Pre-TT Classic
He edged one win clear of Bill Swallow when he took the opening Singles event on the Saturday, before cementing his place firmly in Billown Course history the following day with an 18th victory. That came in the Lightweight 250cc event, in itself a new record as it raised Hose onto six wins in the class, all on the same Ariel Arrow, one ahead of close rival Ewan Hamilton and Bob Jackson.
Hose arrived in the Isle of Man armed with a battery of six different machines for an all-out assault on the annual curtain raiser to the TT Festival.
First time astride Ian Garbutt’s AJS 7R he wasted little time getting to grips with the bike in the singles race, an event he had previously won on three occasions over a period of 15 years on a two-stroke Bultaco TSS.
2017 winner Rich Hawkins got off to a flier on his Ducati, but Hose was ahead halfway round the first lap – and there he stayed.
At half-distance he had a 1.5 second advantage over Mark Herbertson on Alan Hermiston’s similar 350cc AJS.
In the final couple of laps he managed to eke out that lead to a winning margin of 3.954 seconds.
Hawkins took third, 17.5s behind Herbertson, with three other Seeley 7Rs – in the hands of Keith Dixon, Dave Matravers and Meredydd Owen – completing the top six in front of the
