Preparations for TT 2026 are continuing at pace this week as organisers, teams and riders descend on the Grandstand ahead of the festival getting underway.
Behind the TT Grandstand on Glencrutchery Road, activity has been building steadily, with paddock areas being assembled, temporary facilities installed and teams beginning to set up camp ahead of qualifying week.
Thousands of visitors are expected to travel to the Isle of Man over the coming weeks as qualifying and race week return, bringing with them the annual buzz surrounding the event, packed grandstands and increased traffic on roads around the TT Course.
Qualifying week officially begins on Monday, May 25, with untimed free practice sessions and the opening qualifying sessions taking place throughout the day.
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As in previous years, the Mountain Road will close in phases before the full TT Course shuts. The Mountain section will begin closing from 8.45am, before the entire course closes from 10am.
Speaking to Isle of Man Today, Head of Motorsport Paul Phillips described the final week of preparations as the busiest period of the year.
He said: ‘This is the busiest week of my year, and my team here. Once the event starts, it actually settles down a little bit.
‘But the last week of preparations leading right into the event is definitely the most frantic and presents the most amount of problems really.’
Mr Phillips said the continuing growth of the TT presented fresh challenges each year, particularly in ensuring the infrastructure behind the scenes kept pace with demand.
‘When it comes to this week in particular, building facilities and all that kind of preparation, good weather is really important to us because that can make a massive difference.
‘More or less it’s been okay and it looks like that’s going to get better as well, so fingers crossed we’re okay.’
The full interview with Mr Phillips, including discussion about behind-the-scenes changes for TT 2026 and the progress of the Hollywood film project, will appear in next week’s Examiner and on isleofmantoday.co.im.
