The 2024 edition of the Isle of Man TT starts on Saturday with the 103rd edition of the famous motorcycle racing festival.
Due to a weather-affected qualifying week, the drivers made up their practice time on the 60 km circuit, which takes place entirely on public roads. Riders from all over travel to take part in the two-week festival.
Here’s everything you need to know about each race, who to watch out for and how to follow this year’s event.
What is the Isle of Man TT?
Over the course of two weeks, the Isle of Man’s public roads closed and became one of the fastest racing circuits in the world.
The TT consists of five different categories, all of which will be ridden twice in eight days this year. Solo riders will jump between Superbike, Superstock, Supersport and Supertwin machines, while sidecar riders will team up with a passenger to take part in two races.
All races will be conducted in a time trial format, with riders starting from the grandstand starting line at 10-second intervals and completing a nearly 38-mile course up and over Snaefell Mountain before returning to the finish line. Times are recorded at five locations on the island, named Glen Helen, Ballaugh, Ramsey, Bungalow, Cronk ny Mona and the Grandstand.
Events are highly weather dependent and lengthy delays can occur, especially if public roads are used for the entire fortnight when no races are taking place: oil spills, parked cars and wild wildlife are common.
Where can I watch it?
For years, the TT’s coverage was only available through TV highlight shows on ITV4 each evening. But for the 2022 edition, TT organizers unveiled new plans to offer live online coverage via the TT+ Live Pass, which will return in 2024.
Entry costs a one-off fee of £19.99 for the fortnight, which includes coverage of all qualifying and racing sessions, daily overviews and documentaries.
End of Day Highlights continues to air every evening on ITV4.
You can also follow the race week with Telegraph Sport.
Isle of Man TT 2024 schedule and results
Saturday June 1
1:30 PM: Monster Energy Supersport Race One (4 laps)
The opening race of the week will see the leading solo riders take to the road on the supersport machines, which are smaller and lighter than the larger superbikes and feature a mix of 600cc four-cylinder engines and 675cc three-cylinder engines. The event gave Michael Dunlop the perfect start to the week in 2023, beating rivals Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison by a narrow margin of 12 seconds.
4 p.m.: 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 1 (3 laps)
For the first time in eight years, a new race-winning duo will top the TT podium following the retirement of Tom Birchall, one half of the record-breaking Birchall brothers. Together with rider Ben Birchall, the pair have won the last 11 races at the TT dating back to 2016, and have amassed 14 overall victories between them. Ben continues this year with a new passenger in Kevin Rousseau, as he searches for Dave Molyneaux and his record 17 Sidecar TT wins.
Sunday June 2
2.40pm: RST Superbike TT (6 laps)
The first ‘big bike’ race of the week was a favorable event for Dunlop, who have taken five wins in the last nine races. Dunlop’s main opponents are again expected to be Hickman and Harrison – the latter switching to the factory Honda Racing team this year – while Milwaukee BMW British Superbike rider Davey Todd tops the qualifying timesheets this week.
Tuesday June 4
11:45am: RL360 Superstock TT Race 1 (3 laps)
The superstock machines feature 1,000cc production bikes that meet stricter technical regulations than the superbikes, to keep them closer to the off-the-shelf versions seen in showrooms across the country. The engine, frame and electronics must all remain standard, although slicks are now allowed.
2 p.m.: Metzeler Supertwin TT Race 1 (3 laps)
The clue is in the name. The supertwins class consists of twin-cylinder 700cc engines that produce around 90bhp from a middleweight frame. At lower top speeds, rider style plays a much more important role than in the larger categories, with Dunlop again emerging victorious last year.
Wednesday June 5
11:45 am: 3wheeling.media Sidecar TT Race 2 (3 laps)
The second Sidecar TT of the week in 2023 proved a nail-biting campaign with the Birchalls triumphing by just nine seconds over duo Peter Founds and Jevan Walmsley, who return in 2024 and will aim to end a run of five consecutive podium finishes without a win.
2 p.m.: Monster Energy Supersport TT Race 2 (4 laps)
Dunlop completed the third Superport double of his career in 2023 by taking the bottom in race two, which proved to be a repeat of race one’s podium.
Friday June 7
11:45 AM: PE Superstock TT Race 2 (3 laps)
Like Dunlop, Hickman took victory in both Superstock races last year in an event that delivered his first TT win in 2018 and where he has since dominated the field, winning every time he competed. The 2023 edition proved to be a particularly memorable affair as Hickman made history by becoming the first man to break the lap record barrier of 216 km/h and setting an all-time fastest lap of 216.358 km/h.
2 p.m.: Full insurance coverage Supertwin TT Race Two (3 laps)
The Supertwins category has favored the smaller riders in recent years, but the form book was thrown away in the second race of 2023 as the 6ft 7in Lincolnshire native took his first win in the class.
Saturday June 8
Milwaukee Senior TT (6 laps)
The big race of the week brings the curtain down on the TT, where Hickman, Harrison, Dunlop and Todd are expected to battle it out for top honors. Hickman was the man to beat among the seniors. He won four of the last five races and was only beaten by Harrison in 2019.
How many riders have died?
The TT wouldn’t be the challenge it is without the level of risk and danger. A total of 269 riders and passengers have died on the Snaefell Mountain Course, which hosts the TT as well as the Manx Grand Prix and the Classic TT.
There have been 156 deaths due to accidents in the TT alone.