Manx GP Goes Big with Return of Two-Week Racing Format

The Manx Grand Prix will return to its traditional two-week racing schedule in 2025 after previously being condensed to one week of racing following the Covid-19 pandemic.

With participants in the races less than impressed by the reduced schedule which included five practice days and just one week of racing instead of the two that had been a mainstay for years, spectator numbers also dwindled.

The Manx Grand Prix, held around the famous Isle of Man TT course, saw just 14,299 audience members last season compared to 16,000 which was pre-Covid and the last time the event was staged over two weeks.

But for this year that is all change as the fortnight-long Manx GP is back with a bang, as all four races will take place over the late August Bank Holiday weekend.

Those races will then be followed by five Classic TT races and a parade lap. The extended timetable should also provide greater flexibility to reschedule races in case of bad weather, which both the Manx GP and Isle of Man TT have been majorly affected by in recent years.

The decision to expand once again to a two-week race schedule, according to the Manx government, is to re-establish the Manx GP as a feeder-type event for the TT, therefore allowing emerging talent to showcase what they are capable of.

Chair of the BMF (British Motorcycle Federation), Jim Freeman, is very much in favour of the new format, saying: “I remember being pit crew for Tony Ainslie, riding a mate’s T150V Proddie racer, a great experience, at a Manx GP. I hope they replaced those quick filler refuelling devices; we had to prop the lid ajar with some pliers to avoid air locks. All good fun, two weeks sounds great, with space for the weather.”

The current dates have not been updated but the event will take place throughout August.

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