The World's Most Dangerous Speed Contest is Back

The World's Most Dangerous Speed Contest is Back

 The Isle of Man is a small island in the Irish Sea filled with history and gorgeous country roads. It is a quaint little island covered in farm rock walls, villages and castles. Yet one week a year, the world gazes upon this island to witness a breathtaking race. One which many consider to be ludicrous. Then again, these riders seemingly fear nothing.

The Isle of Man TT is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, with its roots dating back to 1907. Due to the Parliamentary Act, which prohibited any form of racing on British roads and highways, the Isle of Man was the perfect place for a street race. Sir Julian Orde, the secretary of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, believed that the local government would be open to a race on their quiet country roads.

He was correct. The Highways Act of 1904 in the Isle of Man allowed the club to create a circuit through the highlands stretching a colossal 83.69 km, the name of which was the "highland" course.

The Island's first bike race occurred in 1906, but organizers faced a new challenge as the bikes struggled to complete the circuit due to insufficient power to handle the track's steep inclines.

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The lack of road racing events between 1905 and 1911 sparked conversation at the Auto-Cycle Clubs annual dinner, where the editor of 'The Motor-Cycle' magazine proposed a new race on the island comprising a shorter 25.5 km track. Named the Saint John's Track, it showcased the touring potential of the new generation of motorcycles. On May 28, 1907, the introduction of the Tourist Trophy led to the race which we now know as the TT.

The St Johns track was used for racing until 1911 when it was replaced by the "Snaefell Mountain Course", which is still in use today and spans 60.67 km. Although it has undergone some changes over time, it is worth noting that driving conditions were quite different in the early 1910s. For instance, the first driver of the day had to open the field gates for the rest of the racers, while the last driver had to close them.

To grasp the engineering difference over the years, the lap record in 1920 was set with an average speed of 90 km/h. The current lap record’s average is 217 km/h, over double the speed of the classics. Over the 102 race meetings as of 2023, there have been nearly 300 fatal accidents. Riders have made it clear that they know the risks of racing the TT, but this is their passion.

This brings us to 2023. This year's Isle of Man TT is currently underway, and what a year it is. The Conditions are perfect, with little to no cloud cover, ideal track conditions and a selection of 50 riders willing to put everything on the line for bragging rights.

Various classes take on the TT, the top category being the Superbike Class. The Superbike class comprises 1,000 cc racing bikes producing over 150 kW. This is arguably the most thrilling group and the fastest bikes on the track.

The second class is SuperSport. This is a combination of 675 cc three-cylinder and 600 cc four-cylinder bikes. These bikes can achieve close to 100 kW and are the lightest in the field.

The third class is SuperStock. These bikes are as close to showroom spec as regulations can achieve. These bikes are 1,000 cc road-going rockets which you can pick up from your local dealership.

The fourth class is SuperTwin. This is the middle-weight category, using 700 cc track bikes. These bikes are the least powerful motorcycles on the grid, with the best units making around 67 kW.

The Sidecar is a unique type of bike used for the last class. It has three wheels and two riders, one handling technical tasks while the other serving as ballast.

This year's event is currently live, with the results at this time sitting as follows:

SuperSport Race 1, 4 laps, went to Michael Dunlop Yamaha YZF-R6 BN6 at 1:11:22.090.

SideCar Race 1, 4 laps, went to Ben and Top Birchall on their Honda LCR with a time of 56:53.768

RST Superbike, 6 laps, went to Michael Dunlop on his Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP SC82 at 1:43:01.885.

SuperStock Race 1, 4 laps, went to Peter Hickman on his BMW M1000RR K66 with a time of 51:05.245.

SuperTwin Race 1, 4 laps, went to Michael Dunlop on his MD Racing Patron S1-R with a time of 56:21.5, hoping to collect his 24th TT victory.

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