How many deaths have there been at the Isle of Man TT?
THE Isle of Man TT is once again set to take the nation by storm.Motorsport fans converge on the tiny Island between England and Ireland as the world’s most daring road racers gather to take on the “Mountain Course”.The Isle of Man TT has claimed the lives of many racersCredit: PacemakerIt has been run 102 times since the inaugural event in 1907 before moving to the Mountain Course in 1911.However, the 37.73 mile course – carved out of the Island’s public roads – is a cruel and unforgiving mistress. It has claimed the lives of many drivers since the event’s beginnings back in 1907.But who was the first and how many have there been?How many deaths have there been at the Isle of Man TT?In total, there have been 269 rider fatalities across all the events, including the TT’s sister event, the Manx Grand Prix usually held in August.A staggering 156 of these have come during the June TT event.As many as 207 riders and non-racers from the UK have lost their lives at the Isle of Man TT.The first recorded rider ever killed at the event was Englishman Victor Surridge at Glen Helen during practice for the in 1911 race.It was an omen of things to come, as Englishman Frank R Bateman was the first racer killed during the Senior TT event in 1913 at Creg-ny-Baa.Fred Walker at St Ninian’s Crossroads was the first Irish rider to die in the event in 1914.Following the First World War, the race returned with a new name: “Isle of Man Tourist Trophy” and new safety regulations making it compulsory for riders to wear helmets.Ned Brew was the first Isle of Man native to be killed in 1923.In 1939, German national Karl Gall became the first rider outside of the United Kingdom to be killed.The deadliest year for the event came in 2005, when 11 people died.Three drivers and one marshall had been killed during the June race, before six riders and one course bystander died during the Manx Grand Prix in August/September of that year.Even more people have died since 2020, with nine racers losing their lives in the 2022 and 2023 events.In fact, 2023 was the joint-deadliest year for the main event, with six deaths – the highest number since 1970.Riders from as far away as Japan, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi), Australia and New Zealand have been killed.Ian Bainbridge was the most recent driver to be killed at the Isle of Man after crashing into a garden wall at the Manx Grand Prix last August.There have also been another 16 fatalities involving officials and spectators, the most recent of which came in 2007 when two men died after a rider, Marc Ramsbotham, crashed. More
