#AndrewCapone

Was it a simulation?  The brilliant sunshine, cloudless skies, zero precipitation, and 70-degree daily temperatures for the entire fortnight of 2023 Isle of Man TT was the best weather I’ve ever experienced in 14 trips here. Hell, it was the best stretch of weather I’ve ever experienced on a vacation, anywhere. And it made for a memorable TT for the tens of thousands of enthusiasts on the annual hejira to this unequalled motorbike racing festival.

Michael Dunlop, Peter Hickman, Dean Harrison. These three riders have been dominating the podium at the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races, pushing each other relentlessly for up to 226 miles per race around the most punishing course in all of motorsports, thrilling the fans that line the roads on hedges, grandstands and pubs.

Greetings from the Isle of Man, where I am bathing in unprecedented warmth and sunshine for the 2023 TT races, my 14th trip to this remarkable event. Qualifying week has seen immaculate conditions. Michael Dunlop, Dean Harrison and Peter Hickman are all turning 134 mph laps (UPDATE: Dunlop has now set an unofficial lap record of 135.531 mph during the last day of Superbike qualifying! -Ed.). Hickman hit an unprecedented 202.3 mph at the Sulby speed trap. Dunlop has unofficially smashed his own SuperTwin lap record by five seconds, and the sidecars are hitting nearly 120 mph per lap. In practice sessions! It is going to be a mega- TT, and you should subscribe to TT+ streaming.

With two years of racing canceled due to COVID, the lead up to the 2022 Isle of Man TT was fraught with concern over… well, everything. The Isle of Man is a speck of a country in the middle of the Irish Sea, with only 88,000 residents, that somehow girds up and welcomes 40,000 visitors, 13,000 bikes and an army of riders, teams, volunteer Marshals and support personnel for a two-week festival around the incredible Mountain Course.

You see, here’s the thing about the Isle of Man TT. It shouldn’t be thought of as a “bucket list” event. The TT is The Bucket. The 115 year old vessel which holds the best of motorcycle racing history, technology, competition, camaraderie, and culture. It is surrounded by the places and the people and the spirits that form a shared experience unrivaled in motorsports. And once you indulge, you will know that once is not enough. This is trip number thirteen for me. And as in years past, rather than just report on the results of the TT Races, I’ll give Motorcycle.com readers a sense of what goes on throughout the fortnight, out and about on The Isle of Man.

Yes, it rained for the better part of two weeks. Until it didn’t. And then all hell broke loose on the Mountain Course. The pubs, hotels, and campsites emptied, the Parc Fermé lit up, and qualifying and racing got underway as an unusual and stirring race fortnight on the Isle of Man drew to a fitting climax.

As Sunday unfolded, an unfamiliar yellow orb rose in the sky over the Isle of Man, and a stiff wind blew the eerie mist known as The Cloak of Mannanan out to the Irish Sea. Weary sojourners emerged from crowded pubs and soggy tents. The TT Paddock buzzed with energy. After five consecutive days of qualifying canceled and racing delayed, motorbikes and sidecar outfits took to the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in anger. The 2019 TT was finally on.

The 100th meeting of the Isle of Man TT is nearly upon us, with competitors getting ready to tackle the 37.73-mile Snaefell Mountain Course.

The 2018 Isle of Man TT turned out to be one of the most spectacular fortnights in the storied history of the meeting. Virtually every race saw new lap records set, at speeds that were unthinkable a decade ago. The weather was glorious, and a host of new dining and imbibing options have proliferated. There were some tragic losses to go with the glory, but that is part of the unparalleled history, character, and danger of this extraordinary contest.

As the 2018 Isle of Man TT wound down, the pace of activity sped up. The races, the touring, the search for the perfect cake, the pubs… more speed, Vicar! ‘You better get the final column written, buddy’ whispered the Manx fairy on my left shoulder, while the more persuasive one on the right urged me on to another romp around the island on my rented Suzuki V-Strom 650XT, and to enjoy just-one-more Shuttleworth Snap IPA at the Bushy’s Beer TT Village. You can guess which one I flicked off.

Deep into my annual hejira to the Isle of Man for the TT, my mates and I are getting out and about on motorbike, foot and the occasional electric tram, mingling with the 40,000 visitors, 14,000 additional motorcycles, 88,000 inhabitants and 2.3 million sheep on this lovely island.

The 2017 Isle of Man TT did not disappoint the legion of fans who trek across the Irish Sea to witness the world’s greatest motorcycle races, or the millions who watch on worldwide TV. While the weather didn’t always cooperate, the fortnight brought intense racing, and the emergence of a new generation of brave men who will embrace the challenge of the iconic 37.75-mile Mountain Course for years to come. New legends will follow Hailwood, Agostini, Dunlop, McGuinness and the other greats into the history books.

Okay, a handful of MO readers and Kevin Duke have wondered aloud when my next report from the 2017 Isle of Man TT would arrive. Did a tailless Manx cat eat my homework? No. What went down was seasonal-affective disorder – triggering weather, a mangled race schedule, and a surfeit of reasons to not submit columns about the pubs I was spending an inordinate amount of time in. The knock along effects of the wet, cold low-pressure bubble that enveloped the IoM turned the TT into a logistical challenge of epic proportions for race organizers, riders, and barkeeps. And forced visiting race fans and part-time pseudo journalists (I count myself in both categories) deep into the pubs, where the cask ale was fine but the stories unprintable. So, now safely back in hot, dry New Jersey, I’ll do my best to capture the TT scene belatedly.

In 2008, as I flew back from my ‘bucket list’ trip to the Isle of Man, it dawned that I would not be able to resist the ne plus ultra road races and atmosphere of the Isle of Man TT. So I furiously crafted the mental PowerPoint presentation for my wife, kids and boss on why I’d need two weeks off every June for the next 25 years or so.

Despite a rainy, chilly practice week, where, as of this writing, there has been no practice but copious ale consumption, the Isle of Man is starting to fill up with thousands of visitors and motorcycles here for the 110th annual TT races.