Tragedy on the Isle of Man
The accident occurred on Nina's first lap of the session. First, the judges received a signal about a tree fire near the highway in the Churchtown area - the fire brigade immediately went there. But soon a clarification was received - the fire occurred due to an incident involving a racer, and doctors went in pursuit of the firefighters. Unfortunately, there was no one to save - Ning died on the spot. At the same time, another disaster almost occurred on the track: on the way to the scene of the accident, the judge's car collided with another racer - the pilot was hospitalized, his life was not in danger.
“ACU Events Ltd regrets to announce that Deng Ning died this evening due to injuries sustained during the Isle of Man Superbike qualifiers,” organizers released a statement on Wednesday. “We extend our deepest sympathies to Dan’s family and loved ones, as well as his many friends in the racing community and beyond.”
“To be honest, at that moment we were all just speechless. "Dan had done a great job with the bike before, and yesterday he set his new track record," said a shocked Philip Neal, manager of Ning's Tyco BMW team. “All our thoughts are not about racing, they are with Dan’s friends and family.” He was a popular, hard-working guy who loved racing. He will be missed by all who knew him.”
There is no video footage of the accident, so what exactly happened there is unclear. What is known is that the motorcycle flew off the road and apparently crashed into a tree. Why this happened - pilot error, motorcycle breakdown or an incident from which it was necessary to dodge - is unknown.
Death on takeoff: Jules Bianchi died
Hero of the Isle of Man
This year, Deng Ning was one of the contenders for victory. Last year he scored his first podium at the Isle of Man TT, setting a lap record, and set a new one in preparation for this year's race. Nin loved the race - he was born on the Isle of Man and the Isle of Man TT is the most famous sporting event held here. A 60-kilometer track laid on public roads, the maximum speed is over 330 km/h, the average speed is over 220. This track is considered the most dangerous in the world of motorcycle racing, and the Isle of Man TT is the most prestigious.
Ning began his career in 2008, immediately attracting attention - he became the first person to win the Manx Grand Prix races in three different classes. This is a race on the same Isle of Man, but it involves amateurs who only dream of making it to the start of the Isle of Man. And the very next year he made his way there and since then has performed almost every year, performing in several classes at once. In total, Nin has made 39 starts across the various Isle of Man TT categories and achieved third place in the Superstock TT category last year.
This time the team expected to be on the podium again. “We watched his qualification the day before and thought: with this time, he will definitely be in the top three,” said one of the team members. Tyco BMW expects to continue competing at the Isle of Man TT. “We have decided to continue performing in this race as a tribute to Dan,” the team’s website says. “Being a proud Manx man, Dan loved nothing more than a competitive race. And we will continue, as he said, to “tear” during the remaining races so that he can be proud of us.”
How much does it cost to go and perform at the Isle of Man TT?
Mike Brownie has been around motorcycles all his life. A lad from East Cork, Ireland had dreamed of competing in the Isle of Man TT and this year his dream came true. How much did it cost for a pilot who grew up just outside the UK to participate? And how much would participation cost, for example, for a Russian?
MOTOGONKI.RU, June 5, 2022 — This is not Brownie’s first visit to the Isle of Man as a racer. In August 2022, he took part in the Isle of Man Grand Prix (ManX GP) in the rookie class and showed a good result, which confirmed his chances of achieving results in IOMTT 2019.
To go to the race, Brownie roped in everyone he knew. Kennedy's bar in Kille, a small Irish village in County Cork, set up a fundraising headquarters for their hero. We need a lot of money!
Regular British Superbike teams, including factory teams, spend between £210,000 and £250,000 each year to compete in the Isle of Man TT. Private teams serving one or two pilots have a budget of about €75,000, and often offer equipment for rent to clients. The cost of a superbike prepared for a race by a professional team can reach £70,000. For comparison, the cost of a private pilot's bike is £15,000-17,000.
