Isle of Man TT
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man since 1907. The race is run on public roads closed for racing by an Act of Tynwald the parliament of the Isle of Man. The first race was held on the 28 May 1907 over 10 laps of the St. John's "Short Course" of 15 miles 1,470 yards for road-legal touring motor-cycles with exhaust silencers, saddles, pedals and mud-guards.
The winner of the single-cylinder class and overall winner of the first event in 1907 was Charlie Collier riding a Matchless motor-cycle in a time of 4 hours, 8 minutes and 8 seconds at an average speed of 38.21 mph. The winner of the twin-cylinder class was Rem Fowler riding a Peugeot engined Norton motorcycle in a time of 4 hours 21 minutes and 52 seconds at an average speed of 36.21 mph.
The trophy presented to Charlie Collier as the winner of the 1907 race was donated by the Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars. It featured a silver figurine of the Olympic God Hermes astride a winged wheel. The trophy was similar in design to the Montague Trophy presented to the winner of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy car race. The Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars trophy is now presented annually to the winner of the Isle of Man Senior TT Motor-Cycle Race.
Contents |
[edit] Race History
Motor racing began on the Isle of Man in 1904 with the Gordon Bennett car trials and were originally restricted to touring automobiles. As the Motor Car Act of 1903 an Act of Parliament placed a speed restriction of 20 mph on automobiles the Secretary of the Automobile Car Club of Britain and Ireland approached the authorities in the Isle of Man for the permission to race automobiles on public roads. The Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904 gave permission in the Isle of Man for the 52.15 mile "Highlands" course for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Car Trial.
For the 1905 Gordon Bennett Car event it was decided to run a trial for motor-cycles the day after for a team to represent Great Britain in the International Motor-Cycle Cup Races. An accident at Ramsey Hairpin forced-out one of the pre-race favourites and the inability of the motor-cycle competitors to climb the steep Mountain Section of the course forced the organisers to use a 25 mile section of the Gordon Bennett Trial course. This ran from Douglas south to Castletown and then north to Ballacraine along the A3 primary road, but returned to the start at Douglas via Colby and Glen Vine along the current TT Course in the reverse direction. The event was won by J.S. Campbell in 4 hours, 9 minutes and 36 seconds.
During the 1906 International Cup for Motor-Cycles held in Austria, the event was plagued by accusations of cheating and sharp practices. During a conversation on the train journey home between the Secretary of the Auto-Cycle Club, Freddie Straight, the Collier brothers of the Matchless Motor-Cycles and the Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars lead to a suggestion for a race the following year for road touring motor-cycles based on the automobile races held in the Isle of Man on closed public roads. The new race was proposed by the Editor of "The Motor-Cycle" Magazine at the annual dinner of the Auto-Cycle Club held in London on the 17 January 1907. It was proposed that the races would run in two classes with single-cylinder machines to average 90 mpg and twin-cylinder machines to average 75 mpg fuel consumption. To emphasise the road touring nature of the motor-cycles there where regulations for saddles, pedals, mudguards and exhaust silencers.
For the 1908 race the fuel consumption was raised to 100 mpg for single-cylinder machines and 80 mpg for twin-cylinder machines and the use of pedals was banned. The race was won by Jack Marshall on a Triumph Motorcycles at an average speed of 40.49 mph. For the 1909 event the fuel consumption regulations was abandoned along with the use of exhaust silencers. The single-cylinder machines where limited to a capacity of 500cc and the twin-cylinder machines to a 750cc engine capacity. Due to the concern over increasing lap-speed, the 1910 event saw the capacity of the twin-cylinder machines reduced to 670cc. However, Harry Bowen riding a BAT twin-cylinder motor-cycle increased the lap record to an average speed of 53.15 mph, later crashing-out of the 1910 event on the wooden banking at Ballacraine.
[edit] Mountain Course
The first TT race over the Snaefell mountain course took place in 1911. This was followed in 1923 with the introduction of the Manx Amateur Motorcycle Road Races - a race originally reserved for amateurs and raced on the same Mountain Course. In 1930 it changed its name to the Manx Grand Prix.
