Isle of Man TT Official Review 2010

The Tourist Trophy held on the Isle of Man for two weeks every year, during which roads are closed to create a 37.75 mile circuit, is one of the greatest motorsport events in the World - Murray Walker says it is THE greatest.

The Isle of Man TT Review 2010, produced by IoM based company Duke Video, contains the highlights of the action from Superbikes, Superstock and Sidecar races over Snaefell Mountain and through the winding streets. It was originally broadcast on ITV 4 which you can tell that the coverage as the presenters (including Craig Doyle) carry microphones with the station's logo on them.

This two-disc package contains over three hours of racing, interviews and extra features within one Blu-ray Disc and one DVD to cater for viewers who are expecting their releases in high definition and those who have yet to make the leap and buy a Blu-ray player. Duke Video release a highlight package every year and this is the first year in which that release includes high definition footage.

There are some years in every sporting event which are memorable because of some historical event, whether it is the Olympics because of some incredible world records (or drug scandal), a World Cup (rugby or soccer) because some amazing play or controversy or, in the case of the Isle of Man TT, because someone does something that has never been done before. In the case of the 2010 event, it was Yorkshireman Ian Hutchinson who won every major solo event -- all five of them -- beating the record set in 1996 by Philip McCallen who won four events.


This was first year for a competitive TT Zero race, for motorcycles which have to be "be powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions" with the winning rider, American Mark Miller, falling just short of the 100 mph target which would have earned him a cheque for £10,000. With the technological progress that is being made in carbon neutral transport, it is easy to see that speed target being smashed next year.

This is a very comprehensive review with full coverage many of the races, extensive highlights of others and lengthy interviews with the competitors. It is amazing just how many of these races come down to such tiny margins even though they have been run over 150 (or even 200) miles taking well over an hour and yet the winning margin can be as little as under two seconds.


The Disc

Extra Features
Circuit Guide (2:17, HD) is, as the name suggests, a guide to the road circuit around the island using computer graphics and footage of bikes along the roads as well as on-board footage.

High Motion Music Montage (8:23, HD) really showcases the tremendous HD photography and the amazing footage that the cameraman captured of the bikes going around various parts of the circuit, shown in slow motion (or high motion, depending on which term you prefer) with a fairly laid-back piece of music in the background. You really see the stresses and strains on the bikes -- especially the sidecars -- and even one bike with flames coming from the exhaust.

International Riders (8:35, HD) shows Kiwis Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald relaxing and talking about race whilst flying a remote-controlled helicopter and then waterskiing before moving on to several American racers talking with Craig Doyle about why the Isle of Man TT is so special and whether there will be a realistic American challenge in the future.

MotoGP (4: 15, HD) is a brief highlights package of the bikes going around the circuit, just showing off to the crowd who love every minute of seen championship winning bikes and the great riders.

Hutchinson: History in the Making (16:34, HD) is almost entirely some on-board footage from Hutchinson's bike (one of the five, anyway) for an on-board race (occasionally cutting to helicopter and other wider footage) without any commentary so you can really hear the engine revving up and down and seeing whereabouts on the circuit Ian Hutchinson is in order to go through the gears.

People at the TT (5:36, HD) is hosted by the two commentators who talk to a chief sector martial to find out what exactly is job entails before going down to Parliament Square for 'Mad Sunday' with Craig Doyle to talk to some of the spectators who have brought their bikes for a ride around the circuit.

A Taste of History (3:53, HD) is hosted by Craig Doyle who goes through the history of Suzuki and the TT, showing why they are inextricably linked with a history that goes back decades.

Overall, this is a very good extras package with something for everyone from hard-core fans to those who are relatively new to the event or just casual viewers.


The Picture
Shown in 1080p high definition,, the quality is absolutely stunning - the use of onboard cameras, kerb-cameras, aerial shots mixed in with the race footage gives a real sense of the speed, conditions, bumps, jumps and skill involved. As well as this year being broadcast in HD, it also featured new camera angles and there do seem to be more cameras on the motorcycles and around the circuit than in previous years.

