The two week festival that is the Isle of Man TT begins on Saturday with the opening practice sessions.
The races on the Manx island are time trailed with riders setting off at intervals and racing against the clock.
This is the 91st running of what has become the most respected road race of them all. Taking place on closed roads throughout the island, the course measures 37.7 miles and is one of the greatest challenges any rider will ever face. The course runs from the capital Douglas westwards towards Peel before heading north to Ramsey and then heads back to Douglas once more. It is from Ramsey to Douglas that riders tackle what is simply one of the most spectacular stretches of road anywhere in the world-the mountain.
The Mountain circuit is an unbelievable challenge for any rider and one of the toughest circuits on the planet. It is not only the sheer length of the track that causes difficulty, there is changes in altitude to take into account; at its highest point riders are 1400 feet above sea level and reach speeds of upwards of 200 mph. The engine runs easier at this altitude and in the past two-stroke riders needed to change the engine mixture to account for the atmospheric changes. The main difficulty faced by riders is the street furniture such as signposts, telegraph poles, manhole covers, roadside curbs and any number of other obstacles. Even with all of these challenges the lap record is currently held by John McGuiness at an average speed of over 130 mph.
While the TT has maintained its position as the “road racing capital of the world” it lost its position as the British Grand Prix in the mid seventies as riders eventually tired of facing such immense dangers. 15 times world champion Giacomo Agostini declared in 1972 that he would never race on the island again after seeing numerous competitors killed riding at the track. This was to prove a death keel for the race as a full grand prix event but unbelievably the two week festival of speed is as big as ever.
The Irish have always gone well on the island and there are many riders who will look to emulate some of their forerunners as winners of a TT. The main interest surround three former winners of races on the island with Ryan Farquhar expected to challenge for honours on his Kawasaki. The 34 year old Dungannon man has been in sparkling form over the last year and will look to add to the two races wins on the island that he has already achieved. Last season he won an incredible 61 races but was unable to convert that form into success at the TT. His best results were 6th and 7th last year, but two years ago he showed his true colours with top sixes in all races. This year, riding for his own team, he expects to be at the front in all five races.
Adrian Archibald may be one of the elder statesmen of Irish road racing but the 40 year old has three wins on the mountain course and last year went faster than any Irishman in history lapping at 129 mph. He once more rides for his own team and while a win may be expecting too much from him, he will look to add to his previous haul of eight podiums.
Dunlop is a name that reverberates around the roads of the Isle of Man and this year there is expectancy of the Dunlop family adding more wins to their account. Michael and William, sons of fives time winner Robert, are expected to add yet more victories. The younger of the Ballymoney brothers, Michael, already has his name etched onto the winner’s trophies after winning a Supersport race last year. Amazingly this was the only race he finished as mechanical problems ended his other four races. Michael emerges fresh from a convincing North West 200 where he added impressive performances in the premier class of Superbikes to his already burgeoning reputation on the smaller classes of machinery.
William may be elder of the Dunlop brothers but the 24 year old has been left in the shadow cast by his sibling. Last year marked his return to the island after a two year absence and he defined it with consistent performances as he put his ever increasing confidence and experience to good use, finishing a career high ninth in the Supersport race. This year he will feel that if conditions are favourable a podium could be on the cards. With the family reputation forged by their father and uncle Joey the weight of expectation on their shoulders is immense, but both riders are growing in confidence and now are looked upon as true contenders in races due to their own talents.
Englishman John McGuiness has made the Mountain his own and will start the festival as favourite. Fresh from a win at the North West the Honda rider will be looking to add to his 15 TT wins as he chases down Joey Dunlop’s record of 26 victories. He is sure to be a contender but the expectation is that he will have a greater challenge than ever this season with the likes of local man Connor Cummins and past winners Ian Hutchinson and Bruce Anstey expected to compete along with the Irishmen at the forefront.
A small island in the Irish Sea is about to once again become the centre of the road racing universe and with the popularity of the event increasing every year there is a guarantee of one of greatest spectacles in sport producing yet another unforgettable festival.
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