For the 1911 event two separate races where introduced. A four lap Junior TT Race for 300cc single-cylinder and 340cc twin cylinder motor-cycles. The 1911 Senior TT Race was open for 500cc single-cylinder and 585cc twin-cylinder motor-cycles and was contested over 5 laps of the new 37.5 mile Mountain Course. The first event on the new course was the Junior TT Race and was contested by 35 entrants. It was won by Percy J. Evans riding a Humber motor-cycle in 3 hours, 37 minutes and 7 seconds at an average speed of 41.45 mph.
The new technical challenges of the Mountain Course forced changes on entrants and motor-cycle manufacturers alike. The American Indian Motor-Cycle factory fitted a two-speed gearbox and chain-drive. This proved to be the winning combination when Oliver Godfrey won the 1911 Isle of Man Senior TT riding an Indian in 3 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds at an average speed of 47.63 mph. In contrast the Matchless motor-cycles where fitted with a six-speed belt drive and Charlie Collier riding a Matchless motor-cycle finished second in the 1911 Senior TT race but was later disqualified for illegal refuelling. During practice for the 1911 race Victor Surridge died after crashing his Rudge motor-cycle at Glen Helen.
For the 1912 event the single and twin cylinder classes where combined with a 350cc capacity limit for the Junior TT and a 500cc capacity for motor-cycles for the Senior TT race. In 1913 Major Tommy Loughborough replaced Freddie Straight as secretary of the Auto-Cycle Club and promptly decided to make the races more difficult. The Junior and Senior races where to be run in sections. The Junior TT race was divided into two races of two and four laps and the Senior TT race consisted of a three lap race followed by a four lap race combined with the Junior TT event. In 1914 the Junior TT was reduced to 5 laps and the start-line moved to the top of Bray Hill to increase paddock space of the competitors. The use of crash-helmets was made compulsory. The 1914 Junior TT was held in heavy rain and mist on the Mountain Section of the course and was won by Eric Williams riding an AJS motor-cycle in 4 hours, 6 minutes and 50 seconds at an average speed of 45.58 mph. The race was marred by the death of Frank Walker riding a Rudge motor-cycle who had been leading until a puncture on the third-lap. In the following pursuit of the leaders he fell twice and on the last-lap over-shot the finish line in Ballanard Road and crashed into a wooden barrier placed across the road.
[edit] The 1920's
Motor-Cycle racing in the Isle of Man did not restart after the end of the First World War until 1920. Changes where made to the Snaefell mountain course and competitors now turned left at Cronk-ny-Mona and followed the primary A18 Mountain Road to Governors Bridge with a new start/finish line on Glencrutchery Road which lengthened the course to 37 ¾ miles.
The 1920 Junior TT Race included for the first time a new Lightweight class for motor-cycles of 250cc engine capacity. The Lighweight class of the 1920 Junior TT race was won by R.O Clarke riding a Levis and he may have won the event overall but crashed at the 33rd Milestone on the last lap, finishing fourth overall. The 1921 Senior TT race was eventually won by Howard Davies riding a 350cc Junior TT Race motor-cycle by a margin of 2 minutes and 3 seconds from Freddie Dixon and Hubert Le Vack. For 1922 the ACU introduced for 250cc motor-cycle a Lightweight TT race and the first winner was Geoff S.Davison riding a Levis motor-cycle at an average race speed of 49.89 and a lap record for the Lightweight TT class by Walter Handley in 44 minutes and 24 seconds an average speed of 51.00 mph. The 1922 Junior TT Race was won by local Isle of Man competitor Tom M.Sheard riding an AJS motor-cycle at an average race speed of 54.75 mph. Despite crashing twice, a broken exhaust and a fire in the pits, Stanley Woods riding a Cotton managed to finish in 5th place in the 1922 Junior TT Race. In the 1922 Senior TT Race, Alex Bennett riding a Sunbeam motor-cycle led all 6 laps from start to finish to win by a margin of 7 minutes and 22 seconds from Walter Brandish riding a Triumph.
