The Isle of Man TT is 'sport distilled to its purest form' - The Times
The Isle of Man TT has been described as ‘sport distilled to its purest form’ by The Times newspaper.
In an honest, but praise-filled two-page assessment of the TT respected motorcycle journalist Rick Broadbent – one of the longest serving MotoGP correspondents and author of Ring of Fire – examines what attracts racers back to the event.
The article comes ahead of next month’s UK-wide cinema release of TT3D: Closer to the Edge. The documentary film, shot during last year’s TT on over the subsequent months, will be released on April 22.
The hotly-anticipated film attempts to capture the essence of the historic TT, the draw felt by riders, teams and fans, as well as the unique fast and furious race action. Early reviews have been glowing.
In his article, published on Monday, Broadbent meets two of the TT stars who feature heavily in TT3D: Closer to the Edge – Guy Martin and Conor Cummins.
Both enjoyed strong runs during the 2010 TT, but both suffered extensive injuries during separate crashes in the festival-closing Senior TT.
Despite a punctured lung and fractures to his back and ribs in his 170mph crash at Ballacarey, Martin was racing again by last year’s Ulster Grand Prix and will line up for new team Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing at this year’s TT.
Manxman Cummins suffered broken vertebrae, fractures to his pelvis arm and scapula, torn knee tendons and nerve damage to his hand in his crash at the Verandah. It has taken him longer to return to riding, but he enjoyed a positive first outing earlier this month during a test session in Spain.
He is determined to be challenging for victory when the 2011 TT gets under way.
Broadbent chats to both to discover what impact – physically and mentally – the crashes had and why they have decided to return to the TT.
He notes that TT3D: Closer to the Edge, which he describes as a ‘landmark’ study, provides this fascinating insight into the mentality of racers who take on the ultimate challenge.
He writes:
“Now the last great race is celebrated in a documentary that brilliantly realises the attraction.”
“TT3D: closer to the Edge will be released nationwide next month and, far from being a run-of-the-mill history, it is an astute study of sporting motivation.”
Broadbent reports the decision to fully explore the TT inevitably meant not ‘shirking away from the dark side’, which is why the loss of popular TT star Paul Dobbs is included.
The double page spread includes an interview with the film’s executive producer Steve Christian.
He summarises the film by saying:
“It’s about guys who just want to reach out a little bit more than us, guys who have the balls to go out and do something they really want.”
“And there’s that mythical aura – the Isle of Man has been here for centuries and for two weeks these guys visit to tame the beast, but the Island flicks them away.”
“It’s the same 37 miles. The same roads. Whether you’re Guy Martin, Mike Hailwood or Joey Dunlop, you’re gone in the blink of an eye, but the TT endures.
Download The Times article in PDF format below
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