The Department for Enterprise has today confirmed the final schedule for the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races.
The 2023 Isle of Man TT Races will run from Monday 29th May (Bank Holiday Monday which includes a full day of qualifying) until Saturday 10th June, with the first race on Saturday 3rd June. The Senior TT Race is now planned to take place on Saturday 10th June.
The Isle of Man Government has also confirmed that although Senior Race day has now moved, Friday 9th June will remain as a Bank Holiday that shall be known as the ‘TT Bank Holiday’. A full copy of the schedule is available on www.iomttraces.com
The new 10 race schedule for 2023 will hopefully drive the long term sustainability of the event delivering a range of benefits that include:
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Increasing overall visitor numbers and economic benefit by creating two long weekend options for visiting fans, most of whom prioritise time off work when deciding to attend events.
· Filling the accommodation capacity towards the end of the racing programme that will in turn give visitors greater flexibility and further benefit accommodation providers where currently over 65% of fans have left before the Senior TT.
· Reducing the duration of race days, lessening the impact on residents as well as reducing the demand on volunteers and officials, including marshals, teams, and competitors.
· Improved offering for race fans with more racing and both feature Superbike Races positioned in prime viewing times (weekend afternoons).
The Department’s decision to proceed with the schedule was made based on the extensive research previously carried out including two separate public consultations, as well as the clearly identified benefits that align with the TT’s overarching strategy and mission ‘to deliver a sustainable world-class TT that increases the economic benefit to the Isle of Man’.
Tim Crookall MHK, Political Member with responsibility for Tourism and Motorsport, commented:
’I would like to thank all those who have contributed to our research over the past number of years including those who took the time to contribute to the public consultations. I strongly believe the confirmed schedule for 2023 will bring in a number of long-term benefits to the event and the Isle of Man.
‘The TT returned in 2022 after a two-year hiatus and ushered in significant changes designed to take the event forward into a new era of success. The new schedule is a key piece of that jigsaw and unlocks greater potential for more visitors to come to our island and experience the event at a time when it is attracting new audiences around the world with increased broadcast content and distribution.’
Lawrie Hooper MHK, Minister for Enterprise, commented:
‘The schedule for TT 2023 has been developed following an extensive amount of research and stakeholder feedback. This research revealed that the existing TT schedule, the Island’s travel capacity, the Island’s accommodation infrastructure, costs factored against current economic climate, and the changing habits of customers are no longer compatible and do not meet the needs of the event’s customers.
‘Taking into consideration these clear challenges identified in the research and bearing in mind the overarching TT strategy, the new schedule for 2023 is a proactive step towards supporting visitor growth and offers clear benefits to local businesses and the economy. The Island’s current TT capacity is limited to around 28,000 visitors at any one time, with the current visitor curve highlighting infrastructure pressures on the middle weekend. In its simplest form, the new schedule aims to sustain current visitor numbers whilst also promoting growth. We expect this new schedule to encourage new visitor patterns and capitalize on capacity, driving an additional 50,000 bed nights over time, which would represent an additional spend on the Island of £6million.’
A full copy of the schedule can be found here: www.iomttraces.com