It is strange how deceptive the different camera angles can be as the bikes don't seem to be moving particularly quickly on the wide shots but, when you get footage from the on-board cameras (particularly from the front) or the kerb cameras, it is astonishing just how quickly the bikes are going in such narrow roads.


The Sound
For something that has a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, I was surprised at just how little the rear surrounds were used as the footage really didn't take advantage of the surround soundtrack as it could have featured the sound of bikes going over a camera and sweeping around the room but everything was pretty much shot 'front on' so the rear surrounds stayed dormant for the bulk of the running time.

Even though the commentators, James Whitham and Steve Parrish, are clearly watching the race on monitors from a booth somewhere by the racetrack, they to keep you fully abreast of what is going on based on what they can see and the other monitors which show the lap times and relative positions. As a competitor set off 10 seconds apart from one another, track position is no indicator of your position within the race and you can be the first to cross the line but still not be on the podium.


Final Thoughts
I found The Isle of Man TT Review 20 to absolutely brilliant. Never having been a massive fan of two-wheeled motorsports, I didn't know many of the riders, but by the end of the nine races, I began to put names to bikes and was familiar with the format and the circuit. Prior to watching and reviewing the 2008 Review, all I knew of the TT was that it is inherently dangerous - I shared a hospital ward with the late Dave Saville, a nine times winner and World Champion sidecar pilot - and having watched this BD, it's easy to see why. The program ends with a reminder of those who died that year with a simple picture of them racing and their year of birth and death -- the SuperSport race 2 was particularly badly hit with both Paul Dobbs and Martin Loicht being killed in accidents. Even the Blue Riband Senior TT event had to be run at a reduced distance because of two serious crashes on the second lap of the first run, causing all the bikes to be returned to the pits for a four (rather than six) lap race.

The enthusiasm is evident from the commentators to the spectators to the racers, who all want to be King of the Mountain. It's a fantastic event on a fantastic BD and DVD set which is highly recommended to anyone with even the slightest interest in motorsport.
The Tourist Trophy held on the Isle of Man for two weeks every year, during which roads are closed to create a 37.75 mile circuit, is one of the greatest motorsport events in the World - Murray Walker says it is THE greatest.

The Isle of Man TT Review 2010, produced by IoM based company Duke Video, contains the highlights of the action from Superbikes, Superstock and Sidecar races over Snaefell Mountain and through the winding streets. It was originally broadcast on ITV 4 which you can tell that the coverage as the presenters (including Craig Doyle) carry microphones with the station's logo on them.

This two-disc package contains over three hours of racing, interviews and extra features within one Blu-ray Disc and one DVD to cater for viewers who are expecting their releases in high definition and those who have yet to make the leap and buy a Blu-ray player. Duke Video release a highlight package every year and this is the first year in which that release includes high definition footage.

There are some years in every sporting event which are memorable because of some historical event, whether it is the Olympics because of some incredible world records (or drug scandal), a World Cup (rugby or soccer) because some amazing play or controversy or, in the case of the Isle of Man TT, because someone does something that has never been done before. In the case of the 2010 event, it was Yorkshireman Ian Hutchinson who won every major solo event -- all five of them -- beating the record set in 1996 by Philip McCallen who won four events.

This was first year for a competitive TT Zero race, for motorcycles which have to be "be powered without the use of carbon based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions" with the winning rider, American Mark Miller, falling just short of the 100 mph target which would have earned him a cheque for £10,000. With the technological progress that is being made in carbon neutral transport, it is easy to see that speed target being smashed next year.

This is a very comprehensive review with full coverage many of the races, extensive highlights of others and lengthy interviews with the competitors. It is amazing just how many of these races come down to such tiny margins even though they have been run over 150 (or even 200) miles taking well over an hour and yet the winning margin can be as little as under two seconds.

The Disc

Extra Features
Circuit Guide (2:17, HD) is, as the name suggests, a guide to the road circuit around the island using computer graphics and footage of bikes along the roads as well as on-board footage.

