MOTORBIKE ace Mick Lofthouse revealed only a month before his fatal Isle of Man TT crash that he was desperate to achieve his lifelong dream to win on the island.

The 28-year-old from Dudley Avenue, Oswaldtwistle, died in a crash while practising before the start of his first 1996 TT race on Friday.

Lofthouse had told Motorcycle Cycle News in May that he was praying fortune would finally smile on him in this year's TT: "I am due a bit of luck and have channelled all my efforts into winning my first TT this year and I want it so bad."

Lofthouse was haunted by a 125 TT near-miss defeat last year when he was pipped to the post by 0.6 seconds by outsider Mark Baldwin in one of the closest ever finishes in TT history. Blackburn-born Lofthouse told the magazine: "Winning the TT has been a lifelong ambition for me. Last year felt like the end of the world because I thought I'd done enough to win after crashing.

"I rode the wheels off the bike and thought it was all over. Imagine how I felt when Mark crossed the line and I discovered he'd beaten me. I was gutted."

After finishing third on his 125 debut in 1992 and breaking down while leading in both 1993 and 1994, Lofthouse was determined that he was going to end his Manx jinx this year.

He said: "After what happened last year I won't be celebrating until everybody has crossed the line. If I win it will be the highlight of my career.

"I've tried not to dwell on last year. There is too much to look forward to, starting with winning a TT."

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