Come the month of June and the focus of auto racing fans shift from the F1 and MotoGP series, both run on sanitized tracks resembling video games, pumped up by billions of dollars and media coverage to attract fans from all over the world, many from countries that still don’t even have modern cars. I don’t take anything away from this form of racing but June has two events that real motor buffs converge on and which doesn’t even have one tenth of the visibility the above events have. Those are 24 Le Mans and the Iles Of Man TT motorcycle races.

This year was the 78th edition of the Le Mans Du 24 Hours Endurance race for cars. The town of Le Mans has a population of 148,169 people and this June weekend 240,000 fans from all across Europe, and some from as far away USA and Latin America landed up. Cars producing in excess of 600bhp occupied the grid and there was drama and tension from Saturday 3pm to Sunday 3pm. This is serious fast breath taking racing for 24 whole hours. If you are overcome by sleep and need distractions there are plenty along the trackside. Fabulous eating stalls, plenty of places to buy racing memorabilia, loads of wine to drink a monstrous Ferris wheel that gives you a bird’s eye view of the track when at the top, runs 24 hours too.

Peugeot the defending champions were the favorites and had secured the first four places on the grid. Peugeot, with Aston Martin were vying for the fastest petrol cars. On the traditional Le Mans straight, now with two chicanes added the cars were still clocking around 340 kmph lap after lap, night and day. Aston Martin dreams were shattered due to technical problems in the last stages and they came in 6th. Peugeot, who were leading till the final minutes couldn’t make it either and The Audis-R15TDI diesel cars, though a bit slower came in taking the first three places.

Audi has won the Le Mans nine times, this year equaling the wins of Ferrari. But no one is close to the 16 victories of Porsches. 2010 was the Fastest Le Mans ever. The winning cars completed 397 laps, covering a distance of 5410 kilometers in 24 hours! It is said Le Mans seriously separates the men from the boys.

Just before the Le Mans weekend are the motorcycle races at the Isle of Man, better known for 103 years as the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) races. Starting May 28th to June 10 the Island provides, if you have the stamina, one entire week of racing! There is nothing on the planet like the IOM TT Races. No other motorcycle race is held on such a challenging track as the 37.37 (59.792 km) miles circuit which goes through a mountain, town streets, man hole covers, railway crossings, bumps, jumps, hairpin bends, stone walls and telephone poles. The skills, concentration levels and bravery required are immense with now speeds in excess of 330 kmph. Simply put, if you want to see and experience what MotoGP speeds look and feel like on normal roads, this is the place to be at.

For an entire week, from early morning to past midnight is about motorcycles. Look, talk, exchange, hear, smell, feel, and touch motorcycles. Besides racing bikes every interest in biking is taken care of. You want drama; spats, spectacular crashes and you have it. You can be a vintage bike, touring bike, street bike, bike clothing, parts and accessory and spanner freak and you have enough and more to occupy your time. And of course the entire course is littered with small and quaint pubs and eateries that satisfy your culinary requirements…and never forget, the background sounds are of bikes racing. What more can a biker fan ask for?

As the Le Mans, this year, 2010 saw the fastest time and tumbling lap records. This year, on a 1000cc Honda, prepared by Team Padgett, rider Ian Hutchinson won five races over the weekend and smashed the lap record with an average speed of 130.74 mph (209 kmph). Hutchinson also won the 600cc Supersports in his five-race tally. The best tally of wins was by 11 times TT winner Phillip McCallen in 1996. Five wins in six days of racing are definitely in the very upper echelons of motorcycle racing history.

Once a TT organizer was asked if the races do separate the boys from the men and the answer was ‘boys don’t even apply to race here now’. For all bike-racing fans that’d love to holiday a bit but in the midst of several hundred thousand biker fans and racing at warped speeds, get to the Isle of Man races...

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