The 2026 Isle of Man TT has been thrown into disarray by persistent bad weather, forcing organisers to tear up the schedule for a second time and move the blue-riband Senior TT forward to Friday in a bid to rescue the meeting.
Unsettled conditions around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course have wiped out track time all week, with low cloud and mist over the mountain repeatedly halting running. To date only the Superbike TT and the opening Supersport race have been completed competitively.
With the forecast offering a window on Friday, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson opted to prioritise the event's headline race rather than risk losing it altogether — as happened in 2025.
"The revised programme has been developed to give us the strongest possible opportunity to complete the remaining races, while also protecting the delivery of the Senior TT as the headline race of the event," Thompson said.
Under the reshuffle, the Senior TT — originally set for Saturday — moves to Friday afternoon and is cut from six laps to four. It headlines a packed Friday card that also includes Supersport Race 2, reduced from four laps to three, and the opening Sportbike race. Moving the Senior to the bank holiday Friday allows roads to stay closed from 9am to 9:30pm, giving organisers maximum flexibility, with Saturday and Sunday acting as contingency days.
"We recognise the disappointment that disruption causes for competitors, teams, marshals, residents and fans, and I would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and continued support throughout the event," he said.
Despite the frustration, the veteran official struck a defiant and hopeful note as the meeting headed into its closing days.
"We have been hit by bad weather this week, but we are doing absolutely everything we can to get the races in, so we are looking for a good Friday and hopefully a Saturday or a Sunday," Thompson said. "Let's hope we have a good last few days."
The compressed timetable means several classes will run reduced-distance races, but organisers are betting that getting the Senior away — even at four laps — is worth the gamble after the disappointment of losing it entirely a year ago.
For the riders, the priority now is simple: clear roads, a dry mountain, and enough of a weather window to settle the 2026 TT on the track.
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