Masters of the Tourist Trophy

We have set this simulation in an All-Time-Great context, mainly because we hope that as many people as possible will enjoy the game and even non-motor cycle racing 'experts' should recognise a few of the great riders from the past who took part in this unique series of races. I remember as a young boy (great memory I have!) having a cigarette card of Stanley Woods, and although I may well have 'raced' him around my Monopoly board a few times this is the first opportunity I have had of having him perform 'for real' (well, as real as replay simulations can ever be).

We have tried to make this particular simulation a 'fun' game to play, whilst hopefully catching some of the flavour of the real thing. Unlike almost every other kind of motor cycle race the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy sees the riders setting off in pairs or, as in recent years, just one at a time, with a gap of 10 seconds between each starter. From a spectator point of view this ensures that there is something to watch more or less all the time despite laps lasting 19 to 20 minutes or more. But it's bad news for a game designer, who has somehow to keep track of the race positions on the road and also the situation overall on actual time. Inevitable this means a little extra paperwork but we hope the solution we have come up with will be acceptable to all users. In some ways this situation is part of the magic of the T.T. races, 3 to 6 laps of the 37.73 mile 'mountain' course with the riders themselves not knowing for certain just where they stand in the race time-wise, and maybe not even seeing their main rival for the full race distance.

Over the years the races have changed in detail, if not in fundamental character. Many different Classes have been staged, the technical specifications have changed from year to year almost, and it would be next to impossible (and indeed unnecessary) to try to replicate these changes in a simulation of this nature. So we have made compromises, and the final product includes just six racing Classes, from the Lightweight 125 c.c. 'tiddlers' to the roaring 500 c.c. Senior and Formula One bikes, and, of course, those scary three-wheelers that race as the Sidecar Class. All the riders included have earned their 'All-Time-Great' tag, from Joey Dunlop, Mike ('the bike') Hailwood, Geoff Duke, Phil Read, John Surtees, Giacomo Agostini, the list goes on and on.

So, go out and choose your vantage spot, settle down with your flask of coffee and sandwiches and prepare to enjoy the “racing round the island' !