What Is the Isle of Man TT and Why Is It So Dangerous?

Every year, the Isle of Man hosts its own sports spectacle, known as the Tourist Trophy, or TT for short. An annual motorcycle racing event occurring on the island in May – June most of the time, it began all the way back in 1907, and it has often been labelled as one of the most dangerous races to take place in the world.

But first of all, we want to delve into what the race is all about and what it incorporates. Can there really be all that much to it considering it is confined to the Isle of Man? And if so, what is its draw for people?

Furthermore, having been labelled as the most dangerous racing event in the world, we want to know why that is. What could possibly make this race more dangerous than motor sports or horse racing, for example? Here, we’ll delve into the world of the Isle of Man TT and uncover what its mysteries are all about.

How The Tourist Trophy Event Works

The first point to make about the TT is that it takes place in a time-trial format, occurring on public roads that are closed to the public thanks to an Act of Tynwald (the Isle of Man parliament). Within the event, there is one week of practice sessions that take place, followed by one week of racing.

The TT came about and has remained an Isle of Man tradition in May of 1907. At the time, it went by the name of the International Auto-Cycle Tourist Trophy and was organised to take place over 10 laps of the Isle of Man St. John’s Short Course of 15 miles 1,470 yards. Road-legal ‘touring’ motorcycles featuring exhaust silencers, saddles, pedals and mudguards were utilised for the race.

In 1911, the race moved over to the longer Snaefell Mountain Course, which stood at 37.40 miles and has an elevation above sea level of 1,300 feet. The race did not occur during World War I and only resumed from 1920 onwards.

The race was also cancelled during World War II between 1940 and 1945 and recommenced with the 1947 event, renamed to the Isle of Man TT. This incorporated a greatly expanded format, which also included the new Clubman’s TT races. It also became a part of the FIM Motor-cycle Grand Prix World Championship (which is now known as the MotoGP), although lost this status in 1976.

In order to develop and maintain the international racing status of the island, it became an integral part of the new style TT Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 World Championships until 1990.

From 1989 onwards, the TT was redeveloped by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism, incorporating new racing events.

Entrants to the races must hold a National Entrants or FIM Sponsors Licence for Road Racing. Furthermore, they need to cite pre-filled documentation of completion of a UK driver’s licence or motorcycle certification, or a driver’s licence from a comparable country.

The current race classes involved in the TT are as follows:

• Senior TT – in operation since 1909
• Lightweight TT – operating between 1922 and 1976, then 1995 and 2004, and 2012 to present
• Junior TT / Supersport TT – in operation since 1911
• Superbike TT – operating since 2005
• Superstock TT – operating since 2005
• Sidecar TT – operating between 1923 and 1925, then 1951 and 1967, and finally 1977 to present

A variety of other race classes have been involved in the TT before, although now exist as former classes no longer incorporated into the event.

The 1982 Road Racing Act noted before allowed both vehicles and pedestrians to cross the Snaefell Mountain Course at certain points in between scheduled race periods and only under the supervision of a police officer. This has also led to several permanent overbridges being erected at various points.

Why Is the TT So Dangerous?

A simple motorcycle race doesn’t seem like it would be something that is anymore dangerous that another. Which would likely lead many people to ask why the TT is defined as being so. Well, if we told you that between 1907 and 2022, there have been 155 fatalities during the official practice or race sessions relating to the TT on the Snaefell Mountain Course, as well as 265 fatalities relating to the event altogether, you may look at it a little differently.

The very first fatality came about in 1911 when Englishman Victor Surridge was partaking in the event during its practice week. He was on a Rudge-Whitworth motorcycle, and he was well-known as being a rider for the Rudge team. On the Glen Helen section of the (new at the time) Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, Rudge attempted to pass one of his competitors. Instead, he ran wide and ended up going into a ditch and striking an earth-bank, instantaneously killing him.

Deaths occurred on the course in 1913 and 1914 with Frank R Bateman and Fred Walker, respectively. But it wasn’t until the 1923 event that another fatality was experienced when two riders – Englishman JHH Veasey and native Manxman Ned Brew – lost their lives in separate races. Throughout the proceeding years, very few TT races have gone without participants ending up being killed for one reason or another.

The most recent deaths as part of the Isle of Man TT were experienced in the 2022 event. A total of five competitors ended up losing their lives on the dangerous course. Welshman Mark Purslow, Frenchman César Chanal, Northern Ireland’s Davy Morgan, and two English competitors in Roger Stockton and Bradley Stockton all ended up succumbing to the race on different days.

