Majority rule as Isle of Man TT feature race cancelled for only second time in 118-year history

Telegraph

7 hours ago

It was the anticlimax that thousands had feared all week, but 10 minutes before the start of Saturday night's rain-delayed Senior TT on the Isle of Man, the fact that not a single bike had made its way onto Glencrutchery Road gave the game away.
Several riders, including Honda Racing's Dean Harrison and 8Ten Racing BMW's Davey Todd, who had both already won races this week and were hotly fancied to battle it out for Senior TT honours, had made their feelings known to clerk of the course Gary Thompson that conditions were still the wrong side of dangerous to go racing.
Many expressed their frustrations with the decision after what had been a heavily disrupted fortnight because of the weather. Frequent rain showers and gale-force winds of up to 60mph had battered the island earlier in the week. Long delays before sessions could get under way had left fans patiently waiting in the fields and pavements that line the 37.73-mile course.
But there were several clues throughout the week that point to why Thompson had no choice but to listen.
Some riders wanted to go racing. But many more did not. 'It was clear, after speaking with a number of competitors from across the field following the Course Inspection Lap, that conditions were not where they needed to be,' Thompson said.
'A couple of competitors said they'd be happy to ride to the conditions, but the overwhelming majority felt that the wind speeds – the way they were gusting, and the fact they were coming from the opposite direction to what they had experienced over the past two weeks – made the conditions too unpredictable and not fit for racing.'
We had already witnessed what the wind could do. Earlier in qualifying week, the sidecar outfit of Pete Founds and Jevan Walmsley had suffered a terrifying crash at the Rhencullen jump when wind got under their DDM Honda. The pair were lucky to survive a frightening and fiery crash with just arm injuries for Founds.
There had been several scares for the solo riders, too. Michael Rutter, the 30-year veteran of the TT, is still being treated for spinal injuries after suffering a crash in the second Supertwin TT, having been transferred to the Walton Centre in Liverpool. Jonathan Goetschy, the French rider of several years' experience at the TT who finished 19th in this year's Superbike TT, remains in a serious condition after suffering head, chest and spinal injuries. Veronika Hankocyova also remains in hospital after a crash in the first Supertwin race.
The dangers were not just restricted to competitive sessions either. James Hind, the rapidly improving Lincolnshire rider who was knocking on the door of his maiden TT podium this week, suffered a huge scare during a Course Inspection Lap when he hit a hidden damp patch.
This is the James Hind moment on the inspection lap that the TT+ coverage is talking about.
The mother and father of all moments!!! 😲 @ttracesofficial #IOMTT #TT2025 https://t.co/RvXwlXRNTw
— Steven Gaitt (@gaittman) June 6, 2025
Tom Weeden was not so lucky earlier in the week. The Maidstone racer clipped the wall on entry to Glen Helen during qualifying last week and the impact did enough damage to his handlebars to jam the throttle open, sending him off the back of the bike at high speed and flying feet-first into the barrier. 'Somehow only 'walked away' with left leg tib/fib, dislocated and smashed up ankle on right leg, broken T12 vertebra, broken hand and a messed-up little finger. I feel extremely lucky to be here at all,' Weeden said from his hospital bed.
At the TT there are accidents that cannot be avoided. Mechanical failures can strike anyone at any time, as Peter Hickman learned the hard way. The 14-time TT winner was unable to add to his collection this week after suffering injuries in a qualifying accident at Kerrowmoar understood to have been caused by a mechanical failure on his 8Ten Racing BMW that sent him hurtling into a wall at 140mph.
Well this isn't quite how I'd planned my TT to go!! 🤕😂
Had a bit of a get off on Friday night… Nothing quite like a 140mph slap against the Manx countryside 🙈 Battered and bruised, but we'll be back 💪🏼 @bmwmotorraduk
@bmwmotorradmotorsport @phrperformance pic.twitter.com/riXRScVESi
— Peter Hickman (@peterhickman60) June 1, 2025
The six serious accidents that occurred over the course of the week will have been at the forefront of Thompson's mind when riders came to see him on Saturday evening, fully in the knowledge that those crashes happened in significantly better conditions than they were experiencing ahead of the Senior TT.
'You've got damp patches, it's just difficult,' said Harrison, winner of both Superstock races earlier in the week. 'It's half-past seven at night, it's cold. It is disappointing but upwards and onwards from here.'
Todd, who claimed victory in the Superbike TT, added: 'I've rode in much stronger winds mile-per-hour-wise, but I've never experienced riding a bike like that. The conditions are crazy out there.'
And so, at 6.54pm on Saturday, just six minutes before the big finale of the week was due to get under way, Thompson's klaxon rang out over the paddock to deliver the news no one was surprised to hear.
'Delaying or cancelling any qualifying session or race is never an easy decision,' Thompson explained. 'Of course, in situations like this, the prestige and profile of the Senior TT naturally come to mind, but there are far more important matters at stake. Ultimately, we're here to deliver the event in the safest possible manner – and unfortunately, that simply wasn't achievable this evening.'
Given the challenges faced this week, it was impressive that nine of the 10 scheduled races were completed, albeit the majority at reduced length. But when weather forced the Senior TT to be cancelled for only the second time in the event's 118-year history, and several high-speed crashes had already been recorded throughout the week, perhaps the most impressive thing is no one lost their life at the TT this year. For that, the riders have Thompson to thank.