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It’s going to be a good week

Gladiatorial

Never short of excitement ……and maybe one of motorcycle’s racings most dangerous events! memtb
most

Used to love watching Joey Dunlap ride that course.

One of my proudest accomplishments is taking my son to see that race, 2016.

When you actually get there the races are just a part of it, the people are incredible.

Hardest part is getting there, all the ferries, even for foot traffic only, are booked by the previous summer. But once you do get there….

Taxi to St George’s soccer club ( the pitch is used as a campground) located on the course 100 yards from the finish line/pits area - $10.

Camping fee at St Georges campground - $18 each per night - hot showers free. You can leave anything laying out, theft is practically non-existent.

Great coffee/tea/breakfast kiosk at campground, the cook was also the Chief of Police/Track Marshall.

80,000 residents on the island ( largely retirees), tiny police force, they use magnetic stick on door decals for whatever car they’re using as a Cop car.

Roads shut down at 10am race days, the Chief of Police/Ttack Marshall took my son with him our second morning to inspect the route before declaring it ready.

There is no security in the pits area (located behind the grandstand at the start:finish line) you can wander right through it, talk to the riders and pit crew before, during and after the race. Like everywhere else, this area is crowded but the behavior of the crowd, motorcycle loonies all, is excellent.

Great conversation, cheap fish and chips, great pubs in Douglas.

If any of the above is hard to believe, consider how improbable the whole event, as it is run, is. If it wasn’t happening you wouldn’t believe it possible.

The only downside was, tho I had booked the ferry for just foot traffic only (no motorcycle or car) the previous August, the only room left was on a 5am ferry. No worries, it was already light out by then and the same taxi (actually a member of the soccer club using his own car with magnetic door decals) drove up to take us to the ferry terminal. $10 again.

If anyone can EVER make it to that race I’d highly recommend it.

That is one bad ass race and the men who are in it have some hair on their nuts! Wow, awesome racing!

I listen to a F1 podcast based on the Isle of Man. They say it's pretty exciting, but, as mentioned above, best have travel planned a year in advance.

That's pretty cool, Birdwatcher.

Kudos.

It be a fun to go see for sure ! It was on my dads bucket list, but he kicked the bucket first.

This race separates the men from the boys.

Thanks for the info. Wife and I are already in talks with Duke Travel for a package deal for next years race. We were supposed to go a couple of years ago for my birthday present but Covid F'ed that up too! We can't wait!!

We were there during the second week, took a chance based upon talk forum advice, and arrived on the island itself without camping reservations (absolutely gotta have ferry reservations tho).

We lucked out, got there about 9pm (still broad daylight) and within five minutes on the sidewalk us looking around the St George’s taxi guy pulled up. Turns out they pick and choose who they want at their site, large rowdy groups not welcome.

As mentioned, a short walk from our campsite to the start/finish line. We watched the races from a fence along the sidewalk of the home stretch. Riders are lined up on the course before the race in the road, released at 10 second (??) intervals. In a big event the leaders are coming back around after the first lap just minutes after the last guys on line start.

During the races, motorcycles or sidecars are just screaming by in a blur in one’s, twos and threes. To identify the leaders watch for the helicopter coming around hauling a$$ while filming them.

The popular spots along the course with curves and hills where lots of the spectacular footage is filmed fill up early with spectators on race days. We didn’t try for any of these spots but as I recall the bus service is excellent.

In a perfect world see if your travel guys can arrange for a rental motorcycle, there’s lots to see on that historic Island besides the races

OTOH walking around the pits behind the grandstand looking at all that cutting edge technology close up was as interesting as the races

We camped but in that wet climate there’s a lot to be said for hotels.

Have a great visit and post pics here. I couldn’t find my 2016 thread but I’m pretty sure my photos are still available somewhere in [bleep] or Photobucket, I’ll look.

When I was riding racing motorcycles, I would have loved to try it! Though, my greatest risk for injury would have been from getting run over from behind! 😂 memtb

I've been wanting to go to this insane race for years but I'm pretty sure this is just one of far too many bucket list items I am going to have to forego... watching it on TV is just about as much excitement as I can handle these days anyway and you can see a lot more of the race anyway. But being there would be incredible - the Testosterone levels must be off the charts...

Some pics as I find them:

The Promised Land as seen from the ferry…



Douglas Harbor…..



The taxi guy at St George’s Football Club…



The parking lot at the campground….



More to come….

Looking right along the campground fence, the entrance by those trees.

Oncoming traffic would top a rise and come screaming down that stretch, which was also the home stretch on the last lap. As mentioned, you get a better sense of the whole race on TV than you do watching in person.



Looking left, same place, contestants lining up behind the start line.



In the morning, people getting to where they want to be, road closes at 10am.



The winner in the Superbike event doing a high speed power wheelie all the way down the home stretch…..

Behind the grandstand, the pits…..



….and works of art….

Weird Science…..

I believe that this is the oldest motorcycle race in the world. Riders have balls of steel.

I thought I read somewhere that the sidecar riders killed more riders than the motorcycle riders just about every year? That fact alone would make me want to do anything but ride in one of those death traps

It is on my list. France has been goading me to go spend a month in Ireland for 2 years now but I just ain't ready. Especially now that I know you have to plan a year out.