"The only race that matters."
I've been absolutely enthralled by this race since I first heard about it as a kid in the '60's. My younger son and I went and spent the week there four years ago. There is nothing else like it.
And, well, nothing else like the attitude of the participants, community, and fans. "Ridiculous"? That is not how they see it. No one is forced to participate. No one is forced to watch. All are proud of the fact that this one race, this one week, is a big giant thumb in the eye of the "safety police" (as they call them).
In a vastly over-sanitized world, as their council chairman explained in an interview many years ago, some people still feel some inner need to challenge themselves at this level. Like climbing Mt Everest and similar "ridiculous" pursuits. The IOM simply provides such men and women an outlet for that, a way to fulfill that "need". When participants quit signing up for it, when fans quit watching, they will quit running. At the present, however, they turn away three for every that compete. It is showing no signs of slowing down. And, well, they have absolutely no plans for giving in to the hand-wringers who demand they stop. Again, no one has to watch. No one has to participate.
They have now run the TT just over 100 times and, yes, are approaching 270 deaths. That's hardly "6 or more participants every year" (pretty simple math...). Last year, in its post-COVID return, they did lose six competitors (maybe most tragically, a father/son on a sidecar). It has, however, in these modern times, become a much less frequent occurrence than in years past. In the modern era of the TT, they can go years without losing a single rider. Riders are better vetted (one must pass rather stringent requirements to be allowed to compete these days), better safety measures are in place, etc. They are making an effort.
It does, however, remain exceedingly dangerous. No one denies that. Yet, for those who choose to pursue these kinds of challenges, it maintains an unshakeable allure. More power to 'em. Long live the TT. We plan to go back.
My son and I for the Senior TT at Creg Ny Baa:
