1 – The very first race was held in 1907, won by Rem Fowler on a Norton, riding the short course.
2 – In 1911, the first year of the Isle of Man TT mountain course, Oliver Godrey won the senior TT in a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds, with an average speed of 47.63mph. In 2015, John McGuinness set a new Senior TT record, finishing in 1 hour, 9 minutes and 23 seconds, with an average speed of 130.48mph!
3 – The top speed ever recorded on the course was by 206mph (332km/h) set by Bruce Anstey in the 2006 practice sessions. Unfortunately, the data was recorded only by the tracking software on his bike, so it’s considered an unofficial record.
4 – Traditionally, on the middle Sunday of the 2 weeks over the TT is known as ‘Mad Sunday’, where fans watch in fancy dress as the public are allowed to take to the course on their bikes, with no speed limits on the mountain section!
5 – The fastest lap record in the TT Zero (electric bikes) has plummeted since its inception in 2010, with John McGuinness knocking off almost 4.5 minutes the original time set by 2015.
2010 – 23m 22.89s
2015 – 18m 58.74s
6 – Since 1907, the TT has only ever been cancelled for the two World Wars (1915 – 1919 and 1940 – 1946) and again in 2001, as part of in the effort to prevent the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK reaching the Isle of Man.
7 – 1954 was the first year for a female competitor in the IOMTT races. Inge Stoll took part as a passenger in the sidecar race, making way for many future female competitors. Sadly, she died in 1958 after an accident at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix.
8 – The late Joey Dunlop remains top of the all time TT winners trophy list, with 26 trophies to his name. However, John McGuiness is closing in with 21 wins so far. Would you bet against him to add to his total this year?
9 – Sticking with Joey Dunlop – did you know that he almost missed the 1985 TT because his boat from Northern Ireland sank?!
The fishing trawler, Tornamona, was carrying Joey and Robert Dunlop, Brian Reid and all of their bikes when it began to sink on its way to the Isle of Man. Everyone on board had to abandon ship while the bikes found their way to the bottom of the ocean. Incredibly, the bikes were salvaged, stripped down, rebuilt and taken over to the Isle of Man in time for the TT. There’s a short report about it on the BBC.
10 – In 2014, more than 42,000 fans travelled to the island to watch the TT – and it’s growing!
11 – Mark Cavendish took to the course in 2013 on his bicycle and hit 62 mph on his way down the mountain road (yes on a bicycle!).
12 – Thankfully, one of the best facts of them all is that the races are around the corner, and this year the event is between Saturday 28th May and Friday 10th June. The Tru-Tension Team will be there with the Chain Monkey, so please join us for a beer if you see us!