More changes to the course followed in 1923 with the adoption of a private road between Parliament Square and May Hill in Ramsey. The course had previously had negotiated Albert Road and Tower Road in Ramsey and the new course length was now 37.73 miles. Part of the Snaefell mountain course was named 'Brandish' after Walter Brandish crashed at a corner between Creg-ny-Baa and Hillberry and broke a leg. The first Side-Car race was held in 1923 over 3 laps (113 miles) of the TT course and was won by Freddie Dixon and passenger Walter Perry with a special Douglas banking-sidecar average race speed of 53.15 mph. The Senior TT Race of 1923 was held in poor weather and local course knowledge allowed local Isle of Man competitor Tom Sheard riding a Douglas motor-cycle to win his second TT Race to add to his first win in the 1922 Junior TT Race on an AJS motor-cycle. Another first-time winner of a TT race in 1923 was Stanley Woods riding to victory in the Junior TT Race on a Cotton.
In 1924 an Ultra-Lightweight TT Race was introduced for motor-cycles of 175cc engine capacity following the introduction of a Lightweight TT Race in 1922. The 1924 Ultra-Lightweight TT was allowed to begin with a massed-start for competitors rather than pairs for the normal time-trial format of the Isle of Man TT Races. The first winner of the Ultra-Lightweight TT in 1924 was Jock Porter riding a New Gerrard motor-cycle at average speed of 51.20 mph. The Lightweight TT and the Senior TT Races of 1924 where run in conjunction and Eddie Twemlow (the brother to Ken Twemlow) riding a New Imperial motor-cycle won at an average race speed of 55.44 mph. The Senior TT Race of 1924 like the Junior TT Race of the same year was also run at record breaking pace and was the first with a race average speed over 60 mph and was won by Alec Bennett riding a Norton with an average race speed of 61.64 mph.
After numerous retirements in 1924, Wal Handley won the 1925 Junior TT Race over 6 laps of the Mountain Course for Rex-Acme motor-cycles at an average speed of 65.02 mph. Later in the week Walter Handley became the first TT rider to win two races in a week when he won the 4 lap Ultra-Lighweight TT Race again on a Rex-Acme motor-cycle. The 1925 Senior TT Race was sensationally won by Howard Davis while competing against the works teams with a motor-cycle of his own manufacture a HRD Motorcyclesat an average speed of 66.13 mph. Further changes occurred in 1926 with the scrapping of the Side-Car and Ultra-Lightweight TT Races from the lack of entries. Most of the TT Course had now been tarmacked including the Snaefell Mountain Section. Another change in 1926 was the ban on alcohol based fuels forcing competitors to use road petrol. Despite these changes the prestige of the Isle of Man TT Races had encouraged the Italian motor-cycle manufacturers Bianchi, Garelli and Moto Guzzi to enter. The 1926 Lightweight TT Race produced one of the most notorious events in the history of the Isle of Man TT Races described by the "The Motor-Cycle" Magazine as the "Guzzi Incident." The Italian rider Pietro Ghersi was excluded from second place for using a different sparking-plug in the engine of his Moto Guzzi. The 1926 Senior TT Race produced the first 70 mph lap and was again set by Jimmy Simpson on an AJS motor-cycle in 32 minutes and 9 seconds an average speed of 70.43 mph.
More changes occurred in 1927 with a fatal accident during practice to Archie Birkin a brother to Tim Birkin of the Bentley Boys fame. The corner in Kirk Michael where the accident occurred was renamed Birkins Bend and from 1928 practice sessions where held on closed-roads. The newly developed 'positive-stop' foot gear-change by Velocette gave Alex Bennett his fifth TT Race win in the 1928 Junior TT Race at an average race speed of 68.65 mph from his team-mate Harold Willis. The 1929 Lightweight TT Race was led for 5 laps by Pietro Ghersi on a Motor Guzzi competing in his first TT race since the disqualification in the 'Guzzi Incident' of 1926. Despite Pietro Ghersi setting the fastest lap at an average speed of 66.63 mph, engine failure gave the win to Syd Crabtree. During the 1929 Senior TT Race a number of riders crashed at Greeba Castle after Wal Handley clipped the hedge and crashed. This included Jimmy Simpson, Jack Amott riding for Rudge and Doug Lamb who latter died of his injuries on the way to Nobles Hospital. Charlie Dodson completed a Senior TT double by winning the 1929 Senior TT Race at an average race speed of 72.05 mph.