High Motion Music Montage (8:23, HD) really showcases the tremendous HD photography and the amazing footage that the cameraman captured of the bikes going around various parts of the circuit, shown in slow motion (or high motion, depending on which term you prefer) with a fairly laid-back piece of music in the background. You really see the stresses and strains on the bikes -- especially the sidecars -- and even one bike with flames coming from the exhaust.

International Riders (8:35, HD) shows Kiwis Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald relaxing and talking about race whilst flying a remote-controlled helicopter and then waterskiing before moving on to several American racers talking with Craig Doyle about why the Isle of Man TT is so special and whether there will be a realistic American challenge in the future.

MotoGP (4: 15, HD) is a brief highlights package of the bikes going around the circuit, just showing off to the crowd who love every minute of seen championship winning bikes and the great riders.

Hutchinson: History in the Making (16:34, HD) is almost entirely some on-board footage from Hutchinson's bike (one of the five, anyway) for an on-board race (occasionally cutting to helicopter and other wider footage) without any commentary so you can really hear the engine revving up and down and seeing whereabouts on the circuit Ian Hutchinson is in order to go through the gears.

People at the TT (5:36, HD) is hosted by the two commentators who talk to a chief sector martial to find out what exactly is job entails before going down to Parliament Square for 'Mad Sunday' with Craig Doyle to talk to some of the spectators who have brought their bikes for a ride around the circuit.

A Taste of History (3:53, HD) is hosted by Craig Doyle who goes through the history of Suzuki and the TT, showing why they are inextricably linked with a history that goes back decades.

Overall, this is a very good extras package with something for everyone from hard-core fans to those who are relatively new to the event or just casual viewers.

The Picture
Shown in 1080p high definition,, the quality is absolutely stunning - the use of onboard cameras, kerb-cameras, aerial shots mixed in with the race footage gives a real sense of the speed, conditions, bumps, jumps and skill involved. As well as this year being broadcast in HD, it also featured new camera angles and there do seem to be more cameras on the motorcycles and around the circuit than in previous years.

It is strange how deceptive the different camera angles can be as the bikes don't seem to be moving particularly quickly on the wide shots but, when you get footage from the on-board cameras (particularly from the front) or the kerb cameras, it is astonishing just how quickly the bikes are going in such narrow roads.

The Sound
For something that has a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, I was surprised at just how little the rear surrounds were used as the footage really didn't take advantage of the surround soundtrack as it could have featured the sound of bikes going over a camera and sweeping around the room but everything was pretty much shot 'front on' so the rear surrounds stayed dormant for the bulk of the running time.

Even though the commentators, James Whitham and Steve Parrish, are clearly watching the race on monitors from a booth somewhere by the racetrack, they to keep you fully abreast of what is going on based on what they can see and the other monitors which show the lap times and relative positions. As a competitor set off 10 seconds apart from one another, track position is no indicator of your position within the race and you can be the first to cross the line but still not be on the podium.

Final Thoughts
I found The Isle of Man TT Review 20 to absolutely brilliant. Never having been a massive fan of two-wheeled motorsports, I didn't know many of the riders, but by the end of the nine races, I began to put names to bikes and was familiar with the format and the circuit. Prior to watching and reviewing the 2008 Review, all I knew of the TT was that it is inherently dangerous - I shared a hospital ward with the late Dave Saville, a nine times winner and World Champion sidecar pilot - and having watched this BD, it's easy to see why. The program ends with a reminder of those who died that year with a simple picture of them racing and their year of birth and death -- the SuperSport race 2 was particularly badly hit with both Paul Dobbs and Martin Loicht being killed in accidents. Even the Blue Riband Senior TT event had to be run at a reduced distance because of two serious crashes on the second lap of the first run, causing all the bikes to be returned to the pits for a four (rather than six) lap race.

The enthusiasm is evident from the commentators to the spectators to the racers, who all want to be King of the Mountain. It's a fantastic event on a fantastic BD and DVD set which is highly recommended to anyone with even the slightest interest in motorsport.