Isle of Man TT: Views sought on future road closures for racing

More than 46,000 people visited the island for the 2019 races

Racing in the Isle of Man TT could be extended to cover two weekends from 2023, the Department for Enterprise (DfE) has said.

A consultation has been launched over proposed changes to the days and times public roads could be closed to accommodate the event.

The TT has been cancelled for two consecutive years due the coronavirus pandemic.

A DfE spokesman said the changes aimed to create "growth" in audiences.

While potential road closures for the event will remain unchanged for the 2022 event, plans are in place for an overhaul the following year.

As the racing is held on public roads, organisers must secure a road closure order for the event to take place.

Organisers said audience numbers had begun to plateau

The proposals would see racing take place on both Saturday and Sunday at the start of race week instead of just Saturday.

Likewise, the following Saturday would be used as a showcase for the Senior TT race, which is usually held on Friday, a public holiday known as Senior Race Day.

Under the plans, the public holiday would remain in place with two other races taking place on the day.

Other changes include action usually held on Monday of race week being moved to Tuesday, providing two days of back-to-back racing.

Conversely, the first practice session would move to the late May Bank Holiday from its traditional home of the previous Saturday.

A DfE spokesman said attendance at the event had been "beginning to plateau" as visitor growth was "limited by travel and accommodation capacity".

Increasing the number of race days from four to six and condensing the races held during the working week by adding a second weekend would cater for visitors' desire to spend a long weekend on the island, he added.

The event is usually held during the first two weeks in June each year.

A consultation over the proposed changes is available online until 2 July.