The Isle of Man Tourists Trophies 2023 

Qualifying Week

June 2023

For those of you who are regular travellers to the annual Isle of Man Tourist Trophy road races you will know there are two distinct parts to the TT, the qualifying week and the race week. In this first report we will look at the qualifying week and give you a few tips on visiting the IoM.

I started with this sentence to set the scene as there are a lot of people out there that know about the TT, have never been, want to go but don’t know the details of the greatest racing spectacle in the world.

Being a long time member of social media platforms that are dedicated to the TT it is quite obvious that there is a wealth of knowledge available online from the veteran TT visitors. Join one, ask some questions, however be prepared for a bit of banter.

One of the questions that keeps popping up occasionally from newcomers is “where can I get a ticket to watch the TT from?” Let’s clear this one up straight away - the TT is a free to watch event as most races and time trials that are held are on public roads.

For some locations you will need to pay. For example, the grandstand opposite the start/finish line in the capital Douglas will cost you between 20-50 IoM pounds depending on the day you pick. Other UK currency is accepted on the island, just don’t try spending IoM pounds on the mainland.

Various churches and other public buildings will place out chairs and benches and charge a small fee, with the money going to the upkeep of the building or to charity, so keep an eye out for them as you are driving round. 

The locals will even open their front gardens, some with scaffolding platforms for a better view. This option is more likely to go to the frequent visitor who has built up friendships over many years. However, these relationships have to start somewhere so chatting to locals in the pub before the start of qualifying can pay dividends.

The pubs will be open before qualifying but will close their doors if they face the track, however the back doors will be open, just make sure you are on the right side of the road if you want to indulge in a beverage or two!

There have been changes to the race programme this year but the qualifying mostly still takes place in the evening. This is to help reduce the effects of closing the roads and the subsequent disruption to the locals who are going about their normal daily business. 

The local radio and online TT websites will let you know exactly when the roads are closed and when they will reopen. Generally the roads close an hour before racing starts and remain closed until an hour after the last bike has passed.

Top tip - don’t be those guys trying to find a viewing spot 5 minutes before the roads close.

I will get to my chosen location early as the best spots are well known and will be occupied by eager fans wanting the best view, or in my case, the best place to take a photograph or two.

Sometimes being early can backfire. There are no guarantees that the qualifying or racing will take place, therefore you could be hanging around for hours. Bring everything you will need to keep you comfortable, and take water and snacks as a minimum.

The reasons for delays are many and varied. The capital Douglas can be bathed in sunshine, but the top of the mountain can be covered in fog, low cloud or rain. Rain on one part of the 37.7 mile track and not on the rest is common.

Also, if the rescue helicopter can’t land due to reduced visibility the race will be delayed or even rescheduled. There are a few days set aside if this happens.

Qualifying week is a great time to scout out new locations and trust me, even if you have been going to the TT for years, there is always a new hedge or wall to check out! There were 10 solo and sidecar races this year each with three to six laps, so when you think about it that’s not many chances to view the racing from different places as once the roads are closed they are closed.

When I say closed, all of the race surface is closed. If you step on to the road once closed you will be arrested, no ifs or buts, and you will receive a hefty fine and the derision of the fans who will not be pleased that you have caused a delay to racing.

Travelling marshals on high powered motorcycles and course cars will appear with no warning to check the track is clear, so don’t do it!

However, get in the right place and you can move between races on foot, or if you have your own transportation, and can get out of the car park/field/lane you have parked in somewhere further afield.

But remember lots of people get to a location early, so moving is a bit of a gamble - great view at your original spot or the back of spectators’ heads at the next!

Probably the easiest place to get to with plenty of room to spectate and facilities with a cafe and toilets, is the Bungalow. No transport no problem, the electric tram which you can catch in Douglas will take you right up to the track.

With a bridge to cross the road you can view from either side and visit Joey Dunlop’s memorial next to the cafe, and there is plenty of free parking for bikes and cars if you want to make your own way there. 

One location I wanted to experience was the straight after the Creg Ny Baa public house. It’s a long straight road when the racers will fly past you on the descent into Douglas, only inches away as you sit on the raised bank.

Not the best place to take a picture but what a location, especially on the last lap with everyone cheering!

I had last been to the Creg to spectate in 2018, specifically three times in 2018. Each time the qualifying and racing was cancelled due to rain, lots of rain.

This year was different, the best weather for a very long time, so I was confident the weather wouldn’t be a factor. However, as I’ve said, the reasons for delays and cancellations are many and varied. 

The Creg is at the end of the mountain section that is one way for all traffic and doesn’t have a speed limit during the two weeks of the TT. Unfortunately a serious incident with a car just before racing was due to start delayed the racing for quite some time. 

I thought “here we go again”, but after quite a delay the distant sound of motorcycle race engines very quickly turned into an ear piercing scream as they blasted past, announcing the start of race week, which is the topic of our second report in this series and will be available on the PistonClick website soon.

Photographic Post Script 

For this event I was taking photographs from the spectator’s view point, whereas my shooting buddy was accredited with an official TT white bib, allowing him access to restricted locations.

Being official media is helpful at the TT, and although a lot of the time it has no massive advantage when taking photos out on the track, it does allow you to turn up just before the start of racing and move around to get the best angles.

There are two types of accredited media at the TT - white bibs and host media which are blue bibs and who were everywhere and in large numbers. At one point there were eight people wearing blue bibs around Peter Hickman on the start line.

All of them with various forms of video recording equipment from an iPhone, to ‘my very first video camera’, to broadcast quality camera. I understand that for the subsequent documentaries and live broadcasts there is a requirement, but do they need so many?

It was a bit rubbish on the start line as the videographers were blocking the view for the fans. However, after the stars had gone down Bray Hill, the blue bibs disappeared. They didn’t seem interested in the riders after number 10. The real fans did, cheering them off, me included.

Photographic equipment used for the TT was selected for its light weight and for shooting in crowded locations. Swinging a large lens around when you are shoulder to shoulder can be difficult.

As were moving locations using small motorcycles (watch out for a report on taking a Grom to the TT), kit that would fit in a small backpacks were the order of the day.

Both of us used the Nikon D500 with latest 70-200mm f2.8 with 1.4 teleconverters. For the paddock the surprisingly sharp Nikon 18-140mm was selected due to its very light weight. For longer range shots RPW Photography used a 300mm f2.8 prime in the accredited areas and I used the 300mm f4 PF in the crowds again both with teleconverters where needed.

As you are quite close to the action and if you pick your location well, you don’t really need the 300mm but they do give you a different narrower view and both lenses produce very nice images.

That concludes our look at the qualifying week. In the next report we will bring you all of the action and exclusive pictures from the race week.