Isle of Man or known simply as “Mann” is a small Island
between Ireland and England in the Irish Sea. It is a very small island with a
population of about 100,000. However each year during the months of May and
June the Island attracts lot of tourists due to a particular activity which has
made this Island very famous.
It is the International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race” which attracts all those people during those few days of the year.
It is a motorcycle sport event which attracts thousands of Motorcycle lovers as
well as lot of racers who throng to the small island with their big and loud
bikes.This event is considered as the “Holy Grail” of Motorcycle racing and is
known as the most prestigious motorcycle racing event in the world. The race is
in existence since 1907 and still exudes the same passion among racers till
date as it used to during the early years of conception.
It is a time-trial format held on public roads. Time-trial
means a racer who completes a particular length of distance in the shortest
time wins the race. There are different categories depending upon the cc of the
bike and the range is generally between 750-1200cc.
The race is held on a 60.73
km long public road which is like any other road in any other city of the world
passing through houses and markets, however for those few days every year that
road is completely blocked for the public and for good reason.
For those few days bikes race the streets at speeds in excess
of 200-300 km/h on a continuous basis and considering the format which is
Time-trial all racers do not start and end at the same time.
The speed with
which the racers go past one another is something which has to be seen standing beside the road to be felt. Within
a fraction of a second they pass in front of the audience and the people are left
to the amazement of the loud noise the bikes make. Seeing bike after bike
racing past in speeds in excess of 200km/h can be the most beautiful as well as
the most scary thing at the same time.
Racers are allowed to
go on the track one after the other with 10 seconds interval and each one is individually timed.
The main reason why this race is so famous among Motorcycle race lovers is due to
the fact that this is also the most dangerous race.
There are lots of stretches
on the track where there is no protection on the walls and a racer can ram directly
into them due to a small mistake. Also there are lots of stretches where they
have to race on small hills where an error can throw them into the air for several hundred feet without touching the ground.
There have been many deaths during the past
100 years and this element of risk makes the race all the more exciting.
Below is a short video showcasing some of the best moments of
the race.
regards
Sportzmap
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