one of them and it sounds all right, but now we have been rained off.

"We couldn't get out on Wednesday night as we had planned, but they have extended the qualifying deadline until Friday and, anyway, they have allowed us to count one of our slower laps that we did earlier, so we have qualified and we are in."

Schofield and Simons finished eighth in 1998 and pushed into the finishers awards last year after coming fourth in the first race before hitting problems in the second.

They have lapped the course at 108mph -- which is just 3mph off the current record of 111mph.

Their ambition now is to finish both races, hopefully with a win -- weather and engine permitting!