2021 Isle of Man TT cancelled

The Isle of Man TT has been cancelled for the second year in a row, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic providing too much uncertainty for riders and organisers.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 Isle of Man TT, as well as the 2020 Classic TT, organisers have made the early, but agonising, call to cancel the 2021 TT.

With the small and secluded Isle of Man largely keeping the coronavirus off its shores, the local government is concerned about welcoming the tens of thousands of spectators, competitors and officials.

There are no guarantees that the pandemic will be under control by May, when the TT was due to take place, so organisers have instead turned their focus to 2022. There is hope that the 2021 Classic TT will proceed in August, but that will be announced at a later date.

Laurence Skelly, of the Isle of Man government, said in a statement that the decision was not made lightly. “We do not underestimate the disappointment that this decision will cause to many people,” said Skelly. “However, we are making an early and logical decision to provide certainty and clarity to race fans and everyone else involved in our event.”

Given the complexity of running an event like the TT, as well as the reliance on a large number of volunteers and organisations, the Isle of Man government weren’t prepared to take any risks. “We evaluated all possible options including moving the TT to a date later in the year,” continued Skelly. “But there are complexities and risks, including scaling up of certain infrastructure and critical delivery elements of the TT, as well as existing resident and visitor travel in late August, which would cause further disruption to thousands of people.”

The next running of the Isle of Man TT will take place from May 28-June 1, 2022. The Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix are still scheduled for August 21-September 3, 2021. More information will be given in early 2021.