Covid: Isle of Man Southern 100 races cancelled for second year

The races are held on the Billown circuit in the south of the island

The Southern 100 road races on the Isle of Man have been cancelled for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event had been due to take place between 12 and 15 July on the Billown circuit in the south of the island.

Organisers said races had been called off because of uncertainty over the island's border restrictions.

The event relies heavily on visiting medics and marshals to allow the racing to go ahead.

The island's border has been closed to almost all non-residents since March last year.

The easing of border restrictions will be linked to the continued roll-out of the island's Covid-19 vaccine programme and infection rates in the UK, the chief minister said earlier.

Under a three-phase exit plan, restriction-free travel to the island by non-residents is not expected to be reinstated until September.

It had been hoped the 2021 races could go ahead after the island remained Covid-free for six months last year.

However, an outbreak of cases led to a three-week circuit breaker in January, and the Isle of Man entered its third lockdown on Wednesday following an increase in cases of unknown origin.

Club Chairman and Race Secretary George Peach said it was "very disappointing" to have to cancel the races again, which would be a "major blow" for the event's competitors and fans.

In November last year, the island's government announced the cancellation of the 2021 TT Festival, which had been due to take place in June, amid fears of Covid-19 spreading.

All major road racing events scheduled for the Isle of Man during 2020 were cancelled because of the pandemic.