The Isle of Man government’s minister for enterprise, Tim Johnson, has revealed some compelling evidence for his department’s revival of the Classic TT brand to run alongside the Manx Grand Prix—returning to a far more commercially viable two-week format for the events.
The 2024 MGP last August attracted 14,229 visitors, following 14,130 visitors in 2023. In both cases, the numbers were far lower than the immediately pre-Covid tally of 16,019 visitors in 2019 and headcount steadily climbing from 15,600 visitors in 2016 to the 16,000-plus level. The post-Covid restoration difference, of course, involved reducing the MGP time-frame to practice over five days and then only a jumped-up weekend of racing, susceptible to further foreshortening due to inclement weather. Hoteliers and licensed victuallers were not amused.
The IoM Department for Enterprise’s new schedule in 2025 should now see all four MGP races taking place over the late August Bank Holiday weekend. And then they will be followed by five Classic TT races and a parade lap spanning 27 August to 29 August. Sufficient leeway for weather issues should feature too.
According to the government, its aim is to “re-establish the MGP as a feeder for the TT, providing a platform for emerging talent to showcase and develop their skills.” Replying to a recent question in the Island’s Tynwald parliament, minister Johnson explained: “Following significant feedback in respect of the reduced MGP event programme, my department, working together with key stakeholders, determined to revert to the long-established fortnight event period.”
A previous excuse for reducing the MGP programme, that there wouldn’t be enough experienced course marshals to provide adequate cover, has quietly disappeared.