Isle of Wight races delayed by road closure ‘issues’

Isle of Wight Road Races chiefs have been forced to delay this year’s inaugural event due to ‘unresolved’ issues with road closure orders.

The event was due to run in April but a Motor Race Order (MRO) - the permission needed to close public roads for motor sport - has yet to arrive.

The ACU has confirmed to the promoter that it issued all the relevant paperwork, including the correct permit as part of the Isle of Wight’s application.

In a statement to the promoter, the Council has said that ‘it is not yet satisfied that the application has been duly made in accordance with the relevant legislation’.

“We have reluctantly accepted that the Isle of Wight Road Races now can’t go ahead on our planned dates this year,” said event promoter and former touring car ace James Kaye.

“Our Motor RacecOrder application was submitted on time to the Isle of Wight Council on 19th October 2021, but has not yet been determined.

“We understand that there are some technical concerns, but this is out of our control and the clock has run down.

“We would like to thank all the Isle of Wight Road Races fans and in particular the Island-based motorcycle clubs and the Facebook supporters group for their continued enthusiasm and encouragement.

Especially those who had already looked to book travel and accommodation for April. We have received an enormous amount of positivity from across the whole Island, including many residents, land owners and businesses based in and around the circuit in Brighstone, Chale and Shorwell.

“We look forward to securing new dates for the Isle of Wight Road Races as soon as possible.”

The IWC is the Highways Authority which can issue a MRO, whilst the ACU is the governing body of motorcycle racing in England. It issues