While the news of promising COVID-19 vaccines are fueling a hope that 2021 will see the world getting closer to something that looks like normal, the new year will still have its struggles for the motorcycle industry.
One of those struggles will be the Isle of Man TT, which has been canceled by the Manx government because of ongoing viral concerns and the pressing logistical needs of planning the race.
There is a silver lining though, as the TT Races for 2022 have been planned though, due to take place Saturday, May 28th to Saturday, June 11th.
Conversely, the Classic TT and Manx GP will go ahead as scheduled for 2021, as they occur much later in the year when the coronavirus outbreak is expected to be considerably smaller, and because those events require fewer island resources.
“We do not underestimate the disappointment that this decision will cause to many people,” said Laurence Skelly, MHK, Minister, Department for Enterprise, Isle of Man Government. “However, we are making an early and logical decision to provide certainty and clarity to race fans and everyone else involved in our event.”
“The TT relies on thousands of volunteers and officials across a wide range of organizations, and we could not move responsibly towards operating to that date and commit to welcoming tens of thousands of people to the Island in June, despite the progress towards a vaccination program globally and on the Island.”
“We evaluated all possible options including moving the TT to a date later in the year, 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.”
“We remain hopeful that the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix can take place later in the year and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our Island again.”
Source: Isle of Man TT
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