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, 2021 — This is not Brownie’s first visit to the Isle of Man as a racer. In August 2021, 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
Trips
June 3 is an extremely busy day.
According to the plan - supersport, then superstock, more electric trains, plus sidecar practice, and in the end McGuinness promised to ride the circle on the old motorcycle of the late Joey Dunlop. So already at 8 am we were briskly stomping towards the nearest city. But I must say that we live in a real wilderness, there are no buses here, the wait for a taxi is long. The roads will be closed in an hour, and the grand stand is 30 kilometers away... but a block later we saw an old man tinkering with his car. In the peremptory manner characteristic of the locals, he told us that at this pace we would only arrive at the beginning of the 2014 race, and therefore he would now take us to the city, and there would already be options. In the city, as soon as you raised your hand, a small Peugeot stopped, driven by one of the race photographers, he was also in a hurry to Douglas. It was a great success: we were actually driving almost last, the road was closed behind us. Well, our driver managed to tell us a lot about where it is best to rent a TT. I was driving and thought that this was the first time I had come across a place where people were SO concerned about each other and how they could help... In general, if you come here, remember this, such places should be protected :)
The same characters ride in both supersport and superstock: Dunlop, McGuinness, Martin, Cummins and others. The motorcycles are different, maybe six hundred: the speed is lower, but it’s more interesting. There are no such big gaps between the participants, and the top five walked together all the way, periodically changing places. Interesting to shoot:)
So, a little paddock. Martin's motorcycle is brought out.
Mechanics stomp:
The top twenty is being built:
And then we took our feet in our hands and ran to the neighboring spots. The distances between them are quite large, the race lasts only 4 laps, and we ran a lot that day. But we got some cool shots:)
Martin is attacked from behind:)
McGuinness:
Right there, next to the highway, small schoolchildren with teachers are sitting in the grass and discussing something. Wow lesson :)
From time to time on the highway you can meet guys like this with signs. It is the teams of pilots who tell their team what is happening around them. There is no connection, your physical position may have nothing to do with timing, and the pit stop may not be soon.
I also wander around the bushes in search of a more interesting place. In general, I must say, there are points where you can lie on such a grassy side, and the pilots will fly past you half a meter away!
Spectators lie in the bushes from the very morning, with food, booze and a transistor, and this is how the day passes :)
On the Governor's bridge, the pilot again left the track in front of us: nothing serious, he rolled in the wrong direction - this is normal for this turn.
In short, Dunlop came first again, Martin sixth. And in the superbike - Dunlop also won! Martin was doing very well, second or third, but on the third lap they imposed a 30-second penalty - so he didn’t even go any further. I just stopped at some spot and got off. Well, I understand him.
Dunlop is something incomprehensible to me. Unlike the other pilots, he looks like a sad hulk. Both at the press conference and at the awards ceremony, something sad is mooed... but how can you go like that? He's a robot, or what?! No emotions at all! - and not in a good way. In general, in my spare time I’ll study the history of the TT winners over the past five years: and this time the Honda team took almost all the prizes.
Well, that’s all, we’re leaving tomorrow, so for the evening there’s a cultural program, we’ll go see the 11th century castle in Peel, it’s very beautiful there.
— And now, as promised, I’ll give answers to the most popular questions: When to go? TT takes place in several stages. In May - the first, in August - the last, both of them are accompanied by a huge number of related events. Honestly, I don’t recommend going on your own in May - you’ll die. +10 and rain - this is normal weather for these places! I personally will go next time in August - although not this year.
How to buy tickets? No tickets are needed to watch the race. Moreover, you don’t have to buy them in advance. If you want a grandstand, paddock and startline, you need VIP Hospitality access, it costs about £250 per day per person, and this is something you should think about in advance - places fill up quickly. Tickets for any fanzone are always sold during the festival and cost 5 pounds. Using them you can climb onto any official podium. In addition to them, there are a lot of wonderful free spots organized by local residents. The main thing is not to sit still and move :)
How to get to the island? From London, from London City Airport, planes fly to the Isle of Man three times a day. British Airways costs about 100 pounds from the nose. You must buy air tickets before May. On its own, incl. on a motorbike - the most important thing is to buy ferry tickets. You need to do this here: www.steam-packet.com/ In March, tickets for ferries were no longer available; they cost from 170 pounds for 1 person with 1 motorcycle. The ferry runs from the west coast of England, from Liverpool, for example, and from Ireland, but this is unlikely to interest anyone :)
Where to live on the island? There are many hotels, all of them are simple, about 2 stars, and cost from 70 pounds per night. Hotels run out by March. At any time, you can go to the iomtt.com forum in the Accomodation section and leave a message about how long you are traveling and for how long you are looking for shelter. Locals will immediately start writing to you with offers to live with them. It costs from 20 pounds per person. They ask for an advance payment on the card in the amount of half the total amount - this is absolutely normal. Well, a completely suitable option is to stand with a tent at the campsite. Costs from £8 per night per person, usually includes hot showers, access to electricity and sometimes motorbike shelters.
How to choose where to live? Douglas is the capital. This is where the party is, the grand stand is within walking distance, but it’s also the most expensive. Around the highway are the towns of Ramsey (east), Peel (northwest) - they are also crowded, and from there it is relatively easy to get anywhere on your own. If you do not have a means of transportation, it is better to live in the city. If you came by motorbike, it doesn’t matter where you live, the main thing is not to sleep for a long time :)
How much does food and other necessary things cost? Everything here is like in a cult movie - “fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, orse weather, Mary f***ing Poppins.” Breakfast is about 5 pounds per person, dinner is from 15 per person. Delicious ice cream at the grand stand - 2.5 pounds. A glass of excellent Guinness - £4. TT T-shirts from £18. Taxi from Douglas to Ramsey - £30. A similar trip on a double-decker bus costs £2.30. Radio point in the ear - 5 pounds (an irreplaceable thing, commentators are constantly chattering on it and this is the only way to always know what is happening and why no one is visible:). An iPhone application with a map of the best spots, constantly updated news from the track and complete information about the pilots is free. WiFi is also free almost everywhere.
How to move around the island? The race takes place along the main roads of the island, connecting the main cities. These roads are closed not only during the race, but also for practice - that is, every day for several hours. At the same time, due to the weather, races can often be postponed, and practices can suddenly be canceled or, conversely, scheduled. At this time, buses go on bypass roads, and it takes three times longer. Taxis generally refuse to go from cities to villages, because there is a risk of getting stuck there for several hours. You can hitch a ride, the drivers refuse money, and they can tell you a lot of interesting things along the way. The Douglas-Port Erin train and trams from Douglas to the mountains and Ramsey always run on schedule. If you come on a motorcycle and want to watch the races from different points, on race day it is important to be “inside” the racing ring after the roads are closed. Then you can move from spot to spot along the internal paths.
Need English? Oh yeah. Really, you'll miss 90% of experience without understanding all that people. You get used to the accent quickly, and you begin to pick up this Irish language yourself :)
What do three legs mean? This is a triskelion, the essence of which is expressed by the island's motto: Wherever you'll throw it, it will stand. Wherever you throw it, it will stand. I'm already all hung with them at the end of the trip: )))
Uff... well, it seems that’s all now. I’m finishing this report at the airport, the plane to London is in an hour. I hope you enjoyed reading all this. I hope many of you will see this with your own eyes. I wish you to get the most out of this trip, and remember that making your dreams come true is often much easier than it seems. You just need to start doing at least something for her - and everything will work out by itself :)
See you, fellas! Take care. If you have any questions - write :)
More photos can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/_baileys_
