The 2026 Classic TT delivered exceptional road racing across the Isle of Man Mountain Course, featuring vintage machinery, new lap records, and historic milestones.
Qualifying Overview
Qualifying week delivered dry roads and rising speeds across all classes. Joe Yeardsley topped the charts to take pole in the newly introduced Junior 600 category, while Michael Dunlop and Mike Browne traded blistering times in the big-bike sessions, setting the tone for record-setting race days.
The 2026 Manx Grand Prix was scheduled to take place from 16th August – 24th August 2026. The MGP Schedule also takes in qualifying for the Classic TT Races with Classic Racing Events running until 28th August 2026.
The 2026 Manx Grand Prix delivered history on the Snaefell Mountain Course, headlined by a record-breaking four-race clean sweep by Galashiels rider Johnny Stewart. With the Classic TT returning as a standalone event, the 102nd edition of the MGP focused on contemporary machinery across the Sportbike, Supersport, Junior, and Senior classes.
Qualifying Overview :
Qualifying week delivered rapid times under favorable weather. Johnny Stewart signaled his intentions early by topping the Supersport leaderboard aboard the LPA Racing Ducati Panigale V2, posting a 120.593 mph flyer. In the Sportbike sessions, Liam Chawke (113.374 mph), Eddy Wormald, and Lee Hara consistently featured near the top of the sheets before Stewart clocked a benchmark 114.502 mph lap in the closing sessions.
STATEMENT ISSUED AT 19:30 ON WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2026
STATEMENT ISSUED FROM THE MANX GRAND PRIX RACES
The Manx Grand Prix Races is deeply saddened to announce that Sam Naughton, 37, from Castletown, Isle of Man, died in an incident during Wednesday afternoon’s qualifying at the 2026 Manx Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Doran’s Bend, during the third qualifying session of the event.
Having made his debut in 2025, Sam was in his second year of competing at the Manx Grand Prix, and was a regular competitor at a number of other road racing events since he began racing in 2020.
The Manx Grand Prix Races pass on their deepest sympathy to his wife Charlotte, his children Bonnie, Liam, Jesse and Parker, his family, and friends.
STATEMENT ISSUED AT 17:00 ON WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2026
STATEMENT ISSUED FROM THE MANX GRAND PRIX RACES
With great sadness, the Manx Grand Prix Races confirms that Mauro Poncini, 29, from Caslano, Switzerland, died in an incident during Tuesday’s qualifying at the 2026 Manx Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Cruickshanks, on the opening lap of the second qualifying session.
Mauro was an experienced competitor within the Supersport and Supertwin classes, with an established record of competing at a number of road racing events prior to making his Mountain Course debut this year.
The Manx Grand Prix Races pass on their deepest sympathy to his father Florio, mother Manuela, sister Marzia and girlfriend Sharon, as well as his family and friends.
The 2026 Isle of Man TT was one of the most difficult for the organisers in recent history. Practice week saw the Island baked in glorious sunshine however numerous on track incidents resulted in many schedule changes, however as qualifying got successfully wrapped up unfortunately the weather also left the Island behind bringing almost a solid week of rain.
After a week of week of inclement weather leading to postponements and cancellations only 5 races were declared. The Senior TT having only one complete and actually being declared a result after a red flag on lap 2.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
The second week of the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races will go down as one of the most weather-disrupted and logistically challenging in the event’s modern history. Persistent rain and adverse conditions relentlessly forced cancellations, truncations, and major schedule overhauls, leaving the Clerk of the Course in a constant battle against the elements.
Out of the ten originally planned contests, only five official race results were declared across the entire event. Notably, both Superstock races were scrapped entirely, and the Sidecar class was suspended for the remainder of the event following serious incidents during practice week.
The second week saw a near-total blackout of racing from Wednesday through Thursday due to unrelenting rain. To salvage the schedule, organizers compressed the remaining action into Friday, June 5, executing a marathon itinerary that included the rescheduled Supersport Race 2, the newly re-branded Sportbike Race 1 (formerly Supertwin), and the blue-ribbon Milwaukee Senior TT.
When Saturday, June 6 brought yet another wave of dense fog and heavy rainfall, the final race day was officially abandoned. In an official statement, the Clerk of the Course summarized the historic frustrations:
“This has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging TTs in recent years from a weather perspective. Over the course of the event, we set out with nine days on which racing could potentially have taken place, and rain will have affected seven of them. That is an exceptional set of circumstances and it has had a major impact on what we have been able to deliver. Throughout the event, the weather simply hasn’t worked in our favour.”
The opening week of the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races has delivered a stark reminder of why the Mountain Course remains the ultimate, most unforgiving test in motorsport. As continuous track action wrapped up for the qualifying stages on Friday afternoon, May 29, the paddock’s focus was heavily divided between record-shattering pace on the tarmac and deep solemnity following severe incidents that reshaped this year’s event program.
Unprecedented Decision: Sidecar Class Suspended
The most significant operational headline of the opening week came on Thursday, May 28, when race organisers took the historic and highly precautionary step to suspend all remaining Sidecar action from the 2026 schedule.
The decision followed an immediate technical and operational review initiated after a series of heavy incidents during the week. Opening practice saw a red flag when Maria Costello MBE and passenger Shaun Parker came off at Brandish; while Costello was reported in serious but stable condition, Parker required extensive treatment for severe trauma injuries. The tipping point occurred during Wednesday evening’s third qualifying session, where the dominant local frontrunners, brothers Ryan and Callum Crowe, suffered a violent crash. Both were hospitalised, with Callum undergoing shoulder surgery and Ryan sustaining a broken wrist and burns.
In an official statement released at 12:15 PM on May 28, the Isle of Man TT Race Organisation stated:
Following the removal of the sidecar competition from this year’s Isle of Man TT Races a revised schedule has been issued.
This to will be subject to change and the timings should be considered approximate or as a guide, but as it stands, the current Race Schedule for the 2026 Isle of Man TT Road Races is as follows :
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
Following an incident involving a Sidecar team during the third Qualifying Session of the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races, the Race Organisation initiated an immediate technical and operational review to assess the circumstances surrounding the incident and the continued participation of the Sidecar class at the event.
Following that review, in conjunction with the Event Promoter, a decision has been taken to suspend the Sidecar class for the remainder of the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races.
This precautionary measure has been implemented in the interests of competitor and spectator safety and reflects the Race Organisation’s commitment to reviewing all aspects of event safety and operational delivery whenever an incident occurs.
All sidecar competitors and teams involved in the event have been briefed by Race Officials on the outcome of the initial review and the next stages of the assessment process.
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