The Isle of Dead Men

The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing competition held on the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea. It has claimed 280+ souls since 1907, and as early as 2026. The title of this article is misleading because two of the 280+ lives lost are women. The Isle of Man TT is widely regarded as the deadliest race in motor sport. The track itself is 37.72miles(60.718 kilometers), and depending on what motorcycle class you use, you’ll drive between 3-6 laps during the 13 days the event takes place. The first week of racing is dedicated to teams practicing and qualifying with timed trials. The second week is for official races for all motorcycle classes. 

Image Source: Mortons Archive

May 28th, 1907, was the first Isle of Man TT race after several years of holding races on the Isle of Man (1904-1906). The Motor Car Act 1903, which restricted motor vehicles to 20mph, prompted people to hold races on the Isle of Man because racing in the UK had become very difficult. Throughout the early years of the race, changes were made constantly, including boycotts of the island's residents after they protested the race and its safety. The race continued anyway and even became the biggest event in the years that followed. It wasn't just the races that were unsafe; during the practice week, the roads remained open to the public, too. In 1927, a driver by the name Archie Birkin died when avoiding a pedestrian vehicle. He crashed into a wall and later died from his injuries, implementing the new rule of having roads closed to pedestrians and locals during practice week as well. 

Between 1915-1919 for World War I and 1940-1946 for World War II, the race was not held. After both breaks, the race was reintroduced with significant changes, upgrades, better vehicles, and better drivers. Many historic names have come through since then. And there are officially 5 current race classes. Superbike TT, Supersport TT, Superstock TT, Supertwin TT, & Sidecar TT.

Image Source: John Marsh

Jenny Tinmouth holds the world record for the fastest lap by a female TT racer, which she set in her first TT competition(2009). The next year, she broke the record again (averaging 119.9945 MPH) in the Dainese Senior TT Race in just 18:52.42. Even with this empressive stat she never won a trophy during the 2 years she participated in the TT. She was also the first and still the only female competitor in the British Superbike Championship, landing her a 3rd Guinness World Records title. 

The current fastest lap record is held by Peter Hickman, set in 2023, with an average speed of 136.358 MPH in the SuperStock TT Race. He held an average of 133.676 MPH in the fastest SuperStock TT race at 50:48.92. Peter also holds the second fastest race record at 01:08:49.976 in the Superstock TT race in 2018. 

Michael Dunlop participated in his first race in 2007 and is still competing even in this year's race. Michael won his first TT in 2009, and his latest win was this year, 2026. Michael Dunlop holds the record for most TT career wins at 36. In second place with 26 wins is Michael’s uncle, Joey Dunlop, who died in 2000. His last TT win came in 2000; he later died during a race in Estonia. Michael also holds 3 of the top 5 fastest race time records. 

The two female competitors were Swedish Marie Lambert, who died in 1961 as a passenger in a sidecar. Manx Pamela Cannell died in 1997 during practice races. They are the only two women who have passed as competitors. The most recent death occurred less than 2 weeks ago at the moment this article is being posted. English Daniel Ingham tragically passed on May 27th, 2026, during the qualifying stage.

Image Source: The Isle of Man TT

The Isle of Man TT is not for the faint of heart, but it is an amazing race to watch if you ever get the chance. It now takes everyone involved years to prepare for the race. Those who have passed can be found here. Now, not all the numbers and details are up to date, but all their names are; those who have lost their lives. You can go through all of them to see where they were from nationally and learn about the superhumans who have chosen this sport as their livelihood.