Isle of Man TT big fortnight for businesses, MHK says

Tim Crookall said fans were looking forward to seeing more races

The Isle of Man TT races represent a "highlight" of the year for many local firms, the MHK with responsibility for motorsport has said.

Racing in the two-week festival is set to continue until 10 June.

Member of the Department for Enterprise Tim Crookall said the surge in tourists the races attracted meant it was a "big fortnight" for many businesses.

He said a lot of work went into putting the festival, which "meant an awful lot to people".

Race schedule changes

The number of races has been increased by two to 10 across the fortnight, with racing scheduled on two weekends rather than one.

Mr Crookall said fans were "excited" about the alterations, which were "definitely going to make a difference".

With the fine weather set to continue on the island, he said it paved the way for "good entertainment and people really enjoying themselves".

As well as being a successful festival in its own right, it was good for the island's reputation as a whole and brought people to the island "at other times of the year as well".

"It's probably the best advert we have for the island," he added.

The department is planning to collect feedback from businesses at the end of the fortnight to help them work towards next year.