THE 2012 Isle of Man TT truly bursts into life today with the opening day of racing.
The Mountain Road will close at 9.30am with the rest of the course following at 10am - the early closure being put in place to allow the Olympic Torch to be carried on closed roads from Quarter Bridge to Braddan Church by Milky Quayle and David Knight.
The racing is scheduled to begin at 11am with the six-lap Superbike event getting proceedings under way following a week of practice sessions.
John McGuinness will start as favourite to retain his Superbike title after clocking the only 130mph lap of the week. However, Bruce Anstey and Cameron Donald are both in impressive form, while many would love to see Guy Martin open his TT account.
The three-lap Sidecar A race is scheduled to follow the Superbikes at 2pm - and it’s difficult to see anyone getting the better of Manxman Dave Molyneux, who will be gunning for his 15th TT win alongside passenger Patrick Farrance.
iomtoday will bring you race reports plus video footage from the post-race press conferences - and don’t miss the second edition of TT News, which will be printed overnight and in shops around the island on Sunday morning.