On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, racer Raul Torras Martinez lined up with the rest of the field at the start of the 2023 Isle of Man TT’s first Supertwin-category race of this year’s event. 2023 marked Martinez’ fifth time at the IOMTT, and he’d just posted his fastest-ever personal lap of the Mountain Course earlier that day with an average time of 125.470 miles per hour during the first Superstock-category race of the year. Like every other racer (and indeed, the vast majority of onlookers), Martinez loved racing.
It was during the final lap of the Supertwin race on June 6 that Martinez would lose his life. The Supertwin race was scheduled to run three laps of the 37.73-mile course. According to the Isle of Man TT organizers’ official statement, “the accident occurred at Alpine, between the 16th and 17th mile markers, on the third and final lap of the race.” Alpine isn’t a name that comes up often in IOMTT commentary, but it’s located between Kirk Michael and the Ballaugh Bridge, which do.