[edit] The 1930's
The 1930's was a decade which the TT Races became the predominant motor-cycling event in the racing calander and perhaps seen as the classic-era of racing in the Isle of Man. A number of changes occured to the Snaefell mountain course during the 1930's with extensive road widening on the A18 road Mountain Road and the removal of the hump-back bridge at Ballig for the 1935 racing season in the Isle of Man.
The 1930's produced a number of changes for the Isle of Man TT Races in which the event became more commercialized. The George Formby film No Limit (1936) used the 1935 Isle of Man TT races as a backdop for filming. Also, the 1930's was increasingly used by the motor-cyle manufactuers to show-case their products by racing at the Isle of Man TT Races. As a result, the 1930's produced an increased pace of motor-cycle development with the intoduction of over-head camshaft engines, plunger rear-suspension and telescopic front-forks. These technological improvements where played-out by the different British motor-cycle manufactuers such as AJS, Rudge, Sunbeam and Velocette gradually being eclipsed by the pre-eminence of the works Nortons. Increasing interest by foreign manufactures in the 1930's produced works entries from BMW, DKW, NSU, Bianchi and Moto Guzzi at the Isle of Man TT Races. Increased professionalism by the TT riders during the 1930's was the reason for Stanley Woods parting with Norton motor-cycles, despite the winning of four TT Races in 2 years, over the issue of prize money and joined Husqvarna and later riding for Moto Guzzi.
The 1930 Senior TT Race was won by Rudge with Wal Handley becoming the first TT rider to win in all three major TT Race classes and the first lap under 30 minutes of the Mountain Course. The 1931 TT Race meeting was again dominated by the battle between Rudge and Norton motor-cycles. The 1931 Senior TT Race provided Tim Hunt with a popular Junior/Senior double win and also produced the first 80 mph lap by Jimmy Simpson on a Norton motor-cycle. The 1932 TT Race meeting was watched by Prince George, Duke of Kent the first royal visitor to the Isle of Man TT Races. The 1932 Senior TT Race provided Stanley Woods with the "Norton Habit" and another Junior/Senior double win. Also on the first lap Wal Handley riding for Rudge crashed at the 11th Milestone sustaining a back injury and retired. The place on the TT Course where the incident occurred was renamed Handley's Corner. The 1933 Senior TT Race gave Stanley Woods another Junior/Senior double win and the works Norton's taking the first four places along with Jimmy Simpson, Tim Hunt and Jimmie Guthrie. The 1934 TT Races was another double Junior/Senior win for Jimmie Guthrie and the last TT Race for Jimmy Simpson.
For the 1935 TT Races, Stanley Woods provided another surprise by moving to Moto Guzzi and was a debut event for the Italian Omobono Tenni. The 1935 Senior TT Race produced one of the most dramatic TT races as the Moto Guzzi pit-attendants made preparations for Stanley Woods to refuel on the last-lap went straight through the TT Grandstand area without stopping and went on to win by 4 seconds from Jimmie Guthrie. Despite disqualification during the 1936 Junior TT Race, Jimmie Guthrie won the 1936 Senior TT Race and was revenge for the dramatic defeat the previous year. The 1937 TT Races produced the first foreign winner when the Italian TT Rider, Omobono Tenni won the Lightweight Race, although Jimmie Guthrie was killed a few weeks later while riding for the Norton team during the 1937 German Grand Prix. The 1938 TT Races produced the first German winner when Ewald Kluge won the 1938 Lightweight TT Race and became the first overall European Motor-Cycle Champion for the works DKW team. For the 1939 TT Races, the works Norton team did not compete as the Norton factory where changing-over to war production. Although, the 1938 model Norton was provided to Harold Daniel and Freddie Frith to race, the 1939 TT Races provided Stanley Woods with a 10th TT win while riding a Velocette in the Junior TT Race and a well judged first win for Ted Mellors riding a Benelli in the 1939 Lightweight TT Race. The Blue Riband race of the Isle of Man TT Races was won for the first time by a foreign competitor when Georg 'Schorsch' Meier won the 1939 Senior TT Race riding for the factory BMW team. The 1930's was an era when TT winners were allowed to keep the trophies for a year. The 1939 factory BMW motor-cycle that won the 1939 Senior TT Race spent the war-year buried in a field and the Senior Trophy was discovered displayed in a shop in Vienna at the end of the war.