For a solo pilot, the expenditure portion of the budget is at least €5,000, not counting the motorcycle. This includes transportation of equipment to the Island, accommodation for two weeks and other expenses, including insurance, fuel for training and qualifications, entry fees, etc.
Mike Brownie, debuting star at ManX GP 2018
The 2019 IOMTT trip cost around £20,000 for Brownie and his mechanic Hayden Walsh. Mike owns a 2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R which he has raced in several road races including the Tandragee where he finished 5th in the Supersport class and last year's Senior Manx Grand Prix where he finished 4th. But IOMTT 2019 is much more difficult than Manx GP. So, to compete in the Supersport or Senior TT classes, more powerful and well-prepared equipment is required. More than £5,000 was spent preparing the ZX-6R for IOMTT 2019.
In the shortened two-lap Race 1, Supersport climbed to 20th position among 66 starters on June 3. 18 pilots did not finish the race, leaving the race even before the red flags waved over the track. Seven were eliminated from the first round. Brownie will return to the start line on the morning of Wednesday, June 5th for the second running of the Monster Energy Supersport TT.
In order for a foreigner to start the Isle of Man TT, he must not only ensure the delivery of equipment to the island, but also guarantee himself a garage and accommodation, as well as the package of documents and insurance required for the application, and in advance, before the trip.
To travel to the Isle of Man, which is neither part of the European Union nor part of the UK, you require either a valid UK visa or a visa issued directly by the Isle (takes 2-3 months). But if you are traveling by car (bus), in any case you will have to apply for a British visa (3-4 months) - after all, you need to cross the whole of England to get to the port of Liverpool or Heysham! To apply for a UK visa, you must also have financial support (card account statement) in the amount of at least £1,500 for 14 days of stay, and the longer the visa application, the more significant the confirmation must be.
The journey from Moscow to the port of Heysham by bus with a motorcycle inside and two drivers will take 48 hours, taking into account two borders and complicated controls at the English Channel crossing. If you don't stay overnight at a hotel, net round-trip travel costs will be €900-950 (£850).
The ferry from Heysham runs to Douglas 2-3 times a day (travel time 3 hours 30 minutes). A bus ticket for two passengers costs approximately £320 return.
Hotels on the Island are booked from September to November, and December is already full. The cost of a room in a guest house is from £45 per day per person, hotel rooms from £60 per day, the cost of renting a house for 10 days as part of the Isle of Man TT is £1000-1200. Apartment rental - from £700 for the same period. In the case of renting an apartment or house, an advance payment of at least £200 is required, without which the booking will not be accepted.
A liter of petrol on the Island costs £1.30; you are not allowed to take fuel across the border. One 18L tank is guaranteed to only last 2 laps of the Mountain Course (~130km) at race pace - £24/fill up. You need 2 full tanks for practice, 3 practices per training week - total: £144 for petrol for practice and qualifying. The race run is another 4-6 laps. Need to cook £220-250.
Meals: bottle of water (1.5l) - £0.65, combo at McDonald's - £6.15, dinner in a cafe - from £17 per person, in a restaurant - £22-25 per person. A can of beer in a shop or a pint of local in a bar is £3.00.
An ACU License to enter the race costs £25. But to get it, you must first take part in six training Road Race Days on the Island or at one of the accredited track days in order to receive confirmed Newcomer status. You can get this status at another event, the Manx Grand Prix. Verified status is valid for a year after Manx and gives you the opportunity to apply for the next IOMTT.
Those without a UK ACU license can obtain an FIM International Racing License for Road Racing (similar to IRRC licences). It differs from standard international licenses for participation in closed track racing (for WorldSBK, for example). In principle, such a license can be issued by any national federation affiliated to FIM/FIM Europe, including the FIM. Russian participants in IRRC races, for example in Imatra (Finland), already have such a license in hand. If it is valid at the time of application to the IOMTT, it should be accepted.
Mandatory health insurance for an IOMTT participant, given the high level of danger, must be issued in an amount of at least €185,000 for citizens of the EU and other countries. Not all insurance companies in Russia take out such insurance and its cost will be about 20,000 rubles or €270.
