It’s Mad Sunday, and if you’re an amateur motorcycle road racer, it’s your chance to feel the heat of competition and give the throttle on your bike the full twist.
The International Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race is held on the Isle of Man, and for many years stood as the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world.
Part of the FIM Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship from 1949–1976, the race was moved to the United Kingdom after safety concerns and became for a time the British Grand Prix for the 1977 season.
The Isle of Man TT Races became part of the TT Formula 1 Championship in 1977 through 1990 to preserve the event. From 1989 on, the racing series has been reborn due to the efforts of the Isle of Man Department of Tourism as the Isle of Man TT Festival.
Amateur Rided Reaches175 MPH on the Isle of Man TT Course
Run in a time-trial format on public roads closed for racing by the provisions of an Act of Tynwald, the first race was held on Tuesday 28 May 1907 and was then called the International Auto-Cycle Tourist Trophy. The race went 10 laps of the St John’s Short Course, 15 miles and 1,470 yards of smooth, snaking pavement across some of the most beautiful scenery in the British Isles.
Charlie Collier won the first race on a Matchless with a time of 4 hours, 8 minutes and 8 seconds. That worked out to an average speed of 38.2 mph. That same year, the winner of the twin-cylinder class was Rem Fowler. Fowler rode a Norton with a Peugeot engine and clocked a time of 4 hours 21 minutes and 52 seconds. That worked out to an average speed of 36.2
Collier took home a trophy donated by the Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars which featured a silver figurine astride a winged wheel.
The Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars Trophy is now presented annually to the winner of the Isle of Man Senior TT Motorcycle Race.
Fastest Isle of Man TT Lap Awards 2011:
| Race | Trophy | Rider(s) | Machine | Year | Average speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Jimmy Simpson Trophy | Bruce Anstey | Honda 1000 cc | 2011 | 131.378 mph (211.432 km/h) | 17:13.88 |
| Senior TT | Norman Brown Trophy | John McGuinness | Honda 1000 cc | 2011 | 131.248 mph (211.223 km/h) | 17:14.89 |
| TT Superbike | John Williams Trophy | Bruce Anstey | Honda 1000 cc | 2011 | 131.378 mph (211.432 km/h) | 17:13.88 |
| TT Superstock | Don Ryder Trophy | Michael Dunlop | Kawasaki 1000 cc | 2011 | 129.709 mph (208.746 km/h) | 17:27.17 |
| TT Supersport Race | Formula 2 TT Trophy | Bruce Anstey | Honda 600 cc | 2011 | 126.595 mph (203.735 km/h) | 17:52.94 |
| TT Sidecar Race | Jock Taylor Trophy | John Holden/Andrew Winkle | LCR Suzuki 600 cc | 2011 | 114.861 mph (184.851 km/h) | 19:42.55 |
William Joseph “Joey” Dunlop, OBE (February 25, 1952 – July 2, 2000), won three hat-tricks at the Isle of Man TT meeting in 1985, 1988 and 2000, and won a record 26 races in total.
