The Isle of Man TT Races has released a refined schedule and a range of revisions to race classes for the 2026 edition of the event.
An updated schedule has been confirmed for the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races, designed to add greater resilience and flexibility to the programme, support the welfare of competitors, teams, marshals, medics and race officials, and enhance the experience for visitors.
These refinements are in line with the TT’s long-term strategy created to deliver a sustainable, world-class event that drives increasing benefit to the Island’s economy.
Following the introduction of the restructured format in 2023 - and after welcoming 51,650 fans to the Island for TT 2025, the highest in over 15 years - the 2026 updates reflect a strategic and considered approach shaped by operational learnings, stakeholder feedback, and future planning. This growth has also enabled the event to welcome more visiting marshals and volunteers into the TT community, further strengthening the successful delivery of the races.
The 2026 schedule brings with it a number of important enhancements. The number of scheduled rest days has been increased from two to three, with Qualifying Week now featuring a rest day on Thursday. This will allow competitors, marshals, medics, officials, and volunteers valuable downtime after three days of on-course action. The number of planned practice and qualifying sessions will also increase from six to seven, including an additional daytime session on Wednesday. This adaption continues the trend away from evening sessions while providing riders with more opportunities to prepare for the race programme.
In addition, the number of contingency opportunities throughout the event has increased. This refinement is about creating additional windows of opportunity, and as such it is set to provide enhanced flexibility in the event of poor weather or delays rather than increasing the number of periods that the roads are closed.
Race Week itself will see a subtle refinement to the race programme. The Superstock and Supersport races will switch places in the running order, with Superstock now paired with the Sidecar races, and Supersport running alongside the Supertwin - now titled Sportbike - class. The update is designed to balance the physical demands of 1000cc class competition across the event.
TT 2026 will also see a series of changes to the race classes. The Supertwin class will be revised to allow Sportbike specification machines to compete for the first time with the two races newly titled Sportbike TT Race 1 and Sportbike TT Race 2. This move reflects the wider development of the Sportbike class internationally and its adoption in both World and British Championship competition. Current TT Supertwin and the new Sportbike machines will both be eligible to compete in 2026.
The Supersport class will also continue to fully transition towards the internationally adopted Next Generation regulations.
The Sunday following the Senior TT will remain as a fully resourced contingency race day.
Speaking about the updates, Gary Thompson MBE BEM, Clerk of the Course, ACU Events Ltd said:
“The refinements to the 2026 schedule reinforce the core structure of the event and ensure we remain responsive to the unique and evolving demands of the modern-day TT.
Building greater resilience into the schedule remains a key priority, and these updates are designed to safeguard the race programme. The introduction of a scheduled rest day during qualifying and the expansion of contingency periods significantly enhances the flexibility of the event, while also placing greater emphasis on the welfare of the competitors, marshals, medics, officials, and volunteers who are essential to its success.
Importantly, the increased flexibility provided by these additional contingency periods also supports decision-making in challenging conditions, allowing us to act more dynamically and with greater certainty. This not only safeguards the event itself but will also help us minimise the disruption to the public by enabling clearer, more efficient operational planning.
Combined with the technical updates to our race classes, these changes represent an important step in future-proofing the TT – protecting what makes it special today while strengthening its long-term sustainability.”
Paul Phillips, Head of Motorsport, Isle of Man TT Races, added:
“The 2026 schedule has been shaped by our long-term ambitions for the TT. We’re focused on delivering a sustainable world-class event that continues to grow its global audience, delivers increasing benefits to the Island’s economy, and secures the future of the races for generations to come.
These refinements are the result of constant learning, and collaboration. They not only help protect the integrity of the racing but also reflect our ambition to create the best possible experience for everyone involved, from the riders and teams to the increasing number of fans on the hedgerows and those that watch live from around the globe.”
The full day-by-day schedule for TT 2026 can be viewed now at iomttraces.com, with full session timings to be published later this year, subject to Road Closure approval by the Department for Infrastructure in accordance with the Road Races Act 2016.
Looking ahead, provisional dates for future editions of the TT have been set to support forward planning by all stakeholders, as well as the Island’s travel infrastructure - a move intended to benefit both the event and visiting fans.
While the confirmed detailed schedules for each year will continue to be confirmed following the evaluation of the preceding event, these indicative dates provide fans, teams and competitors, volunteers and travel operators with the opportunity to plan ahead, helping to ensure the smooth delivery of the TT and the best possible experience for all who attend.
The provisional dates are:
TT 2027 - Monday 31st May to Saturday 12th June 2027 TT 2028 - Monday 29th May to Saturday 10th June 2028