A machine with a small patch of
rubber on one end and an adrenalin pumped idiot at the other, with an explosive
package of power in between. Like it or not, that is probably the most accurate
(read honest) definition of a
motorcycle. For most riders, the pinnacle of this imprecise science and exact
art is in racing these machines. MotoGP is considered the highest playing
field as far as racing goes. But there is another event, more controversial, so
much so that in 1976, on the grounds of safety concerns, and after 4 years of
several racers boycotting the race after the death of Italian rider Gilberto
Parlotti during the 1972 race, this event was stripped of its
title as one of the races of the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship by
the FIM (Federation of International Motorcycling). Some of you at this point
know which event I speak of, and for those that don’t, I refer to the Mecca of
motorcycle racing, in its purest, most unbridled form- the Isle of Man TT
(Tourist Trophy). This event takes place on the “Isle of Man”, a small,
picturesque island that lies between Britain and Ireland.
In the race’s 107 year history,
245 competitors have been have been killed on this course, this number despite
the fact that the race has been cancelled on several occasions: both world
wars, and most recently in 2001 due to the hoof and mouth disease scare. Some
argue that the race is too dangerous to carry on. This has always been the case
but the event has been kept alive, independent of any global motorcycling
federation, by the Islanders. It is now not affiliated with any other
championship. One races on the isle for the glory and little else. Even the
rewards are measly, especially if you account for the risk involved in simply
participating. Sponsored primarily by the Isle of Man Department of Economic
Development, a number of private companies Including Monster, PokerStars, Dainese,
RST, Sure, and others. The event draws several thousand people from around the
globe each year.
There are several aspects to this
race that make it uniquely dangerous: it’s a time trial event, with riders
starting at 10 second intervals, the goal being to make the fastest lap around
the island. The current course, known as the Snaefell mountain course was added
in 1911, a 60.67 km (37.7 mi) loop with over 200 corners is the oldest racing
circuit still in use today. Here’s the clincher: the course isn't a closed race
circuit built on the island. No, it’s the closed public roads of the island.
You read that correctly, closed public roads make up the track for the TT. This
brings with it the obstacles offered by any normal road – lamp posts, manhole
covers, gravel, potholes, slippery patches, uneven off-camber roads, and the
occasional sheep. The race has competitors spending as almost as much time in
the air, jumping over the undulating roads, as they do on the ground. Near
perfect recall of the entire course and all its complex corners is a minimum
requirement to even survive this race, never mind complete. The race has
several classes, the main ones being TT Zero, TT Lightweight, TT Sidecar, TT
Supersport, TT Superstock, TT Superbike, and the ultimate race, the Senior TT.
The big races take up to 6 laps, amounting to a bone tiring 364.516 km (226 mi).
This year will be the 108th
Isle of Man TT, scheduled to happen between the 30th of May and 12th
of June: one week for practice and the second is race week. The course is open
to civilians, during off hours, for the entire fortnight, and the mountain
section is one way only, for that duration. In between the two weeks over which
the event is held, on Mad Sunday, speed limits are suspended on the mountain
section of the course and all interested members of the public are allowed to
try their hand at the course.
The current lap record is held by
Bruce Anstey, at 17:06.682 at an average speed of 212.913 km/h (132.298 mi/h)
set during the 2014 Superbike TT. The most number of wins is held by Joey
Dunlop (1952-2000) with 26 wins over various classes. The rider with the most
wins among currently active participants, as well as the second highest number
of wins all time, is John McGuinness, with 21 wins. His fastest recorded lap has
his average speed at 211.904 km/h (131.671 mi/h) in the 2013 Senior TT. The
first female competitor was Inge Stoll, who raced on the isle in 1954. Women
have since regularly made appearances in the TT. The current female Isle
of Man TT lap record holder is Jenny Tinmouth, with an average speed of
193.033 km/h (119.945 mi/h). The highest speeds recorded on the course are in
excess of 320 km/h (200 mi/h).
Simply put the Isle of Man is the
harshest, most perilous test of man and machine, a truly one of a kind affair.
The sheer insanity of the idea has kept it alive and the dangers involved has
served not to ward off new challengers, but instead attracted the most passionate
kind of motorcyclists from around the globe. These men and women risk life and
limb for the sheer honour of it all, and in the process put on the greatest
spectacle in motorcycling history.
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