Is the Isle of Man TT too dangerous?
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The Isle of Man Time Trial (TT) event is one of the most iconic motorsport events on the planet. Staged on the Isle of Man, an island situated off the coast of north-west England and nestled midway between England and Northern Ireland in the Irish Sea, it’s a unique and wholly challenging venue. It used to be part of the MotoGP Championship, before safety concerns saw it swiftly culled. Even the Moto2 GP Championship, containing the motorbike stars of the future, has remained fiercely loyal to Silverstone and Donington Park on the grounds of rider safety. Spaniard, Augusto Fernandez claimed this year’s British Moto2 GP Grand Prix at Silverstone. The 25-year-old is in great shape to win the Moto2 Championship outright with one race remaining in Valencia. 
The staggering statistic surrounding the Isle of Man TT is that more than 200 entrants have lost their lives mid-race since its inception in 1907. You might wonder if the majority of deaths occurred in the earliest years of the event when race safety may not have been as comprehensive as it is today. However, just last month a French sidecar competitor sustained life-threatening injuries following a crash. Cesar Chanal later died after being transferred to a hospital in his native France.
Both Chanal and his sidecar teammate, Olivier Lavorel, were debutants at the Isle of Man TT but they were certainly no strangers to sidecar racing. The duo had competed regularly in the F1 and F2 National Sidecar Championships in France, finishing on the podium on multiple occasions.
However, the pair crashed on their opening lap of the Isle of Man TT race. This takes the number of deaths from crashes at the Isle of Man TT circuit to a staggering six in 2022 alone. In fact, this year’s TT has now become the deadliest since 1970. Father and son duo, Roger and Bradley Stockton passed away tragically following another sidecar crash at the same spot as Chanal and Lavorel. Meanwhile Northern Irishman Davy Morgan also suffered fatal injuries in the opening Supersport race of the TT.
After a two-year hiatus due to the impact of the pandemic, there was heaps of expectation surrounding the 2022 Isle of Man TT. The lack of the event being staged on the island in 2020 and 2021 resulted in an estimated £4.8 million loss of annual revenue. However, it’s clear that the event’s return made the headlines for all the wrong reasons this year.
The history of course incidents at the Isle of Man TT
Between 2022 and the formation of the Isle of Man TT in 1907, there have been 155 deaths throughout the course of official races or practice runs along the Snaefell Mountain Course. However, there has been a total of 265 fatalities linked to the event in all ways. This includes rides killed during the former Manx Grand Prix and the Clubman TT series.
There is something rather haunting about the TT organisers’ use of red flags, which are waved by race marshals when a potentially life-threatening incident has happened mid-race.
So, why does the Isle of Man TT remain on the annual race calendar, despite its despairing fatality record? For many riders, the adrenaline rush and ‘fear factor’ of racing at the Isle of Man TT is what attracts people to the circuit. If there wasn’t an element of danger, some riders would overlook the event. That doesn’t make it right for the TT to continue, but it explains the reasons behind its ongoing popularity and the blind loyalty shown towards the event by locals and tourists alike. 
It's also a fortnight-long festival of racing, bringing together motorcycling enthusiasts from across Europe and beyond. It’s not just the Snaefell Mountain Course that catches the eye, there’s also a stunt team called the ‘World Famous Purple Helmets’ that are fun to watch.
However, none of this can gloss over the fact that the Isle of Man TT is the deadliest sporting event in the world. Since 1980, there have been just two years where no-one has had the misfortune of dying along this narrow road course.
What makes the Isle of Man TT so treacherous?
One of the obvious dangers of the Isle of Man TT is that the races are held on normal, everyday roads. These are roads that the public use on any other day of the year. The roads aren’t just normal tarmac either, many of them are supremely narrow and winding. The end result being that there’s little margin for error, particularly for amateur riders that have never experienced these roads before.
The Snaefell Mountain Course is described within the community as ’38 miles of terror’ and the undisputed number-one test of bikes and riders. Although the race organisers do their absolute best to provide adequate crash barriers along the course, there are areas where it’s just rock-hard brick walls and ditches for company.
It’s not uncommon for riders to average speeds of well over 120mph around the Snaefell Mountain Course and even high speeds of 200mph. Put simply, riders put their head above the parapet in full knowledge of the dangers and potential pitfalls.
After a tragic year for the event, its organisers have promised to “take any actions that can help improve safety” and apply these at “the earliest opportunity”. In publishing this statement, it’s clear that the event itself is by no means in jeopardy in 2023 and beyond.
That’s unlike the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb’s decision in 2019 to suspend its races altogether following the death of rider Carlin Dunne – despite Dunne’s mother vehemently arguing that the move was not what her son would have wanted.
It seems that despite the unavoidable dangers, the Isle of Man TT remains something of a rite of passage among the motorcycling fraternity. Although some outside of the sport will consider amateur riders to be crazy to even contemplate taking on the challenge, those with a passion for two-wheeled racing still believe in the tradition of the event, come what may.
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