The Isle of Man TT races, also known as the Tourist Trophy, are an annual motorcycle racing event held on public roads on the Isle of Man, typically over thirteen days from the UK Spring Bank Holiday in late May through early June. Since the first race on May 28, 1907—originally the International Auto-Cycle Tourist Trophy run on the 15-mile St John’s Short Course—the TT has evolved into a globally recognized event and one of the most dangerous motorsport competitions due to its high fatality rate, with over 146 deaths by 2017 and more than 250 including the Manx Grand Prix. The race moved to the longer 37.40-mile Snaefell Mountain Course (now 37.73 miles) in 1911 and has since included various classes such as the Junior TT, Senior TT, Lightweight TT, and Sidecar TT. It spans two weeks, with one week for practice and qualifying, followed by a week of racing, all on roads closed by an Act of Tynwald. The event has experienced interruptions during the World Wars and was part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship from 1949 to 1976 until safety and financial concerns led to its exclusion. It then joined the TT Formula series (1977–1990) and later became part of the Isle of Man TT Festival, with developments like the 2022 merger of the Classic TT and the Manx GP. Beryl Swain became the first woman to race solo in 1962, though a subsequent ban delayed further female participation until Hilary Musson competed in 1978. An informal tradition known as “Mad Sunday,” where spectators toured the course between practice and race weeks, was effectively ended in 2023 to accommodate additional racing. The event has faced safety criticism, notably after a 2007 incident that resulted in the deaths of a rider and two spectators, prompting scrutiny of volunteer marshal competence. Today, the TT continues under government promotion as the TTe, maintaining its legendary yet perilous status in motorsports.
Isle of Man – Total Incidents:
The Isle of Man is home to one of the most famous and dangerous motorcycle races in the world — the Isle of Man TT. Held on the TT Mountain Course, a 38-mile-long track on a small island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, the race is part of a long tradition that includes the Manx Grand Prix and the Classic TT. This course was first used in 1908 for car races during the Tourist Trophy, when it was called the Four Inch Course. In 1911, it was changed for motorcycle racing after the UK Auto-Cycle Club moved the Isle of Man TT from the shorter St John’s Course to this longer and more challenging route. Sadly, the TT Mountain Course has a long history of fatal accidents. The first recorded death on the course happened in 1911 when Victor Surridge crashed during practice at Glen Helen. This might have been the first motorcycle or road crash death on the island. From 1907 to 2023, there have been 156 deaths during official TT races or practice sessions. If you also count deaths from the Manx Grand Prix and the Clubman TT races in the 1940s and 1950s, the total number of people who have died rises to 269. Some years have been especially deadly. In 2005, ten people lost their lives—three racers and one race marshal during the TT in June, and six racers and one spectator during the Manx Grand Prix later that summer. The years 1970 and 2022 were also tragic, with six racers dying each year. In 2016, five racers died during official TT events. Although the Isle of Man TT is a respected and historic race, it has rarely been free from tragedy. Since 1937, only the year 1982 had no deaths in either the TT or the Manx Grand Prix. Even in years like 2012 and 2024, when the TT races had no fatalities, the Manx Grand Prix—which includes many amateur riders—still saw fatal accidents. These numbers show just how risky the Isle of Man TT really is, and why it is known as the most dangerous motorcycle road race in the world.
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