Tourist Trophy - new Isle of Man TT feature film provides gripping insight into lure of world-renowned motorcycle race

This succinct but powerful declaration is how Peter Hickman describes his willingness to risk it all in pursuit of the ultimate prize at the Isle of Man TT in ‘Tourist Trophy’ – a gripping new feature film providing an eye-opening insight into the world-renowned motorcycle race.

Shot by distinguished documentary maker Adam Kaleta as the TT returned this year following successive cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the compelling 95-minute film explores the lure of racing on public roads around the unique 37.73-mile Mountain Course and the inherent danger that comes with it.

From man-of-the moment Hickman to the lesser-known Mike Russell, who was attempting to become the first competitor to compete in all six solo races and both Sidecar events, this stirring take on the TT presents an intimate portrayal of the riders’ desire to push themselves and their machines to the limit, and their acceptance of the price so many have paid when it all goes wrong.

In a year when six competitors lost their lives as a result of racing incidents, it was a baptism of fire for Northern Ireland’s Glenn Irwin, who was a high-profile debutant for the Honda Racing Team.

The Carrickfergus man was shook by the death of fellow countryman and well-known road racer Davy Morgan, one of those who sadly didn’t return home on the ferry.

It was a sobering experience, one Irwin admitted was the “biggest challenge” he had ever faced in his life.

“We’ve had the highs of everything happening, from breaking the newcomer lap record, then we’ve had the really unfortunate incidents pre-and-post of breaking that record with the fatalities,” he says in the film.

“I’m new to the TT and I’m still quite raw and fresh in road racing, but it’s so hard to put your helmet on when you’ve a couple of young kids to go back out.”

He became the fastest TT newcomer ever with a lap of 129.849mph, but the 32-year-old won’t be going back in 2023.

After signing a new deal earlier this month to ride for Paul Bird’s Ducati team in the British Superbike Championship, Irwin ruled out a TT return next year.

“I love the TT but I don’t love the event as much as I love my kids: the dangers of the TT outweigh the dangers of other events,” he said.

Every TT rider has to reconcile themselves with the risks involved but for most competitors who set off down Glencrutchery road, regardless of status, the sense of accomplishment and thrill of the chase outweighs everything else.

It’s an event few on the outside are able to comprehend, and even those of us on the inside have moments when we question the role we play in this sometimes cruel sport we’re involved in. But the same thing keeps you going back time after time: there is nothing else like it.

“Obviously my thoughts are with everyone who’s not able to go home this week,” says Hickman in the film, his voice cracking with emotion after he won the Senior TT to secure his fourth victory of the week in June.

“It’s a tough sport for that. We’ve had a really hard week and there’s massive ups and down with this; we all know that.

“We all absolutely love it, for all the right and wrong reasons. Whichever way you want to look at it, we all know what we’re doing here and a lot of people just don’t understand this. My thoughts are with everyone.”

This magnetic appeal of the TT is encapsulated by the continued presence of legendary racer John McGuinness.

The second most successful TT rider with 23 victories behind Joey Dunlop (26), McGuinness returned this year aged 50 to make his 100th race start with Honda.

He has nothing left to prove and clearly now has much more to lose than he has to gain, but the Morecambe man simply can’t let go.

“I’d love to win again,” McGuinness says.

“I’ve done over 52,000 miles around this track so I’m probably one of the most experienced on the track. I’ve my hundredth start coming up and stranger things have happened.

“I think it’s psychological and it’s in your head when you get to 50 – whoa, that’s it, I’m done. But you’re not. You can still do it.

“I never thought I’d be sat here now at 50-years-old with 23 wins – I don’t know where that’s gone, it’s been like a blur.”

You can’t talk about the TT without talking about a Dunlop and although 21-time winner Michael isn’t interviewed in the film, the Northern Ireland rider’s no-nonsense approach to his racing is summed up perfectly by world-famous DJ and unlikely friend Carl Cox.

“He’s won races because of that aggro, I call it – he rides angry,” says Cox, who is one of Dunlop’s main sponsors.

“He’s been be able to smooth that out, which makes him faster and he still pinpoints himself to certain points of the track where a lot of riders won’t really go, because they feel that isn’t the racing line or it’s unsafe to be where Michael is.

“But Michael will go there because that’s where he lives: he lives right on that edge at that point where he knows no one else will really want to take it.

“I think in his own mindset he’s got big shoes to fill with the Dunlop dynasty, with his uncle (Joey), father (Robert) and his brother (William); all of them obviously aren’t around anymore.

“So he’s the only one left flying the Dunlop flag. I don’t think that he’s had that as a burden in some ways because for him, this is what he does; this is his calling.”

An immersive watch and a must-see for any TT fan, ‘Tourist Trophy’ will be streamed exclusively on TT+ – the event’s official digital channel – from 7.30pm on November 23.

You can sign up to TT+ completely free of charge here to watch the film plus hundreds of hours of other exclusive free TT content.

To mark the release of the film, the 2023 TT+ Live Pass, which delivers 11 days’ of live coverage of next year’s event with an increased 10-race programme, will be available for a limited-time price of £14.99.

TT+ is available online, on mobile, and on a range of free apps for Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox and Roku.