“Severe weather conditions” causes chaos to delay Isle of Man TT site opening

The opening of the site to fans at the Isle of Man TT has been delayed by 24 hours due to bad weather.

A statement from the Isle of Man TT read: “Due to the impact of the severe weather conditions earlier in the week, the 2024 Isle of Man TT Races site will no longer open to the public as planned on Saturday 25th May.

“Despite the event’s production team working tirelessly to get the site-build back on schedule, a decision has been made to delay the opening until 09:00am on Sunday 26th May.

“The weather conditions have had a significant impact on the ground conditions and the safety of everyone must remain paramount.

“This news will come as a disappointment to many, especially visiting fans as well as traders who will be impacted by this delay.

“The public should be aware that it may be necessary for the site to remain closed on Sunday 26th May. A final decision will be made on this by 12:00 on Saturday 25th May.

“For information the site consists of the TT Grandstand, Paddock, Fan Park and Car Parks.”

Strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday night caused extra work, with limited manpower, to clear the site before the bikes hit the track for the first time this year on Monday.

Tents, marquees, fencing and signage were damaged by the weather as the wind hit nearly 50mph (80km/h).

Head of motorsport Paul Phillips told BBC: "This is not the first time we have had bad weather during this period and we have got a well-rehearsed plan and approach for doing this kind of thing."

"Providing the weather plays ball, there will be bikes on track for Monday morning."

He described the clean-up as "quite a big undertaking" with a "finite amount of man power, resources and time".

There was also some disruption to flights and ferries to the Isle of Man due to the weather.

The 2024 Isle of Man TT begins on Monday May 27 and runs until Saturday June 8.