Purslow, aged 29, would crash in the Ballagarey area of the circuit during the Supersport TT qualifying race. And while reports initially suggested that French sidecar participant Olivier Lavorel had passed away, it was actually the driver of the sidecar, Chanal who died after an accident at Ago’s Leap on June 4. Morgan, 52, was making his 80^th TT start since he debuted back in 2002 before suffering a fatal accident on the third and final lap on June 6.

Perhaps the most striking of the five deaths are those of father and son, Roger and Bradley Stockton, 56 and 21, respectively. The duo from Crewe were killed during their second lap of the second sidecar race taking place on Friday, June 10. The race was Bradley’s first outing as passenger in the TT.

And it’s not only competitors who have perished during the TT. Police officers, marshals, vehicle testers, bystanders and even spectators have lost their lives during the practices and races.

Other than the fact that the course itself is hazardous at various locations, and that high-speed vehicles are used for it, certain issues can often arise that cause serious risk to competitors. This includes inclement weather problems, mechanical failure, the fact that there are no runoff areas, road hazards in general can crop up, and so on. The treacherous roads of the Isle of Man course only add to the problems that can be experienced.

Safety, Death Rate and Why This Has Not Stopped the Race from Happening

Safety rules surrounding the event have changed over the years. In 1914, it was made compulsory for all riders to wear crash helmets, thanks to the fatal accident that killed Frank Bateman the year previous. It was also made compulsory for a flag to be utilised so as to signify the end of the race, following a fatal accident that killed Fred Walker in 1914 near to the finish line.

And from 1928, practice sessions have occurred on closed public roads in the same way that real races are, following the fatal crash of Archie Birkin one year before, who swerved to avoid colliding with a fish van being driven on open roads.

Travelling Marshals were employed from 1935 onwards to search for missing riders via their own motorcycles, after Syd Crabtree crashed in heavy hill fog in the ’34 event. But it was also determined in that year for races to be postponed to the following day if weather conditions were too bad.

Changes were also made to the Mountain Course in the 1953 and 1954 events, with adjustments also made to facilitate the return of Sidecar TT on the Clypse Course. The seeding of competitors was also introduced in 1959 for safety reasons.

1970 proved to be the deadliest year in the history of the event, with six deaths registered, which included the Spanish world championship contender Santiago Herrero. He crashed at the 13^th milestone after losing control of his vehicle due to melted tar on the sixth lap. The 27-year-old passed away two days later from irreversible shock. This led to further road safety work for the 1971 event, including road-widening in various areas.

The most recent alterations to the TT for safety came about in 2007. Restricted areas were introduced following the deaths of a competitor and two spectators in that year’s event, while safety fencing and air-fencing corners continued being introduced to the Mountain Course.

Given the issues surrounding the course and the fact that over 200 people have died while competing in it, some people have questioned why the Isle of Man TT is still allowed to proceed year after year. Calls for it to be banned were once again risen after the five deaths that occurred in 2022’s event, and it’s quite an understandable thing to request. The question is why hasn’t it happened yet?

In June, Sky News spoke with Michael Russell, who has himself been a rider and works for the Royal Air Force. While he confirmed that there had indeed been tragic deaths after a series of accidents in the race, he did make the point that “everyone enters the races with the knowledge of this happening…it’s a risk that we all take”. And while that is true, it’s a strange statement to make considering that the only post-World War II race that took place without any fatalities was in 1982.

The TT also has widespread attention every year, with its more than 200 bends and climbs from sea level. The average speed of the first victor back in 1907 was 38 miles per hour, while the current record stands at 135 miles an hour. But the Isle of Man government has said that it highly benefits the island, bringing in £31.7 million. The TT races attract around 61,000 visitors every year, and they spend, on average, £44 million, which makes up almost 40% of the total visitor spending for the Isle of Man.

“I’ve seen first-hand the risks involved with the Isle of Man”, said Russell, who had met the late father-and-son team involved in 2022’s race. “It’ll never stop me doing it. It’s sad to say, it’s a very selfish sport is motorcycle racing”, he commented.

Death just seems to be something that is accepted as part of the TT, as the 2022 race seems to prove. People on social media may have been out in force following the five deaths that occurred during the event, requesting that the races be banned. And they were backed up by the tabloids as well.

But it is most likely the loss of its World Championship status that has allowed the TT to continue operating to this day. No longer is a rider forced to attend and partake in the event for the sake of their title hopes (or for contractual obligations). From 1977 onwards, everyone entering the Isle of Man race has been doing so because they have wanted to.

Peter Hickman took his tally of TT victories up to 9 following the 2022 event, and he said that “we’re all here for our own choice. We want to be here and not one of us would want to see it stopped if we don’t make it home, should we not make it home. I get people don’t understand that, but that’s the way we are. If you’re here and you’re racing, you accept the risks before you start”.