Isle of Man Tourist Trophy 2023 .. my first visit to the TT / Island.

[Trooper74]

I'm going for the first week, practice and the first race. Travelling on the VSTROM with my grandson Connor (19 year old Engineer ) on the pillion.

Camping at the rugby club..

 

Where do we spectate from ???

[skyrider]

go on the mountain it's brilliant but pick your days it can be cold and wet , i used to marshal up there

Edited March 21, 2023 by skyrider

[Yorky]

I always enjoyed it from Creg-Ny-Baa, great view and a pub for refreshments.

 

[Old-codger]

Good places to view from is about 200 yards along the Cronk y voddy straight the bikes have reach full chat and you are only feet away also further along as they bank right and dive down the hill. My favorite of all time has to be on the village green in Kirk Michael with the refreshment tent run by the WI. To see and hear a race bike blast through between the houses will live with you forever. Another great viewing point is on a sharp left hander before Laural Bank. The entrance is a farm entrance 100 yards after the bend into a field. You will be there for the duration of the race and a donation to the local charity but you are loking down on the bikes as they come through great sound and sights. There are so many great places to watch from including the mountain, Braddon Bridge, Hillberry, The bungalow so so many you could spend a lifetime and still not get to them all. If you want to move about turn right at the pub and the start of the sulby straight and you can get to the bungalow via back lanes and a few other viewing places. You will love these roads on your V strom. Good luck you will have a great time.

[manxie49]

The Mountain is brilliant, but remember, once up there you aint getting off it till the roads open, unless you find a spot on the outside of the course.  It can be a bit of a ball ache, especially when there's one delay after another.  I did marshalling up there once on a day like that, by the end of the day I'd lost the will to live.  However, if the mountain is your thing then head to the bungalow, loads of parking and you have the Victory cafe there which is 1st rate.  As Yorky said, Creg-Ny-Baa is a 1st rate spot to spectate from.  You can spectate from the pub, there's also a grandstand there, or you can walk into one of the nearby fields.  Refreshments from the pub, and if you want to move on somewhere else you can go down the Creg Back Road towards Lonan and Laxey, "just be careful on that road though, it's renowned for accidents, you get some real nobs down there who forget it's two way traffic".  Too many good places to list, but if you know what area you're looking at wanting to spectate from give me a shout and I'll try and point you in the right direction.  Old-Codger has come up with a few good suggestions as well, Cronk-Y-Voddy and Sulby straight, they're hitting 200mph along there! 

[Old-codger]

Also on the outside hedgerow as the bikes approach Ballacraine its very heavy braking and banking left and usually where bikes starting breaking down so they pull off here. If you park on the back road you are on the outside of the coarse so you can get to St Johns and then over to peel and on towards Kirk Michael where you can watch as the bikes go around school bend into the village or go into Glen willen campsite and follow the footpath along to get to a few more viewing points. As others have said mountain is good as long as its decent weather if its not go into Ramsey and watch in the town. The gooseneck is a good point to as they start to haul up the mountain, Windy corner is another great spot but as the name suggests a bit exposed. Rhencullen just outside Kirk Michael is another great spot on the bank as they scream out of the village.

[RAYK47]

i am also going for the first time this year but left it very late.  Only able to get to the first few days practice due to family commitments but this is my taster session ready for next year or 2025.  

 

Enjoy

 

Going on my Street Triple and staying in a B&B (includes a full breakfast)

Edited March 22, 2023 by RAYK47

[bonio]

Dang it. I've never been interested in going. But now I've read this and that all changed in a nanosecond. Sounds awesome.

[skyrider]

it certainly is 

[manxie49]

12 hours ago, bonio said:

Dang it. I've never been interested in going. But now I've read this and that all changed in a nanosecond. Sounds awesome.

It really is a brilliant event if you enjoy road racing.  Really good atmosphere as well.  Sadly, it's slowly being ruined by green politicians in their delusional rush to net zero, nanny state policing and H&S gone mad.  I still love that time of year though, but if I were you, I'd get it done before it's consigned to the history books.

[RAYK47]

54 minutes ago, manxie49 said:

It really is a brilliant event if you enjoy road racing.  Really good atmosphere as well.  Sadly, it's slowly being ruined by green politicians in their delusional rush to net zero, nanny state policing and H&S gone mad.  I still love that time of year though, but if I were you, I'd get it done before it's consigned to the history books.

 

 

Sadly i fear you are correct and that it will either be scrapped or dumbed down so much that the interest is lost.  We will be sitting down with our grand children reminiscing about the "greatest road race in the world", then getting on our electric bike and commuting on the 20Mph roads to work.   

[Old-codger]

It was and is the greatest track in the world but I fear like others that it will be consigned to the history books soon. I have been many times since the early eighties and its like no other races. You are so close to the action you get the turbulant air go over you as the bikes race by ( 6 feet away on the Cronk y voddy straight). You can see and hear the torture the tyres as they fight for traction you can see the riders eyes as they concentrate so hard. It has changed over the years it has had to due to deaths and accidents which was inevitable. Before covid I had started going to the Classic TT in August as it was just as good racing but there was a lot more variety of bikes being ridden by visitors more like back in the eighties now everyone is on sports bikes. Sadly the Jurby show has now gone and the classic TT has been shortened so no sure what the future will be for that. But If you get the chance get to either before you die it is like no other race/place on earth.