[edit] Post War
Racing did not return to the Isle of Man and the Snaefell mountain course until September 1946 with the Manx Grand Prix. In 1957 the TT races were headlined when the late Bob McIntyre recorded the first 100 mph (161 km/h) lap, riding his Italian Gilera. Two years later, a new racing team, Honda of Japan, participated in the 125 cc race.
From 1949 to 1976 the race was part of the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship and was the home of the British Grand Prix. The event came under increasing scrutiny due to safety concerns despite efforts by the ACU to retain its world championship status. When Italian rider Gilberto Parlotti was killed during the 1972 TT, his close friend and the reigning world champion Giacomo Agostini, announced that he would never again race at the Isle of Man. More riders joined Agostini's boycott and by the 1976 season, only a handful of serious Grand Prix riders were among the entrants. Shortly after the 1976 TT, the FIM made the long-anticipated announcement. The TT, once the most prestigious race on the Grand Prix calendar, was stripped of its world championship status. The Grand Prix action was moved to the mainland with the 1977 British Grand Prix being held at Silverstone.
Today, the premier TT racing bikes are streamlined, technological wonders that complete the Snaefell course at an average speed exceeding 120 mph (193 km/h). Record holders include the late David Jefferies who set a then lap record of 127.29 mph (204.81 km/h) in 2002. This was surpassed by John McGuinness during the 2004 TT on a Yamaha R1 setting a time of 17 min 43.8 s equalling an average lap speed of 127.68 mph (205.43 km/h). McGuinness lowered this even further at the 2006 TT, setting a time of 17:29.26 for an average speed of 129.451 mph (208.33 km/h). The most successful rider was the late Joey Dunlop who won 26 times in various classes from 1977 to 2000.
[edit] Description
The Oxford Companion to World Sports and Games notes, "The oldest motor-cycle racing circuit still in use is the Snaefell mountain course over which the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races are run. Starting at the town of Douglas on the south-east coast, the course takes a wide sweep to the west and north to enter the town of Ramsey on the north-east coast and thence return to the starting point, each lap measuring 37 3/4 miles (60.7 km) and taking in over 200 bends while climbing from sea level to an altitude of over 1,300 ft (396 m). This circuit is the epitome of the natural road course, all the roads used being ordinary public highways closed for the racing and practice sessions".
Traditionally held in the last week of May and the first week of June, the TT races create a carnival atmosphere. Picnicking crowds flanking the circuit are reminiscent of the community festivals that are part of another form of cycle racing in a different country - the Tour de France.
During the TT Festival it is difficult to travel across or around the island because of the road closures. There is a TT access road in Douglas that gives access to the centre of the mountain course during the event.
The future of the TT is always in doubt with regards to the safety, especially "Mad Sunday" when any member of the public can attempt to race on the course. The TT races are extremely dangerous because of the high speeds on very narrow, twisting streets, roads and lanes flanked by stone walls and even buildings. Between 1907 and 2006 there have been 223 deaths (this number includes the riders killed during the Manx Grand Prix).
