Isle of Man TT 2021 cancelled amid coronavirus uncertainty

This year’s edition of the race was called off for the same reason

Peter Hickman won the opening RTS Superbike race at the 2019 Isle of Man TT (www.iomttraces.com)

The 2021 Isle of Man TT has been cancelled amid concerns caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 edition of the race was called off in March for the same reason, marking the first time the event had not taken place since 2001, when a Foot and Mouth disease outbreak led to the event being cancelled.

The 2021 race was set to go ahead between 29 May and 11 June.

Manx enterprise minister Laurence Skelly addressed fan concerns over tickets, saying: “Be patient with us here, we are going to have a TT that will come back bigger and better than ever.

“However, those who are booked [for 2021], I want you to be patient with your accommodation provider and your tour operators whilst they work through this.

READ MORE: Isle of Man TT 2020 cancelled amid coronavirus pandemic

“We are providing a support package for them to allow them to hopefully roll on their bookings, or if they have to refund it we are providing loan facilities as well.

"So do bear with us fans, because as I say TT will be back, but we need to bear that in mind.”

Skelly also said that simply delaying the race was considered as an option but proved unrealistic.

“We evaluated all possible options including moving the TT to a date later in the year,” he said.

“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 news means this is the first time since World War II that the TT has been called off in consecutive years.

No decision has been made around the Classic TT and the Manx Grand Prix, which usually take place in August.