The well-established race programmes for next year’s TT and sister event, the Festival of Motorcycling, later in the summer will see little change.

TT 2018 will commences with a week of qualifying from Saturday, May 26, with the race action getting slightly earlier than this year at midday on Saturday, June 2 with the Superbike event, followed later by the first of two Sidecar races.

The 40th anniversary of Mike Hailwood’s famous TT comeback will be celebrated at the Classic TT in late August.

The middle weekend of the Festival of Motorcycling will again by Classic based with a paddock party on the Friday of August 24, racing on the Saturday and a parade by John McGuinness on the original Sports Motorcycles Ducati that Hailwood raced in 1978 comeback.

The Jurby Festival will again take place on the Sunday with a further full day of racing on the Monday.

The Manx Grand Prix will also get away in earnest with the Newcomers race later in the day, followed by the Lightweight and Junior on the Wednesday and the introduction of a second Lightweight race on the Friday morning, prior to the blue riband Senior event.

l This Sunday is TT Day at Motorcycle Live in the NEC, Birmingham. Stand by for a major announcement about local rider Dan Kneen’s 2018 plans.