The The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event that run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world.
With the New York Times stating that the number of deaths has risen “to 146 since it was first run in 1907; if one includes fatal accidents occurring during the Manx Grand Prix, the amateur races held later in the summer on the same Snaefell Mountain Course, the figure rises above 250”. An on-site account of the 2003 race by Sports Illustrated writer Franz Lidz called the spectacle “38 Miles of Terror… A test of nerves and speed that may be sport’s most dangerous event.
Format of the races:
The TT Races since the first race in 1907 have been in the format of time-trial. The races held on the Clypse Course during the period 1954–1959 were the more traditional full grid starts along with the 1924 Lightweight TT Race and Clubmen TT Races from 1948, which were also “mass-start” races. The current format is a “clutch start” and race competitors will be “started singly at 10-second intervals
Race procedure
Start Preliminaries:
- First Signal – 45 minutes before the start with a warm-up of engines in the Race Paddock and assembly area.
- Second Signal – 30 minutes before start.
- Third Signal – 15 minutes before start, race competitors move to the start-line and form-up in qualification order.
- Fourth Signal – 5 minutes before start, signal to clear the grid and race competitors move towards the exit-gate.
Eligibility?
- Many would be interested to know they do have an amateur section in which anyone who has made qualifying times for the Manx GP, an amateur Road Race Event seen as a practice run for TT. You will also need a racing license (British) for a minimum of 1 year prior to signing up for the TT
- Entrants must also cite pre-filled documentation of completion of a UK drivers license or motorcycle certification or a drivers license from a comparable country that is recognized by UK comparable department of transportation standards and may withhold due to any pre-race or post-race suspensions
Are you a Video Game Lover? There’s something for you too…
- There have been numerous videogames based on the Isle of Man TT, the first being the 1995 Sega arcade game Manx TT Super Bike, which was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997.
- Several other games have followed since, including Suzuki TT Superbikes, TT Superbikes: Real Road Racing Championship and TT Superbikes Legends, all of which were released exclusively for the PlayStation 2, and developed by Jester Interactive.
- Bigben Interactive has since revived the TT game license, releasing TT Isle Of Man: Ride on the Edge in 2018 and TT Isle Of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 in 2020
How do you get to Isle of Man?
Travel to the Isle of Man is extremely simple with Direct Ferries. The island is perfectly placed for ferry travel with connections offered from England, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Douglas Harbour is the entrance point for all passenger ferries travelling to the island.
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