Isle of Man TT

 "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." - Sun Tzu 

The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is an annual motorcycle racing event that has been held since 1907.  The Isle of Man is a small island located in the Irish Sea, about halfway between England and Northern Ireland.

The race course is both difficult and dangerous.  The difficulty lies mainly in the length of the circuit.  Unlike a racetrack, there are miles upon miles of braking and turning points to memorize.  Absolute focus is required over the entire 37.7 mile (60.7 km) course.

The danger lies in the fact that this is a road course, with all the hazards that accompany riding through villages, spectators, terrain, and stone walls.  265 people have died over the years on this course, making it the most dangerous motorsport venue in existence.

Also, due to the fact that this is a road course, with spectators and fans not removed a safe distance from the racing, they too occasionally are killed when an accident occurs.  Attending the race is not for the faint-hearted, and neither is entering it.

This is not a true road race - it is a time trial, with a staggered start.  Each racer races for himself against the clock.  There is some passing on the course, but that is incidental to being the race winner.  People who don't ride aren't aware how much a hard-ridden motorbike dances under the rider.  This flex is intentionally engineered, because without this, the rider cannot feel how well the bike is dealing with the road and adjust how hard he is riding. 

Although the Isle of Man is by far the most famous (or perhaps infamous) road race in motorcycling, I've got a very soft spot in my heart for mass-start Irish road-racing.  In these races, riders start all at once, and the action is elbow-to-elbow - often at nearly 200 miles per hour.  It's utter insanity, and anyone participating in this sport - even the guy coming in dead last - deserves a tremendous amount of respect. 

While the Grand Prix racing and motorcycles are faster and more exotic, those riders are in considerably less danger in the event they crash.  They won't slam headlong into a tree or a curb if they screw up.