How a Road Test Idea Became the DEADLIEST Race on Earth

Think of the Isle of Man TT and I have no doubt your mind will conjure the image of road-riding warriors, racing at unbelievable speeds in the most dangerous of environments, riding at over 200mph inches away from stone walls, hedges and spectators.
Even after many years of watching myself, to this day I still cannot get my head around what these modern-day gladiators are able to do on a motorcycle in this most dangerous race on earth.
But did you know that what you see today wasn’t exactly what the founders of this historic event set out to create?
In this video we’re going to look at the history of speed at the Isle of Man TT, and how a simple idea shared by a magazine editor around a dinner table went on to become the most dangerous motor race on the planet.
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[@jameslogue5201]

We attended this year traveled from the States to London rented a Ducati and Triumph travelled 3 days through Cotswolds and up through Wales, to the Heysham Ferry hoped on the ferry. Spent 7 days on Isle of Man. Got to witness her first TT experience at the Bottom of Barregarrow (her brain exploded) and we saw Micheal Dunlop’s visor disaster first hand at Brayhill. I got my first ride over the unrestricted mountain screaming in my helmet the entire time. Stop and have a pint in Peel, Douglas, Port Erin and met some awesome locals. They love the TT and they love respectful Tourists who love their country. If you have a chance to go.. go. Don’t think about it. Just do it. It was a year of pre-planning, deposits on motorcycles and homestay were put down 1 year ahead and it was worth it.

[@pmacc3557]

Bringing my daughter in August in van to the Manx for a few days of the qualifying. Will leave van in Heysham terminal hopefully If it's safe. Depending how it goes, the dream will be next year to have my SR 500 in back of van and bring it to the island for a lap

[@tomsurrey2252]

Great to hear this... sadly, I live in London and have never been so, must be one for my 'bucket list!' Hope you had a safe journey, home!

[@satanaz]

Heh, I always thought the Isle of Man TT racers were fools for risking their lives like that. Still, I was always somewhat intrigued by it all. What makes a person take part in such an event? What's the point of wasting your life like that? There are dozens of race circuits in the UK and Europe. Why would you choose to race on the most dangerous one from a safety perspective? I'm an adrenaline junkie and have always liked extreme activities, but it always seemed to me that they indeed took things "too far" with that race. One day, I bit the bullet and went to see it in person. It was horrifying. I went first to the bottom of Bray Hill, and I was almost sick with nervousness. My gut feeling was that at any moment, one of those riders would lose control and die right in front of my eyes. It is mind-boggling how fast they take that turn-over 180 mph (290+ kph). But then, I walked around the paddock, saw some of the racers with their families, and went to a few different places to watch. Slowly, I realized how much control they have. The fear and nervousness subsided, and I started to enjoy the races. That first horrible day gave rise to a joy of seeing those crazy mfkers fly by and even jump at Ballacrye. In the final days, I started to realize more and more that I was the fool, not them. I was the one wasting my life by not doing something so incredible-not them. They live like modern day gladiators, doing the most incredible "legal" thing on earth. By the end of it all, I was envious of what they achieved on that course and how much fun and adrenaline they must experience on that piece of tarmac. It became clear to me why they do it. They are not idiots-idiots would not survive even a kilometer of that. They are at the top of their game, and I'm sure the risk is worth it. I had never ridden a motorcycle before going there to watch in 2022, but I was so inspired by it all that after I came back to Belgium, I got a motorcycle driver's license at 33 years old. Just a few days ago, I had my first track day on a motorbike. Let me say that a trackday in a car is amazing, but a trackday on a motorbike was 100 times better, surreal-probably the best experience of my life that didn't involve woman. I cannot imagine what it feels like to ride the TT at full throttle. It would never be possible to create it if you wanted to start doing it todays, so I'm glad that in today's woossy world this still exists.

[@pmacc3557]

We'll said

[@tHoM0r]

Highly accurate. They are literally living more than most people on earth.

[@kayserbondor]

I went in 1952 on my Model 18 500 Norton, a friend on his Model 7, we were astonished by the sight of Les Graham on the 500 MV, all silver and red, the sound which you could hear seemingly miles away was such a contrast to the Nortons and AJS. Wonderful experience, such a pity that Graham died the next year.

[@TechnikMeister2]

Great video. This year nobody died at the TT despite adverse conditions. But there will always be people who push the boundaries. In my 20s I did that but no one took it further. I broke the 100mph world record on barefoot water skiing and in 2007 at the age of 57, I broke the 145mph record over 50kms on river waterski racing. Since then both events have been scrapped as insurance in Australia for the events evaporated. But when we raced, there was no insurance. You took your risk to compete, spectators took the risk of watching and the organisers took the risk of hosting. No one thought about suing anybody. You did it solely for the glory.

[@gregaur]

Congrats on your records - with those numbers you have certainly earned them.

[@darkknight1340]

Riders such as John McGuiness and Guy Martin are revered for their skill and riding ability ,taking their machines to 200 mph,but that 1957 rider who averaged over 100 mph must have needed his own sidecar to fit his balls into

[@impalaSS65]

Excellent presentation. So much information in such short video, and very enjoyable!

[@solsol1624]

I know his record is now surpassed, but to me Joey IS the TT. However, I feel Mike the Bike's 14 wins is the gold standard considering it was part of the world championship back then.

[@iamginjaninja2751]

You know me bro. I'm not even a motorbike enthusiast but that was a very well made mini documentary. Very much enjoyed. Keep up the great work 😊

[@Seamasr2112]

Excellent vid! Well done. Thank you

[@joshscott3271]

That was a good documentation of the event man. Winning!!!

