Isle of Man TT clerk of the course Gary Thompson says that changes to this year’s schedule have been met with approval from riders, as the TT moves to a modified calendar for practice week.
The 2026 schedule has, for the first time, introduced a rest day on Thursday to give teams the chance to better prepare for race week.
To make room for that, Monday’s ultimately aborted full session was otherwise due to become the first of two full-day practice and qualifying sessions alongside Wednesday – which is no longer simply an evening session, in order to make up for the introduction of the rest day.
“I’ve read what people say on Facebook, that it’s unworkable and all this sort of thing,” Thompson told The Race ahead of the start of TT action.
“But it’s not far removed from where it was, and we have got enough contingency sessions in place to to vary the schedule as and when and if we have to.
“Qualifying two goes out Tuesday evening as normal, but then the first change is Wednesday. We’ll go Wednesday afternoon, roads close at 12.30pm, we have Q3 in the afternoon, open the roads for an hour or so, and then Q4 in the evening.
“Thursday is a rest day, a contingency day. I was talking to Michael [Dunlop] the other day, and he was very positive about it, because it gives the teams a chance to change engines, or do whatever they have to do to the bikes, and they can do it in relatively peace and in a relaxed mode in the day, instead of having to finish practice, or finish qualifying, and then change engines overnight.
“And then the other big change is on Friday, we’ve got qualifying five in the morning, a short break, and then Q6, the final qualifying session on Friday afternoon before we go racing on Saturday.
“It’s a good schedule – I would say that anyway! – but it’s a good schedule and there is plenty of flexibility to get it in with whatever we get thrown up.”
While this year’s event might have got off to a bad start after a red-flag incident on Monday, in which eight spectators and a rider were injured, Thompson said that the course is in fantastic condition ahead of the rest of the week’s action.
“We did the formal course inspection on Wednesday [last week],” he added, “got the course licence issued, and the course is looking really, really good.
“There’s been some extensive resurfacing over the winter, or since winter.
“The island had a fairly bad winter, really, and lots of storm damage, so we’ve had some resurfacing at Ballaspur, which is on the exit of Ballacraine, Ginger Hall through to Kerramore, Ramsey Hairpin up to Waterworks 1, Waterworks 2, Guthrie’s, up at Brandywell, and then Keppelgate through to Kate’s Cottage.”