The Senior TT Trophy is to feature in a one-day exhibition alongside some of the world’s most iconic sporting trophies.
The exhibition, which will take place at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day on 19 October, will also feature the FA Cup, the Ashes Urn, the Rugby League Challenge Cup and the Calcutta Cup.
The trophy was donated to the Auto Cycle Club, now the Auto Cycle Union, by Joseph the Marquis de Mouzilly St Mars, the president of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme in 1905-1906. His name can still be seen on the award. The Senior TT Trophy was first presented, to Charlie Collier, in 1907 who won the first TT Race.
The Senior Trophy was based on the Montague Trophy, awarded to the winner of the TT car races, which pre-dated the motorcycle TT, and was handed to the rider of the winning single-cylinder machine.
Standing 197centimetres tall and weighing 59.5 kilograms, it features Mercury, the Winged God of the Messengers from Roman mythology, crafted in silver standing atop a winged wheel. The effigy is mounted on a tiered plinth featuring engraved shields detailing the winner of every Senior race.
Past winners read like a who’s who of motorcycling, including Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Stanley Woods, Joey Dunlop and Giacomo Agostini. Current champion John McGuinness, who has won 20 TT Races, has won the Senior TT six times.
Although insured for at least £1.5million, it is a priceless, unique part of the TT’s heritage. It is kept in the Isle of Man, under tight security provided by G4S Secure Solutions (Isle of Man) Limited, and will travel to Ascot with G4S’s Divisional Manager for Security Services Lloyd Mister.