Editing Isle of Man TT (section)

==Overview==
The Isle of Man TT is run in a [[Time trial|time-trial]] format on public roads closed to the public by an [[Act of Tynwald|Act of]] [[Tynwald]]. The event consists of one week of practice and qualifying sessions followed by one week of racing. It was a tradition, perhaps started by racing competitors in the early 1920s, for spectators to tour the [[Isle of Man TT Mountain Course|Snaefell Mountain Course]] on motorcycles during the Isle of Man TT on 'Mad Sunday',<ref>''Isle of Man Examiner'' page 2 12 November 1921</ref> an informal and unofficial event held on the Sunday between Practice Week and Race Week.<ref>''Here Is the News: A Chronicle of the 20th Century, Volume 1'' page 78 Gordon N.Kniverton & Terry Cringle Manx Heritage Foundation (1999) The Manx Experience {{ISBN|9781873120460}}</ref> In 2022, race organizers announced that beginning in 2023, racing would take place on Sunday after practices to allow visitors to see more events, marking the end of Mad Sunday.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-06 |title=The last Mad Sunday: major changes due for 2023 TT |url=https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/the-last-mad-sunday-major-changes-due-for-2023-tt-549852 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Isle of Man}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=TT schedule and road closures |url=https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/significant-changes-for-this-years-tt-when-races-are-scheduled-to-take-place-617099 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Isle of Man}}</ref>[[File:2013 Isle of Man TT 10.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Dunlop]] in front of [[Bruce Anstey]] during the 2013 Supersport TT]]
The first Isle of Man TT race was held on Tuesday 28 May 1907 and was named the International [[Auto-Cycle Union|Auto-Cycle]] Tourist Trophy.<ref>Official Programme – International Auto-Cycle Tourist Trophy 28 May 1907 pages 1–3 The Auto-Cycle Club (1907). Reproduction (2007) Isle of Man Post Office</ref> The event was organised by the Auto-Cycle Club over 10 laps of the Isle of Man [[St John's Short Course]] of {{convert|15|mi|km}} {{convert|1470|yd|m}} for road-legal 'touring' motorcycles with exhaust silencers, saddles, pedals and mudguards.

From 1911, the Isle of Man TT transferred to the much longer [[Snaefell Mountain Course]] of {{Convert|37.40|mi|km|abbr=out}} (current length {{Convert|37.73|mi|km|abbr=out}}). Its elevation goes from near sea-level to {{Convert|400|m|ft|abbr=out|order=flip}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rideapart.com/articles/245901/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-isle-of-man-tt/|title=Everything You Need To Know About: The Isle of Man TT|first=Tim|last=Huber|website=RideApart.com}}</ref> The race programme developed from a single race with two classes for the 1907 Isle of Man TT, expanding in 1911 to two individual races for the 350cc [[Junior TT]] motor-cycles and the [[Blue Riband]] event the 500cc [[Senior TT]] race. The race did not take place from 1915 to 1919 due to the First World War. It resumed in 1920. A 250cc [[Lightweight TT]] race was added to the Isle of Man TT programme in 1922, followed by a [[Sidecar TT]] race in 1923.

There was no racing on the Isle of Man between 1940 and 1945 due to the [[Second World War]]. It recommenced with the [[Manx Grand Prix]] in 1946 and the Isle of Man TT in 1947, with a greatly expanded format that included the new Clubman's TT races. The Isle of Man TT became part of the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]] [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing|Motor-cycle Grand Prix World Championship]] (now [[MotoGP]]) as the British round of the World Motor-Cycling Championship during the period [[1949 Isle of Man TT|1949]]–[[1976 Isle of Man TT|1976]]. Following safety concerns with the [[Snaefell]] Mountain Course and problems over inadequate "start-money" for competitors, there was a boycott of the Isle of Man TT races from the early 1970s by many of the leading competitors, motorcycle manufacturers and national motorcycle sporting federations.<ref>''Motor-Cycle'' pages 1 & 6 14 June 1972</ref>

[[Beryl Swain]] became the first woman to compete in a TT race for solo motorcycles when she competed in the Isle of Man TT in 1962.<ref name="Beryl:0">[https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/italy/beryl-swain-m0jp9wpvdwq Beryl Swain The first woman solo motorcyclist to finish in a TT race] ''www.thetimes.co.uk'', Retrieved 2021-03-10</ref> There was subsequently a ban on women in the race from 1962 until [[Hilary Musson]] competed in 1978.<ref>"Will Beryl race on the Island again?" ''[[Motorcycle News]]'', 27 Feb 1963, p.9. Accessed 13 April 2024.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/content/articles/2008/01/17/swain_feature.shtml ''Goddess of the Gas Pedals''] BBC Isle of Man, 13 November 2014 Retrieved 2015-01-18</ref><ref>[http://www.ttwebsite.com/ladies/profiles/hmusson/index.htm Female Rider Profiles on the Isle of Man TT Website – Hilary Musson<!-- Bot generated title -->] ''www.ttwebsite.com'', Retrieved 2021-03-10</ref><ref>"First Lady. Hilary Musson and Yamaha". ''Motorcycle Sport'', August 1978, p.302, p.310. Accessed 16 September 2022</ref>

