The 2020 TT Races will run on a revamped schedule, with qualifying getting underway one day later than in previous years.

The change is designed to improve spectator entertainment and mitigate the demands that are placed on teams, riders, volunteers including the TT Marshals Association and local residents.

The proposed schedule will mean some changes to road closure periods and the established racing schedule.

‘The proposed new schedule has been designed to optimise qualifying conditions and offer shorter race days, reducing the pressure placed on competitors, teams, volunteers and officials,’ commented Rob Callister for the Department of Enterprise.

‘This new format is also designed to minimise the impact that racing has on local residents and businesses with more clearly defined road closure schedules including the more definitive first weekend qualifying timetable and cutting the duration of road closures during race week which result in clearer, easier to follow road closure timetables.

‘This will bring benefits to rider, visitors and locals throughout the TT period.’

The proposals mean the TT will begin a day later than normal, starting on Sunday, May 31 with an afternoon qualifying session. Evening qualifying sessions will then run as before from Monday, June 1 to Thursday, June 4 with the final session moved from the evening to a new afternoon slot on Friday, June 5.

Provisional sessions remain in the schedule on Thursday afternoon and Friday evening now becomes a provisional session.

The new race day format starts with a single-lap morning warm-up session for solo competitors before the opening race of the week, the RST Superbike TT which gets underway at midday on Saturday, June 6 followed by the first Sidecar TT at 3pm.

Monday’s and Wednesday’s race days – featuring the two Supersport TTs, the RL360 Superstock and the Bennetts Lightweight – will also begin with a solo morning warm-up session, with a single-lap sidecar shakedown session added to the running order on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s second Sidecar TT and the Senior race.

ACU Events Ltd, as race organiser for the TT Races, will now submit the programme to the Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure for consideration and approval.

This proposed new schedule will be integrated with a new off-track entertainment programme that will be announced on Saturday, November 16 at Motorcycle Live in Birmingham.More in Thursday's Manx Independent