Classic TT brought back to boost visitor numbers

Organisers are hoping to capitalise on the popularity of June's TT races to boost visitors in August

The Classic TT is set to return to the Isle of Man's road-racing schedule in 2025 for the first time since 2019 to boost visitor numbers, the enterprise department has said.

First held alongside the Manx Grand Prix (MGP) in 2013, the brand was scrapped by the government after a review following the coronavirus pandemic.

The changes for the next three years, which will see a return to classic racing under the TT banner, will also see the event extended from nine to 13 days.

Subject to road closure approvals, the 2025 event will run between 17 and 29 August.

The 2024 event was hampered by delays caused by red-flag incidents and poor weather, leading to the full programme of racing having to be crammed into the final day.

The revised schedule is set to see qualifying for the MGP start off proceedings for three days, following by sessions for the Classic classes.

Racing will also be split into two periods, with the Supertwin, Supersport, Junior and Senior MGP races on modern machinery set to take place first on 23 and 25 August.

That will be followed by the Formula 1, Lightweight, Historic Junior, Historic Senior and Classic Senior TT races on 27 and 29 August.

The Department for Enterprise (DfE) said the three-year "strategic intervention" was designed to "encourage additional visitors to the latter part of the event".

The DfE added there had been a "significant increase in global interest" in the TT and move looked to "leverage this momentum through the reintroduction of the Classic TT" brand.

'A celebration of the most iconic decades in TT history'

The changes are expected to increase the number of visitors, including those who marshal

Head of motorsport at the DfE Paul Phillips said the reintroduction of the classic event would be "a celebration of some of the most iconic decades in TT history".

The races would "not only honour the great riders of those eras but also provide a chance to see some of legendary machines roar back to life on the Mountain Course, piloted by the best riders of the modern day", Phillips added.

Under the arrangements, the DfE will take on the role of promoter for the Classic TT while the Manx Motor Cycle Club (MMCC) will retain responsibility for promoting the MGP.

Sarah Maltby MHK of the DfE said the changes reflected a "desire to support the Island’s motorsport heritage, fostering both cultural and economic sustainability for our visitor economy".

She added the new schedule would go a long way to helping overcome the current "operational challenges faced by groups that relied on visitors to help cover racing events, such as volunteer marshals".

The MMCC said the changes would allow it to "concentrate on modern racing categories and its long-standing tradition of nurturing rising stars of the sport".

Club chairman John McBride said the "re-focussed approach" would ensure that the event could "continue to play an important role in road racing for many years to come".