THE ISLE OF MAN TT

The wheres, whats and whens of the most iconic motorcycle race on the planet.

Since 1907, a little island in the Irish Sea has played host to one of the most exciting motorcycle races in the world. The ultimate test of man and machine, the Isle of Man TT sits high of bikers’ bucket lists the world over – and with 200bhp race bikes flying down public roads at speeds in excess of 200mph, it’s not difficult to see why.

There’re still a few months to go before the action kicks off, but if you want to get the most out of the biggest biking event on the calendar you need to start getting sorted now (if you haven’t already).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The TT is essentially a time trial with riders competing against the clock. They set off from the start line in Douglas at 10-second intervals – but because some riders are faster than others it’s quite common to see riders racing around the Mountain Course in close proximity. And with little room to manoeuvre, passing slower riders on the course can be a tricky (and often time-consuming) business.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

There’re two types of racing at the Isle of Man TT event: solos (motorcycles with one person on them, the rider) and sidecars (one rider, one passenger who sits on the side of the threewheeled outfit).

Within the solo class there are a variety of different races for different specifications of motorcycle, with different sizes of engines and different methods of propulsion. The biggest motorcycles compete in the Superbike and Senior races over six laps (although, just to confuse you a bit, the Senior is also open to Supersport and Superstock bikes, too).

The Superstock race is for big cc motorcycles that look and sound very similar to the top, top spec bikes you’ll see in the Senior race but are largely kitted with race parts that you can buy over the counter.

The two Supersport TT races are for 600cc solos over four laps. Both races are held on different days with each counting as a separate race. There’s no aggregate scoring in TT races. The Supertwin TT race is for 700cc (and below) twin-cylinder bikes. It replaced the Lightweight TT, but the rules are largely the same: change whatever you want, but not the frame. Then there’s the Sidecar TT, too. They get two races during Race Week with each standing alone as a result in its own right.

WHERE SHALL I WATCH?

There’s something truly special about the Isle of Man TT, and a big part of it is the iconic Mountain Course. The ‘track’ cuts through the Isle of Man’s rugged landscape, with a single 37.37mile lap of the Mountain Course taking in long, bumpy straights, winding country roads, tricky, twisty village sections, jumps, hairpin bends and fast-flowing corners; the TT’s got it all. Here’re our top five spots on the course to take in the action:

DORAN’S BEND

Very scary and very fast lefthander that the riders go into fully committed. Riders have, in the past, scraped the tops of their lids on the wall on the exit.

BARREGARROW

The scariest place on the TT course, where riders roll off the throttle from flat out and aim for the inside kerb at the bottom of a severe dip in the landscape. The bike’s suspension bottoms out and it’s not unheard of to see a rider’s feet come off the footrests as the bike tankslaps its way up the hill.

RHENCULLEN

The toughest section of the course and a place where you can see the riders wheelie, dive into a blind right/left set of corners and then hit a hump in the road that lofts the front wheel at 140mph. This is a classic TT spot.

BALLAUGH

Truly this is one of the most famous spots of the TT course and jumping the humpbacked bridge is a TT classic all on its own.

VERANDAH FOUR

A blistering, four-part series of righthand corners right on the edge of the Mountain. Fast racers actually count their way round Verandah so they know when they’re coming out of the corner.