Motorsport fans will no doubt be jumping with joy at the news that the inaugural Isle of Wight Road Races is to take place between 20th-23rd April 2022.
The major motorcycle race will follow a 12.4-mile course through the villages of Chale, Shorwell and Brighstone before a 200mph blast down Military Road. Isle of Wight Road Races (IWRR) will be an elite level motorcycle racing spectacle that will attract many of the sports top riders and teams. – as well as floods of spectators.
Next year’s event is planned to be a showcase for British motorsport, as well as a proving ground for sustainable biofuels. The event, organised by ACU Events Ltd and managed by APL Events, will be based around a paddock and race village on land at Atherfield.
The ‘Chale’ course was originally announced by Diamond Races a year ago today, for an event that was due to take place in October 2021. It’s unclear what has become of the Diamond Races brand and expert team, with Isle of Wight Road Races suddenly appearing when it was announced Diamond Races wouldn’t be taking place. It was initially suggested this alternative race would take place in the Tapnell and Middle Road area in October.
A 6-week public consultation process will start from Sunday (1st August) to explain the format, timings and impact of the event; especially for those residents and businesses located close to or on the proposed course. A public meeting will be held on 12th August.
The event will require that the public road sections used for the race be closed for the racing period. It’s proposed that roads will be closed from 10:30-15:15 and 17:00-20:30 on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st, 10:30-15:15 on Friday 22nd and 09:30-18:00 on Saturday 23rd April.
James Kaye, event promoter and British Touring Car Champion, who was also part of Diamond Races, says:
“We felt it was sensible to wait until the after national restrictions had been lifted in England before sharing this announcement. We’ve had two false starts already due to the pandemic and we wanted to avoid further disappointment.
“The Isle of Wight is an ideal location for us to pioneer the use of carbon-neutral fuels that are less harmful to our environment. Our Biosphere status encourages us all to learn new ways in which we can live on our diverse and ecologically important island. The Isle of Wight Road Races will be at the forefront of promoting future energy technology”.
Each year the Isle of Man sees a boost of over £30million into the local economy as a result of motorcycle racing, with 60,000 visitors spending over £44million which supports some 815 jobs. It is hoped that at least some of that success can be replicated here on the Isle of Wight in an event that could, in years to come, be as important to the Island as the likes of the Isle of Wight Festival and Cowes Week.
More details of the public consultation programme can be found on the event website at www.iwrr.co.uk.
Really against this.. not as a concept, but the route. Far better, more interesting and less disruptive course would be to head north from Brook Chine, Up to the Middle Road at Shalcombe, along to Afton and then to Freshwater Bay, a long hill climb and over the top and down through the bends to COmpton and back to Brook.
Minimal impact on residents (the poor people of Chale, Shorwell, Brighstone and the animals of Grange Farm deserve better!).
Its a Motor bike race circuit already will hardly make any difference .
What about all the pot holes?
I hope the locals in the area remember not to take their dogs for a walk!..and will all the cars parked on the road be removed? because someone is bound to arrive on the island that know nothing about it.
How did this get the go ahead? I can’t remember it being passed by the Council.I wonder how many brown envelopes passed hands?
No doubt envelopes were involved!
20 /30 years ago maybe, 2022 it is hardley clean & environmentaly friendly, i hope we are not paying for any changes to the roads like the removal of. The cats eyes which will ne disruption before tje event even starts
Try reading it again .
so the car racing when it comes back to sandown is ok then
Wishful thinking. It will never happen. At least the lockdown did one good thing. It prevented this unwanted event from taking place.
Bring it on! Let’s have some revenue for our B&Bs – hotels will make a killing. Maybe have the two HRHs here on their motorcycles like the IoM
All of these ‘not in my back yard’ moaners really need to just go away. The Island lives on tourism, it is our only real income and preventing things like this from happening is precisely why the Island is gradually collapsing. Stopping this would be the biggest piss take since the WORLD FIM Motocross championship was stopped. I’m 32 and will have to live on this Island long after most of you in the comments will have popped your clogs, kindly go away and allow the Island to be a place where things actually happen and a future can be had for the younger generation. We can’t all retire down here from London for the ‘quiet life’ you know.
You don’t have to live on this island at all.. there is a wole other land across the sea to the North.. you might prefer it…
Pretty soon there won’t be a choice because there will be nothing left on the Island at all. Other than of course second homes for selfish rich asshats who have completed their vision of attaining total silence apart from the sound of a Honda Jazz trundling to the only shop on the Island, a garden center to buy a tea on a Sunday. Enjoy your future.
Has anyone actually agreed to this ? Take their names
Emergency services will be swamped over event!
How is a ‘consultation’ that explains the event an actual consultation? It is a briefing of a fait accompli surely?
Makes a change from the Marlborough Road
Midnightthrash it to death no silencer class TT i suppose.Superb news…let’s all keep fingers and toes (6) crossed for this groundbreaking event.
So refreshing to see something new and exciting coming to this stale crusty old neglected island…and no doubt much needed income…income that the wealthy blue rinse retired boat owners don’t want to spend locally!!
Can’t wait to hear those bikes scream down the old military road… can’t come soon enough!!!
Great great news about time I’m glad it’s going ahead well done those involved it will give the oveners something to moan a bout they would stop everything if they had a chance
Bit unfair as i
m a pensioner "overner" and being a bike rider i cant wait.All the power to you. The issue are those who come down after retirement and immediately want to shut everything down to preserve their idealogical view of the Island being backwards and quaint. This isn’t just about road races, it’s a terrible mindset that is prevalent across the Island.
to all the sad people on this island who say they are Really against this ok why don’t we have all the cyclists over here we can close all the roads for a week as most of them go so slow and the roads we do open we can have slow cyclists on those roads as well holding everyone up like they do
They already have cycle races on the Island. They are called ‘events’ because it’s illegal to have races on an open public road. Yet everyone seems to have numbers and matching team jerseys. To make matters worse these lycra wearing idiots ride 5 abreast across the road with such an entitled attitude you’d think it was the f*cking Tour De France going on. But it isn’t, it’s load of dangerous sad acts doing Lance Armstrong cosplay, but they’re pussy at it because they still have two balls and no steroids.