You know how sometimes you fall into a rabbit hole just clicking around online? Happened to me last Tuesday night. Was looking up motorcycle stuff for a side project, totally unrelated, and bam! Isle of Man TT pops up. Sounded wild, just racing on regular roads? Had to know more. Grabbed my laptop, settled into the couch with coffee going cold beside me, and started digging.
My first thought was simple: when the heck did this whole crazy thing even start? Typed like a maniac into the search bar. Turns out, they ran the very first race way back in 1907. Imagine that! Cars and bikes just racing on open roads from town to town. Must have looked insane back then. Felt kinda cool, picturing those old-timey drivers with their goggles on.
Kept scrolling, feeling like I found some hidden treasure map. Clicked on picture after picture. And then it hit me. The track is just… normal roads. Like, the same ones folks use to get milk and bread! Saw images of bikes screaming past people’s houses, hedges, stone walls – no big runoff areas like proper tracks. Couldn’t believe people do 200mph next to someone’s garden fence. Totally nuts!
Needed a break after that. Made another coffee, slower this time. Went back looking for some famous names. Joey Dunlop? That name kept popping up. Kept counting… Twenty-six wins?! Seriously?! Dude absolutely dominated. Felt like finding out about some legendary sports giant you never knew existed. Mind blown.
The Weird Stuff Blew My Mind
Thought I was getting the hang of it. Then… sidecars? Saw videos of guys hanging off the side, knees scraping the tarmac, basically flying. My brain froze. They race with passengers hanging out, basically acting as a human counterweight? Leaning into corners like madmen? Watched clips for like half an hour straight. Total madness. Respect levels shot through the roof.
Stumbled onto discussions about older races. Found some black and white photos. Wait… something was missing. Helmets! Guys used to race in just goggles and leather caps back in the day! Early races had dudes in cloth caps or just goggles. No proper helmets? Honestly felt a shiver thinking about it. Utterly fearless, or maybe just crazy.
Saved the biggest shock for last. Needed concrete facts about the speed. Found old records… and current ones. Bikes doing over 200mph on public roads. Two hundred. Miles per hour. Past stone walls. Houses. Driveways. Let that sink in. Watched a modern on-board camera view. Felt dizzy just watching the screen. The sheer, raw speed is almost impossible to imagine until you see it.
Ended up staying awake way later than planned. Started just for curiosity, ended up with this deep respect for the whole history and the insane courage (or is it madness?) involved. From little leather caps to rockets on wheels, it’s a wild story. Knew I had to write this down for the blog. What a journey this little research turned out to be.