The race is regarded as the most dangerous motorsport event in the world; ''[[The New York Times]]'' said in 2017 that the number of deaths had risen "to 146 since it was first run in 1907; if one includes fatal accidents occurring during the Manx Grand Prix ... the figure rises above 250".<ref name=times>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/07/sports/Isle-of-man-TT-motorcycle-race.html|last=KEH |first=ANDREW  |title=Take a Lap in the World's Most Dangerous Race| newspaper=[[New York Times]]|access-date=26 October 2017|date=7 June 2017 }}</ref><ref name="tragedy">{{cite web |url=http://www.motorsport.com/all/article/?id=743709|last=DeGroot |first=Nick |title=Two fatalities in a single day rock the 2016 Isle of Man TT| publisher=Motorsport.com|access-date=7 February 2017|date=5 June 2016 }} {{dead link|date=May 2023}}</ref> An account of the 2003 race by ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' writer [[Franz Lidz]] called the TT "a test of nerves and speed that may be sports' most dangerous event."<ref name="autogenerated65">{{Cite magazine |title=38 Miles of Terror - Every year riders roar around the Isle of Man in the Tourist Trophy, a test of nerves and speed that may be sports' most dangerous event |last=Lidz |first=Franz |magazine=Sports Illustrated - Vault |date=8 September 2003 |url= https://vault.si.com/vault/2003/09/08/38-miles-of-terror-every-year-riders-roar-around-the-isle-of-man-in-the-tourist-trophy-a-test-of-nerves-and-speed-that-may-be-sports-most-dangerous-event }}</ref>

In 1976, the Isle of Man TT lost its world championship status; this was transferred to the United Kingdom by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]] and run as the [[British motorcycle Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] for the [[1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season|1977 season]]. The Isle of Man TT Races then became an integral part of the new style [[Formula TT|TT Formula 1]], Formula 2 and Formula 3 World Championships between 1977 and 1990 to develop and maintain the international racing status of the Isle of Man TT races.<ref>''Isle of Man's Big 3 Race Events : The Spectator Guide. TT (Tourist Trophy), Festival of Motorcycling (incorporating Manx Grand Prix), Southern 100'' page 43 Trevor Barret (2014) Lily Publication {{ISBN|1907945237}}</ref>

The event was redeveloped by the Isle of Man Department of Tourism as the ''Isle of Man TT Festival'' from 1989 onwards. This included new racing events for the new Isle of Man TT Festival programme, including the Pre-TT Classic Races in 1989 followed by the Post-TT Races from 1991, both held on the [[Billown Circuit]]. In 2013, the Isle of Man ''Classic TT'' was developed by the Isle of Man Department of Economic Development and the Auto-Cycle Union for historic racing motorcycles, and along with the [[Manx Grand Prix]], it formed part of the 'Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling' held in late August of each year. The Classic TT brand ceased operation prior to the 2022 event, with classes for historic racing motorcycles integrated into the Manx Grand Prix. The TT is now promoted by the Isle of Man Government Department for Enterprise.

There has been criticism of the event. In 2007, an incident during the Senior Race resulted in the deaths of a rider and two spectators.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2017/06/07/2017-isle-man-tt-three-riders-die-tt-crashes-lambert-hoek-bonner/|title=3 Dead After 2017 Isle of Man TT Crashes: Lambert, Hoek, Bonner|date=7 June 2017|website=Ultimate Motorcycling}}</ref> The resultant inquest made several recommendations and included several comments, such as: 'Senior Marshals may well have been elevated beyond the sphere of their competence'.<ref>{{Cite web |website=Isle of Man Judgments Online|title=RAMSBOTHAM and JACOB and KENZIG, part 2 |publisher=Isle of Man Courts|author=CORONER OF INQUESTS|date=20 March 2008 |url= https://www.judgments.im/content/J590.htm}}</ref>  The coroner also noted that "I am more than aware of the fact that the witnesses from the Manx Motor Cycle Club and the marshals are all volunteers. They give their time freely and without paid reward. Having said that however, if it were suggested because they were volunteers there should be some allowance in the standards expected of them, then I regret I cannot agree."<ref>{{Cite web |website=Isle of Man Judgments Online|title=RAMSBOTHAM and JACOB and KENZIG, part 1 |publisher=Isle of Man Courts|author=CORONER OF INQUESTS |date=20 March 2008 |url= https://www.judgments.im/content/J583.htm}}</ref>

The 2020 and 2021 TT races were cancelled because of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-51918501|title=Coronavirus: Isle of Man cancels TT races amid virus outbreak|work=BBC News|date=16 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2021 TT Festival: Covid-19 fears force Manx government to cancel event |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-55130836 |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=20 January 2021 |date=30 November 2020}}</ref>