To celebrate the centenary of the Isle of Man TT races, which gets underway today, two books have been published which pay tribute to a motorcycling legend from Baildon.

The fourth anniversary of the death of David Jefferies was on Tuesday and both TT In Camera and The Magic Of The TT serve as a fitting tribute to the nine-times TT winner.

David, also known as DJ, was killed instantly when he came off his machine at high speed during a practice session on the circuit in 2003, at the age of just 30.

His uncle, Nick Jefferies, also a former TT champion, was this week in the Isle of Man to celebrate the race entering its second century.

He said: "I am always reminded of David when I am here, because there are pictures of him everywhere - it is a lasting tribute for him.

"I am very proud of what David achieved, but I am not wallowing in it, because that doesn't do anything for you.

"We are all very, very proud of his achievements but there is nothing we can do to bring him back."

Mr Jefferies said he was pleased the TT Races have managed to keep going for so long.

He said: "I think it is a tremendous tribute to the TT's staying power.

"It has given me tremendous pleasure over the years, but you do have to have the good times with bad, and unfortunately for us that involved losing David.

"I'm just hopeful that the races can continue for as long as possible.

"If they thought of holding a motorbike race on the Isle of Man now, or thought of racing Formula One cars in Monaco today, it wouldn't happen.

"There's no need to hide the fact that it is a highly dangerous sport, but it is also full of many happy times for me and my family.

"I am taking part in a winners lap of honour, which I am doing for the Jefferies family."

David's father, Tony, has also raced in the TT Races, but had his career cut short when he broke his back in a racing accident in 1973 and was confined to a wheelchair.

He can be seen in TT In Camera proudly watching his son about to set off in the Senior race in 1996.

David was on his second lap when the tragedy happened at Crosby on May 29, 2003.

He was the outright lap record holder at the TT and had won the senior, Formula 1 and Production 1,000 titles in 2002's events.

An inquest into his death recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

In an extensive entry on him in the Magic of the TT book by Mac McDiarmid, it is said of David: "In just a few short years DJ' soared above all comers to become indisputably the modern master of the Mountain Course... Invariably breezy and cheerful, to TT fans DJ's appeal was his lack of star ego. He was a down-to-earth bloke who loved riding motorcycles, just like them. His death after crashing at Crosby Corner during practice for the 2003 races cast a pall over all of racing."

TT in Camera, a bigger, coffee-table book, features many shots of David in action, including one taken just minutes before his accident, plus a poignant image of the floral tributes placed at the spot on Crosby Corner where he died.

Author Don Morley, a respected motorcycle racing photographer, writes: "This, more than any other accident, made me question my own future commitment to my beloved TT."

l TT In Camera by Don Morley is published in hardback, priced £30. The Magic of the TT, by Mac McDiarmid, is published in paperback at £8.99. Both books are published by Haynes.

e-mail: james.rush @bradford.newsquest.co.uk