How the Isle of Man TT is breaking down barriers to mental health

The breakdown of mental health barriers in sports has been rapid in the past few years, as more athletes feel emboldened to open up about their personal struggles.

In motorsport, Formula 1 racing driver Lando Norris has been one of the most prominent detractors of mental health in racing. But it sounds like motorsport could do more, at least as more players continue to swell calendars and increase the pressure placed on those working in the industry.

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The fact that motorsports is still a male-dominated industry doesn’t help matters. In the UK however, the percentage of men referred by the NHS for psychiatric help is only 36%, according to data from Mental Health UK.

According to the Men’s Health Forum, 46% of men would be embarrassed or ashamed to tell their employer about any mental health problems they may have. Suicide remains the leading cause of death in the UK for men under the age of 50 and they are three times more likely to die by suicide than women.

Clearly, the stereotypes and expectations placed on men are still heavily weighted towards an outdated concept of power. And there’s no doubt that, visually, the Isle of Man TT stuck to that as a vision of tough men doing tough things.

In fact, the reality is quite different. And a new project aimed at breaking down these negative stereotype barriers is the Dan Kneen Charitable Fund, which is partnering with Rock2Recovery to create TORQ.

TORQ is a health service established to help those affected by serious racing events on the TT track. This effort will help support contestants who have suffered severe pain and mental health issues associated with a long recovery period, as well as help those coming to terms with the loss of a person.

The Dan Kneen Relief Fund was set up following the Manxman’s tragic death at the TT in 2018 and continues its work in his honour. The fund, helped by Kneen’s partner Leanne, feels through TORQ it can “contribute in a meaningful way” to helping people in road racing.

Rock2Recovery was founded by ex-Royal Marines Jamie Sanderson and Jason Fox, who were both medically discharged from the service. The charity works mainly with ex-soldiers and emergency services workers, the physical and mental injuries it helps are very common among road users.

Lee Johnston at the TT on his way to winning Supersport in 2019

Photo by: Isle of Man TT

Another rider who has benefited from Rock2Recovery’s help is one-time Supersport TT winner Lee Johnston. The Ulsterman was seriously injured in last year’s North West 200, and despite making significant progress in his recovery has not been able to race since.

Johnston has been very open about his mental health issues during this period and says TORQ “means a lot” to him, given how much he has benefited from Rock2Recovery’s support.

When Johnston was told by Autosport that the project seemed to remove barriers that had perhaps stood in the TT for a long time, he said: “That’s the biggest thing. Because things turned out the way they did. 50 years doesn’t mean it’s the right way.

“So, it’s kind of the biggest transition. It’s going to be great for everyone going forward. I think there’s a lot of crossover between the Marines and what we do. I know that nobody who turns us away, but risk factors and stress levels, making decisions in very important situations, and things like that – there are many things that are very similar.

“The anxiety after that is very similar. I talked to a psychologist before these guys, who were fresh out of the Marines. There’s a lot of crossover, which I didn’t understand. first.”

The problem with professional athletes who open up about mental health issues is the perception from others that they are doing something that many dream of and making a lot of money doing it (even though no one runs the TT who does it to get rich, to be given a very low wage). Therefore, they see that as a lack of compassion. Although comparing professional football, for example, to working in a hospital is day and night, that should not mean that a person’s mental health is irrelevant.

For Johnston, hearing such similarities in what he went through compared to the Marines he spoke with provided comfort that he realizes can be very valuable to everyone.

“Yes, 100%,” he adds. But then it always is. Anyone who is suffering thinks that they are always alone. They think they are the only person going through that. That’s part of the problem. Once you talk to these people and understand, and you don’t have in your field, just other life situations, it’s very similar.

“The big thing is that any problem is that someone will have been through it before. You can think that we have been around long enough to think that they are not the first people to suffer from something this, and I think that’s how you feel at first.”

TORQ will also be available to marshals, who are always the first on the scene of a serious incident. It can never be overstated how important a volunteer army in orange overalls is to running motorsport events. And TORQ makes sure that they will be taken care of, should they need it.

Johnston (pictured in 2019) has spoken openly about her mental health struggles and praises the TORQ project.

Photo by: Stephen Davison

The move comes as the TT, one of the world’s deadliest races with more than 200 fatalities since its inception in 1907, is struggling to maintain its safety standards. passengers is as high as it can be.

Earlier this year, the TT announced a new step in the medical standards of the competitors, which aims to improve the physical and mental preparation for the riders. With the outright record standing at over 136mph, the days of breaking out the cigarette and heading down Bray Hill for a race are long gone.

As TORQ gets off the ground and takes off, Johnston hopes to see it become a practice that service riders use just as they would physiotherapy. In particular, he hopes to put an end to what former racers have to endure because of the public’s perception of what motorcycle racing should be.

“I think the fact that everybody… [great],” Johnston, who is part of this year’s TT radio and TV broadcast, concludes. “Maybe we’ll look back in five years and say ‘why didn’t we do this?’

“You talk to a lot of ex-racers who are hurt, but it’s okay to talk when you’re done [that you suffered] but not when you are there [racing]. So, hopefully, that’s the way it goes [that riders start talking more].”

Mental health awareness doesn’t stop when the calendar page turns to June. That an event like the TT through the tireless work of the Dan Kneen Charitable Fund and Rock2Recover through TORQ is trying to change the narrative will have a positive impact on the wider motorcycle racing community.

And again, that will hopefully encourage those standing on the grassy shores and sitting in the big chairs to feel brave enough to talk to them.