TT On-Bike 2010

When it comes to sporting events, there is nothing better than a camera angle that shows you exactly what is going on and puts you at the heart of the action; obviously POV angles are impossible in contact sports such as rugby, American football and soccer and they only really have a place when there is equipment on which to fix them. The sports in which they are used vary from those in the Winter Olympics like bobsled to cycling and motorsport. Whenever I watch a compilation or review disc and the footage cuts to an on-board camera, I always find that it cuts away too soon and there just isn't enough footage to truly give you a sense of what it must be like to be in/on the vehicle.

If you're anything like me then this Blu-ray/DVD set will give you everything you need as it consists entirely of on-board footage from various different types of motorcycle racing around the 37 mile circuit on the Isle of Man during the 2010 TT. There are nine different laps in total which range from the 1000cc Superbikes to the 600cc SuperSport category and finally to the MotoCzysz bike in the TT Zero category ridden by American Mark Miller.

Pretty much every lap is the same except the engine noises change from category to category with the electric bike seeming utterly alien as it is completely silent. In order to provide some variety, the first two laps on the 1000cc Superbikes show you the view from the front of the motorcycle as Cameron Donald rides it at up to 184.9 mph before the second lap, on Keith Amor's Honda shows you the view from the back of his motorcycle as other bikes close in and threatened to overtake.

As this was the year that Ian Hutchinson won all five solo events, creating a new record in the process, there are two laps from his bike whilst he is riding the 600 cc SuperSport 2 and 1000cc Senior and, in the same category, a lap from John McGuinness. The only laps that does not entirely comprised on-board footage is Guy Martin's 600cc SuperSport 1 Honda as he provides a commentary for his lap which occasionally cuts to some aerial shots. I'm not sure exactly when the commentary was recorded, but it was shortly after Martin's lap, probably later the same day.



There is no Play All function and the disc returns to the menu as soon as the lap you're watching has finished and it seems that footage varies from qualifying laps to actual race footage so you can see the bikes closing in and overtaking others in the race or being pressured by the rider behind them.

Given that this runs for well over two hours, I wouldn't recommend a marathon viewing in which you sit through all nine laps as I did, but pace yourself and pick a couple, watch them and take a break before returning to the disc.


The Disc

The Picture
Everything is shown in 1080p high definition with the angles varying from the front of the bike to the back and on the rider's shoulder. Some of the footage, especially from the Superbikes, is utterly terrifying and it is incredible to see what the rider's viewpoint must be like when he is travelling at 190 mph through hedge-lined country roads.

Given the sheer length of the TT circuit, you also appreciate how far they travel in one lap as the weather changes from bright and sunny at the beginning of the lap to mist shrouded and dull on top of the mountain where you can see the helicopters filming the event trying to get as close as possible.

To keep you informed as to where the rider is on the circuit and how fast they are going, there are several sectors at which a map pops up at the bottom left-hand side with the location and information like the average speed, sector time or top speed. Curiously, Mark Miller was shown to have a top speed of 131 mph but, on the TT 2010 Review disc, it was stated that he missed out on the £10,000 prize money for not breaking the 100 mph barrier.


The Sound
There is no high definition soundtrack but the Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track does a good job of presenting the engine noises so you can determine every gear change, deceleration and acceleration as the bikes go from flat out on a straight to a tight corner and then back onto a length of open road.

I noticed that the volume of the engine noise on the menu was much louder than an actual lap so be prepared to turn the volume down when each lap finishes.

When Guy Martin delivers his commentary, he barely pauses for breath during the entire running time of his 18 minute lap and his words come across very clearly with the sounds from his motorcycle still audible and easy to make out. It is quite interesting to find out what areas of the circuit are the easiest and which he considers the most challenging for him and for the bike.


Final Thoughts
I imagine this will appeal to a niche audience and if you have ever wanted to see more on-board footage and wonder what it is like to have the driver's eye view around the whole TT circuit with the motorcycle averaging 130.729 mph, as is the case with John McGuinness' lap on his 1000cc Honda, then now's your chance. I found the first few laps to be incredibly exciting but then the novelty wore off so it is probably better to watch this in chunks rather than in one sitting.