'The Isle of Man TT is our Christmas,' clerk says

Gary Thompson has been clerk of the course

The Isle of Man TT "is very much our Christmas" to those involved in the races according to the man tasked with running the 118-year-old event.

The annual two-week festival held on 37.7 miles (61km) of closed public roads, which sees riders reaching lap speeds of up to up to 136mph (219km/h), is about to get underway.

Last year's event saw history made when Michael Dunlop exceeded his late uncle Joey's record number of TT wins, taking his own tally to 29 race victories.

Clerk of the course Gary Thompson said it was a privilege to be involved in "the oldest motorsport in the world, the most unique motorcycling event in the world" every year.

Despite having been at the helm of the races for the past 14 years, Thompson said he still got "the same buzz as what I did from day one".

Michael Dunlop became the most successful TT rider of all time in 2024

Thompson said the team behind the "iconic event" had continued to make efforts to "enhance safety" year-on-year.

Each year they look at the road surface and work with the department of infrastructure to make sure it is "as good as it can be", he said.

Organisers have also made further investments in digital lights and road barriers.

Thompson said: "We're proactively looking at risk all the time and doing what we can to enhance safety."

As part of the annual review of the qualifying and racing schedule this year has seen routine warm-up laps scrapped, unless conditions warrant them.

"If there were damp or wet patches around the course, or it was windier than normal, if anything gave cause for concern that the conditions weren't as good as what we'd want, then we'd put in place what we call a course inspection lap," Thompson said.

In those circumstances, the single lap of the course would allow riders to report back any concerns before a decision was taken on running a race.

Race control is based at the top of the tower at the Grandstand

He said while there would always be an "inherent risk" in motorsport, it was something everyone involved was "aware of".

And with the weather playing such a crucial part in whether or not the races get underway, Thompson said contingency planning was "absolutely huge" and "key to the whole event".

"Given the global reach of the TT now, all of us involved are very conscious that we are delivering this fantastic spectacle of an event to 80-plus countries with a viewing figure of 33 million," he said.

Thompson said planning for the races had now become something that took place on all year round, with work ahead of the following year's event due to start a week after the final chequered flag of the 2025 fortnight.

"Working on the event all year, this is very much our Christmas, and to be involved in the oldest motorsport in the world, the most unique motorcycling event in the world, it's an honour to be in the position I am," he added.