2021 Isle of Man TT Canceled [Classic GP Still On So Far]

The Pandemic of 2020 has not only caused the cancelation of the 2020 Isle of Man TT. On Monday, the Isle of Man Government confirmed that the 2021 Isle of Man TT is also canceled.

Besides 2020, the TT was last canceled in 2001 due to a break out of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and before then, the races were canceled from 1940 to 1946 due to World War II.

Though the main event is canceled at the 37.73-mile Mountain Course, the 2021 Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix, set for August 21 through September 3, are scheduled to run. A final decision on those will be announced in spring 2021.

“We do not underestimate the disappointment that this decision will cause to many people,” says 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.”

Paul Phillips, TT Business Development Manager, Isle of Man Government Department for Enterprise also commented: “Everyone involved with the TT is of course disappointed that the event has been canceled in 2021, but it’s a decision that has been made as early as possible so that everyone who is impacted can plan accordingly.

“I am sorry for all the fans, riders, teams and volunteers who will miss another year on the Island, but we as a team will be working hard to make sure that we come back with an even better event in 2022.

“We are very grateful for the continued support and loyalty showed by all our partners, as well as the event’s fans worldwide, which is a testament to the passion that people have for the event.”

For more about the TT, visit our Isle of Man TT page.