A Dangerous Addiction: The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is a standalone event that is not part of any championship, the race is one of only a few remaining in the world that pits man and machine against the clock, with the winner of each class taking the least amount of time to complete 3 or 6 laps of the famous Snaefell Mountain Course. There are over 200 corners on the course with an estimate of 264 corners total, which is entirely composed of public roads (with more than 70 being named).

Competitors will ride at up to 200 MPH around the course, where there is quite literally no margin for error. The roads are either lined with stone walls, fences, trees—and in the mountain section, steep drop offs and even some sheer cliffs. Yet, every year that it is held, some of the best riders in the world will flock to the island to pit themselves against the course, and almost without fail, some riders will never leave the island alive.

This year alone, 5 riders lost their lives pursuing what is considered the ultimate trophy, a win in any class of race on the island. There have been calls for decades now for the race to be canceled, banned, shut down, permanently dismantled, and for it never to appear again. Yet every year, the Isle of Man TT continues to run, with some of the strongest supporters of the event being the riders themselves. This begs the question: Why race if you can die?

In the world of motorcycle racing, and to a greater extent all powersports racing, there have been far fewer “great races” throughout history than there have been for motorsports. Cars have a storied history, with names like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Monaco, Indy 500, Daytona, and the like all bringing to mind some of the greatest drivers, cars, and classic races ever to exist. For motorcycles, however, it’s down to a select few great races, almost all of which happen within the UK, Europe, and Africa.

Races such as the NorthWest 200, the Ulster Grand Prix, and yes, the Isle of Man TT are some of the big names and great races of the British Isles. In Europe, Finland has the Imatra TT, the Netherlands has the Hengelo Road Race, and a few other nations have tourist trophies and road races. Of course, one of the greatest races in the world usually happens in Africa—the Dakar Rally.

What is somewhat shocking about all of this, however, is that even if you go back to the start of the 1970s, almost every nation in the world had a TT race, or some form of road race around a closed section of public road that makes up the course. You couldn’t go a week in Europe without hearing about the next great road race, and the motorcyclists of the time, mostly cafe racers and grand prix riders, would travel to as many as they could get to.