Racing through idyllic towns and pastures at 200 mph?  Fans cheering mere feet away, steps  from their front porch?  Hay bales for crash barriers?  If you thought Circuit de la Sarthe passing through the tiny town of Le Mans, France, or even the old Nurburgring during the 50’s and 60’s era, your’re not even close.  You’ll need to take a ferry to the British Isles.

A racing relic and legend of the last century, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy has been pitting man against two-wheeled machines for over the past hundred years (minus a couple of world wars).  And the 2013 edition starts tomorrow.

The current lap record for the 60km road course is 17 mins 13.88 seconds, on a Honda.