In 2007 the TT will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
[edit] The races
|
|
|
1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | World War I | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | World War II | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 Cancelled | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
[edit] Total overall race winners
| Rider | Wins |
|---|---|
| Joey Dunlop | 26 |
| Mike Hailwood | 14 |
| Steve Hislop, Dave Molyneux, Phillip McCallen, John McGuinness | 11 |
| Giacomo Agostini, Rob Fisher, Stanley Woods | 10 |
| Mick Boddice, David Jefferies, Siegfried Schauzu, Charlie Williams, Dave Saville | 9 |
| Jim Moodie, Chas Mortimer, Phil Read | 8 |
| Mick Grant, Tony Rutter, Ian Lougher | 7 |
| Geoff Duke, Jimmie Guthrie, Jim Redman, John Surtees | 6 |
| Robert Dunlop, Brian Read, Carlo Ubbiali, Alec Bennett, Bruce Anstey | 5 |
| John Williams, Tarquinio Provini, Freddie Frith, Barry Smith, Dave Leach, Ray Pickrell, Bill Smith, Walter Handley, Klaus Enders, Jock Taylor, Trevor Ireson | 4 |
| Adrian Archibald, Ian Simpson, Simon Beck, Carl Fogarty, Ray Amm, Luigi Taveri, Tom Herron, Bob McIntyre, Tony Jefferies, Alan Jackson jnr, Alex George, Dave Morris, Rob McElnea, Graeme Crosby, Harold Daniell, Phil Mellor, Barry Woodland, Barry Smith, Rolf Steinhausen, Walter Schneider, Max Deubel, Nick Crowe | 3 |
| Ryan Farquhar, Shaun Harris, Iain Duffus, Chris Palmer, Charlie R Collier, Cecil Sandford, Fergus Anderson, Hugh Anderson, Edwin Twemlow, Manliffe Barrington, Fergus Anderson, Kel Carruthers, Con Law, Eric Williams, Tom Sheard, Percy [Tim] Hunt, Malcolm Uphill, Charlie J P Dodson, Howard R Davies, Bill Lomas, Eddie Laycock, John Hartle, Artie Bell, Gary Hocking, John Hartle, Jack A Porter, Hugh Anderson, Trevor Nation, Fritz Hillebrand, Dick Greasley, Lowry Burton, Geoff Bell | 2 |
| Michael Rutter, Nick Jefferies, Harry A Collier, Harry Reed, Jack Marshall, Rem Fowler, Cromie McCandless, R Les Graham, Steve Abbott, Dario Ambrosini, F A Applebee, Ken Arber, HR [Reg] Armstrong, Georg Auerbacher, Ross Williams, Peter Williams, Paul Williams, Cyril Williams, M Lockwood, Ken T Kavanagh, Ray Knight, Ewald Kluge, F A Applebee, Georg ["Schorsch"] Meier, Brian Morrison, Johnny Rea, Oliver Godfrey, H O [Tim] Wood, Frank Whiteway, Cyril G Pullin, Tommy C de la Hay, Norman Brown, Trevor Burgess, Ralph Bryans, Roger Burnett, Jack Findlay, Phil Carpenter, Dave Croxford, Graham Penny, Ernst Degner, Mitsuo Itoh, L Stuart Graham, Ron Haslam, Bill Simpson, Martyn Sharpe, Keith Martin, Tony Rogers, Omobono Tenni | 1 |
[edit] Current lap records
| Category | Rider(s) | Bike | Year | Time | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OUTRIGHT | John McGuinness | Honda CBR1000 Fireblade | 2006 | 17:29.26 | 129.45 mph |
| TT Superbike | John McGuinness | Honda CBR1000 Fireblade | 2006 | 17:41.71 | 127.933 mph |
| Junior TT | John McGuinness | Honda CBR600RR | 2006 | 18:15.61 | 123.975 mph |
| Senior TT | John McGuinness | Honda CBR1000 Fireblade | 2006 | 17:29.26 | 129.45 mph |
| TT Superstock | Adrian Archibald | Suzuki GSX-R 1000 | 2005 | 17:52.54 | 126.641 mph |
| Sidecar | Dave Molyneux & Daniel Sayle | DMR Honda 600 Sidecar | 2005 | 19:30.49 | 116.044 mph |
[edit] Trivia
Currently there is a Hollywood blockbuster being developed on the TT.
Rumours have started to spread of a well-known sports car manufacturer supporting the event in the future.
The late rally driver Tony Pond drove a standard production Rover 827 Vitesse during his second bid to be the first person to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit at over 160 km/h in a four wheeled vehicle. Tony, an Isle of Man resident and one of Britain's most famous rally drivers, almost made it during his attempt in 1988.
[edit] Sources
TT Special 1929-1931 Edited by G.S.Davison
TT Special 1932-1935 Edited by G.S.Davison
Isle of Man TT by Charles Deane.
History of the Isle of Man TT Races 1907-1989 by Nick Harris.
The Magic of The TT. A Century of Racing over The Mountain. by Mac McDiarmid.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
