Car rally cancelled amid safety forms dispute

The Chris Kelly Memorial Rally was scheduled to take place in September 2024

A car rally on Manx roads has not been granted permission in 2024 because the required safety documentation was not submitted, the infrastructure department has confirmed.

Manx Autosport previously said it was "disappointed" it had not "gained consent" to run the Chris Kelly Memorial Rally in September.

The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) said organisers of closed roads events must provide documents that "withstand scrutiny and challenge" but the application had not met those standards.

But organisers said it was not clear what extra information was required after a revised application was rejected.

Posting on social media earlier this month, rally organisers said they had lodged an application in October 2023 following the protocol it had used "several times" before.

But the traffic management plan and stage safety plan had not included at the time as the "acceptance for the proposed route" had not been not been received.

"Many volunteers, competitors and Isle of Man businesses would feel let down by this decision," they added.

'Critical importance'

A DOI spokesman said the Road Races Act 2016 imposed a legal duty on the department to ensure an organisers were "competent to manage use of the roads for the activity that is proposed" and this 2024 application "fell short of the required standards".

When asked about the affects of the cancellation in the House of Keys, Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston said while it was "obviously disappointing" he supported the decision not to proceed.

He told politicians information provided for a similar rally held in May event organisers estimated the it attracted about 1,000 people including drivers, crew, marshals and spectators, generating about £750,000 for the local economy.

The enterprise department had sought to "listen to and support" the organisers but recognised "safety was a matter of critical importance, with a requirement for relevant safety-critical documentation and plans to be provided", he added.