[@IceBoNeZ]

Very nicely made! 👌🏼 Thoroughly enjoyed watching this one! 👍🏼 Also a nice way to remember those who have gone before to pave the way to where we are today.

[@johnschlesinger2009]

Those guys are beyond belief!!

[@GSXR.Knightman]

That was great. Good work, I really enjoyed watching that.

[@zogzoogler]

Brilliant, solid documentary. 3rd generation TT fan and these stories never age. Personal favourites Phil Reed, Hislop v Fogarty, and D Jeffries vs J Dunlop, and the modern golden era❤

[@chrisnothnagel4910]

Excellent video, well presented, great clips and info. Just had the pleasure of attending the 2024 races. Although it's unbelievable that the race is still allowed, the experience was unbeatable.

[@allanhughes7859]

Nice up load thankyou !!

[@jamesclark3208]

Nice summary, thanks for making

[@CraterLakey]

Fantastic video. I watched the TT for the first time this year despite being a racing fan most of my life and it was awesome. Hope to one day be there in person to see the spectacle.

[@ricardotomaso7069]

Brilliant video, well done

[@one-of-us9939]

Much like a cowboy has his rodeo... We have TT. Great show, thanks bro

[@jpsother1183]

Very, very well done.

[@dogpaw775]

'Road Racers', different breed.

[@P_RO_]

The ultimate test of man and machine in the real world. The Pike's Peak hillclimb in the US had a similar flavor of deadly but they no longer race bikes there so the TT now stands alone. May it continue forever!

[@mootpointjones8488]

I loved Joey but the greatest of all time post WWII was Mike Hailwood, he won on so many different machines and against top class opponents, when the TT was a world title event.

[@numismatric]

Top end mate... ;)

[@tubuskan4348]

The dude who said “it’s too dangerous to be forcing guys out there” whilst he LEAVES… where tf is this force

[@tHoM0r]

I guess losing world championship points every year is what he means

[@984francis]

A contender for the world championship HAD to compete in the TT.

[@donaldhudson2235]

Isle of man TT. Is and always will be one the greatest Rach of all time.

[@tonywright8294]

Not into bikes but a great video

[@waynerowlinson6177]

The danger of the TT is what makes it so special. I hate the idea of a rider being killed or injured. The fact that there were no deaths in 2024 is amazing. Here's wishing a speedy recovery to those who were injured. I love riding a motorcycle, my brain can't even comprehend the speeds these riders are going. Is it too dangerous? For someone like me, absolutely. Should it be stopped? No way. The riders know the risks and would likely find something else equally as dangerous if they were forced to stop.

[@1crazypj]

You mention TT stands for TOURIST TROPHY, maybe they should have a touring bike race next year something akin to the Harley racing going on in USA ? Fuel limits would make it 'interesting' Seeing a Gold Wing or BMW grinding expensive bits off on corners could be quite a spectacle. Personally though, I stopped 'following' IOM TT when speeds and bikes got away from what 'ordinary' road riders could get in 90's (as tech and 'workshop manager' I got to ride a lot of 'fast' bikes back then, 165~70mph being around max speed available)

[@davidmatthews3093]

Please, no!

[@richardbehrle1496]

To me, it is the Mount Everest of racing. As long as people are free to do it, then it should keep going. I’ve been there 10 times since 1990 and I will keep going there. There’s one thing said about the pro’s getting killed, well, no pros got killed this year in 2024, last year was one person and in 2022 5 people died. There are what’s called Spectator crashes and they are pretty deadly too, the authorities there are very tough on speeders.

[@mige2291]

May it last forever.

[@mattsmallshot]

its still a road test, for the riders and the machines

[@Kysushanz]

Mike Hailwood is the Isle of Man TT. My hero when I was riding and still regarded as the best raw talent - I wonder what Mike could have done with the modern bikes??

[@petersmith9470]

It's a shame today's organizers couldn't leave the history of the timing blackboards and the scouts that ran it alone.

[@jarikinnunen1718]

Looking at TV kill more.

[@matholthe]

Why did i hear skyrim music? 🤔

[@nightwaves3203]

Do you see any motorcycle cops out there?

[@aeroflopper]

lots, especially on mad sunday

[@Liebilllll]

Omitting the sidecars from your telling of TT history is a huge shame. Please don’t overlook this amazing class of motorcycle!

[@wonkylommiter6364]

He didn't

[@cnealmartin]

The word "Gladiator" is not a romantic word at all. Slaves being forced to fight to the death to only eventually be slaughtered. To say these racers are to keep going to the eventual slaughter not exactly a romantic term??

[@ciambelgemelle1530]

The question is: why is this race still legal and not banned? Is it because of the big money it brings? So, lives can be bought This is the answer

[@MoghreyMie]

More people pass away walking in the Lake District, each year, than at the TT. Check the stats at all the Mountain Rescue Teams in the Lake District, they're available online. Do you propose they ban walking in the Lake District?

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

Nothing in sports is worth the very big risk of crashing into a stonewall doing 180 mph! Why not reduce to 400 cc?

[@davidmatthews3093]

W How would that be any safer?

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

@@davidmatthews3093 TT average speed record nearly tripled since the early years. Impact damage quadruples when speed is doubled. F1 reduced from 3 to 1.6 Litres, Paris Dakar from 1000 to 450 and Moto GP from 1000 to 850 why not the TT ?

[@Szlejer]

It's a corpse lottery, plain and simple.

[@squalidscarab7699]

what does that mean

[@GuitarRyder11]

0:17 I slowed it down to see the brown bits left on the road, but nothing! He must've had it clenched closed tight.