It's easy to calculate that the cost of traveling to the Isle of Man TT alone as a participant will be around £3,000 (for two people). Obtaining Newcomer status and trying the Mountain Course at open Road Race Days - additionally, at least £1000 each (including renting a motorcycle on the Island or from the track day organizer). Motorcycle maintenance and rental of a technical box in a closed park are additional costs. In case of problems with equipment or a fall, the amount of expenses is automatically doubled.
TT will continue
The Isle of Man TT has been taking place since 1907 - during which time 256 riders have died here, including Neen. Last year, three people crashed at motorcycle racing, the year before - four... In 2005, the Isle of Man TT competition cost the lives of eleven people - nine riders, a marshal and a spectator standing near the track. This is perhaps the most dangerous race in the world - hardly any other track has killed so many people. For example, on the Nordschleife, known as the Green Hell, three times fewer pilots died.
But Isle of Man TT is already a kind of cult. These are gigantic speeds and a unique challenge that no motorcycle racer will find anywhere else. This is a competition between the bravest and most desperate pilots on the planet. Neither the speed of Indianapolis nor the dizzying turns of Formula 1 can be compared with this race. And on the Isle of Man they are proud of this - everyone who grew up here knows what they are getting into when they go to the start line. And Deng Ning knew this too.
“Dan lived for racing, wild horses wouldn’t take him out of that,” his father, Richard Nin, said of his son’s death. “Dan would like us to be strong, for the team to “break” - and I fully support them in this. Let's remember the happy days with Dan and smile when thinking about him. I want to wish all participants the very best, TT will continue. Rest in peace, son."
The Isle of Man flag features three running legs radiating from a single point, a symbol that signifies balance. “Whether you throw it, it will stand” is the Isle of Man motto used since the 14th century. This means that Nin’s death was not the last for Isle of Man TT.
In pursuit of immortality: 10 dead pilots
Tourist Trophy
Many people read or see these races, but do not understand their essence.
In this article I will introduce you to this amazing fight and to the great island of men itself (Isle of Man TT). What is TT? TT is an acronym that stands for Tourist Trophy
(Tourist Trophy).
Even in ancient times, motorcycle racing was extremely popular and successful in European countries, particularly in England.
The local government was so negative towards this sport that it banned racing thoroughly, since the races took place on ordinary streets of England and posed a danger to surrounding traffic participants (something like car street racing in the city). There were guys who invested a certain amount of money into this business and began to carry out this whole business on an island called “Isle of Man”. The island is very beautiful, with fresh air and incredibly amazing nature. By the way, on this island there are races not only on sport bikes but also on Afigen sports cars!
TT class racing is considered the most dangerous and exciting. Even the MotoGP royal class simply takes a shine to these races, because... in MotoGP there is a track and gravel with bump stops, and in TT there is a narrow asphalt road, streets, houses, a winding road both horizontally and vertically, in short - a real street! These races are 102 years old and 225 motorcyclists have died on their roads, you must agree that the figure is simply shocking!
Nowadays, according to tradition, these races are held every year in the last week of May and the first of June. The popularity of TT surpasses any world show, so ferry tickets and trump seats need to be planned in advance. During the racing season, tens of thousands of motorcyclists from all over the world and, of course, crowds of campers arrive on the island :).
On May 28, 1907, the first TT class race took place, in which 25 pilots took part. Rem Feuer was the first to reach the finish line. His average speed on the track was almost 53 km/h. Have you noticed the year? :). Nowadays, racers on these tracks turn their speedometers over 200 km/h!
For example, in the photo, Stanley Woods takes part in a race on a Moto Guzzi in 1935:
Now we remember a video where a pilot with long legs flew off a motorcycle and dashingly jumped on it (often played on TV) or how one pilot caught a motorcycle in a turn at high speed and flew into a wall. Yes yes yes – this is TT racing!
Photo set:
Video Ilse of Man (Tourist Trophy):
and here is another video “Slow Motion”
