The government’s Head of Motorsport Paul Phillips says keeping up with the continued growth of the Isle of Man TT is becoming an increasing challenge as the event expands year on year.

As the 2026 TT began earlier this week, Mr Phillips reflected on the huge amount of work that goes into delivering the festival, describing the final build-up period as the busiest and most demanding part of the year for organisers.

Speaking ahead of the opening qualifying sessions, he said: ‘The event's growing quickly, and trying to keep up with that growth is a challenge.’

He added: ‘This is the busiest week of my year, and my team here. Once the event starts, it actually settles down a little bit.

‘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 preparations for this year’s TT had generally gone smoothly, helped in part by favourable weather conditions during the crucial set-up period.

‘Building facilities and all that kind of preparation, good weather is really important to us,’ he said.

‘That can make a massive difference and more or less it’s been okay.’

Visitors and regular TT followers may already have noticed several changes around the paddock and Grandstand this year, with Mr Phillips explaining that a series of smaller adjustments have combined to create a noticeably different feel to the event.

‘I think all those little changes together feel like a lot of change, actually,’ he said.

He explained that many of the updates had been driven by the continuing growth of the TT, including increased infrastructure requirements, sponsor activations and operational improvements around the racing itself.

One of the most high-profile additions this year has been the integration of filming for the upcoming feature film Island Man.

Mr Phillips described the production as a major opportunity for both the TT and the Isle of Man as a whole.

‘I think it’s a huge generational moment in terms of destination marketing for the island,’ he said.

‘It is a major, major production and it's probably difficult to fully comprehend until people really see the scale of the execution alongside the TT, and then subsequently when it reaches the cinema next year.’

Mr Phillips also addressed questions surrounding the relocation of the TT+ studio at the Grandstand, following discussion online from fans concerned about viewing areas.

He said the move was designed to enhance coverage for viewers watching around the world without significantly impacting spectators on site.

‘What that move is part of is to make sure that people watching online can see more of what makes it so special,’ he said.

Despite overseeing one of the world’s most demanding motorsport events, Mr Phillips admitted he rarely gets the opportunity to enjoy the racing itself.

‘I enjoy the work that we do,’ he said.

‘But no, the event itself passes me by in terms of what it would be like for everybody else.’