Tourist Trophy
The International Tourist Trophy is an award given by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) and awarded semi-annually to the winners of a selected motor racing event each year in the United Kingdom. It was first awarded in 1905 and continues to be awarded to this day, making it the longest lasting trophy in motorsports.
During the early years of racing, the British government did not allow racing on public roads, so there was no racing on the mainland until a purpose-built course — Brooklands — was opened in 1907. However, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man had their own laws that permitted the closure of public roads for racing. So both were used for that purpose.
1904 Elimination Event Entrants
1904 The first race on the Isle of Man was held but it was not billed as a Tourist Trophy, rather as an Elimination Trial for the Gordon Bennett Cup event held that year. It was five laps over a 52.15-mile course won by Clifford Earp in a Napier.
1905 Elimination Event Entrants
The Trial was held again in 1905 over the same course on the Isle of Man on 30 May 1905; it was again won by Earp.
The first race for the Tourist trophy was held on 14 September 1905 - see 1905 Tourist Trophy Race
Tourist Trophy Races
Winners -
- 1905 John Napier - Arrol-Johnston
- 1906 Charles Stewart Rolls - Rolls-Royce
- 1907 Ernest Courtis - Rover
- 1908 Willy Watson - Napier (Hutton)
- 1909 Not held
- 1910 Not held
- 1911 Not held
- 1912 Not held
- 1913 Not held
- 1914 Kenelm Lee Guinness - Sunbeam
For further details of the races, see:
- 1905 Tourist Trophy Race
- 1906 Tourist Trophy Race
- 1907 Tourist Trophy Race
- 1908 Tourist Trophy Race
- 1914 Tourist Trophy Race
1905 Motorcycle Elimination Trials
Motorcycle races were also run on the Isle of Man - the day after the 1905 Gordon Bennett Elimination Trial - there was an elimination trial to establish a team to represent Great Britain in the International Motorcycle Cup races.
After that year the TT Races between motorcycles were developed on the Isle of Man.