Protyre News

After the Isle of Man Government cancelled the TT Races late last year, it was somewhat expected that the Manx National Rally – scheduled to run two weeks before the famous motorcycle festival – would also become a victim of the on-going Covid-19 situation.
 
Event organisers Manx Auto Sport did everything they could to save this year’s rally – but as they reached a critical time in their planning, a final decision had to be made.
 
Given the current lockdown legislation, and trying to predict what the implications of running a large-scale rally in less than four months time might be, it was left with only one option to cancel for 2021.
 
But all is not lost.
 
Anticipating this, the Protyre Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally Championship had already announced that the PokerStars Rally on 1-2 October, an event also organised and run by Manx Auto Sport, would be the 2021 reserve event.
 
So registered competitors will be able to do battle over the icon Isle of Man rally stages – but on October instead of May.

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Speaking about the decision to cancel this year’s Manx National Rally, event Clerk of the Course Mark Quayle said:
 
“Much like last year, this has not been an easy decision for the organising team who have been working hard behind the scenes to deliver another memorable rally on the island.
 
“But with so many uncertainties with restrictions and the large number of officials, competitors, support teams and volunteers that we draw in from the UK and even further afield, it would be impossible to predict the situation in May.
 
“We have left our decision as late as possible, but we have reached a critical stage in our planning and it is not possible to guarantee that an event of such a large scale could go ahead.
 
“We are of course disappointed that we cannot welcome the huge contingent that comes over from the UK to the rally, but we want to make sure the local crews have something to look forward to. You can be assured that the team will be back stronger than ever. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Manx National Rally in the future.
 
“I’d also like to stress that the PokerStars Rally, scheduled to run on 1-2 October, will go ahead as normal should the current restrictions be lifted, and I’d like to thank our members, supporters and championships for their backing in this tough period for us all.”
 
“Whilst we are obviously very disappointed in the cancellation, we do understand the reasons for this and the difficulty in proceeding with such a commitment with the levels of uncertainty still in place,” added Laurence Skelly MHK, the Isle of Man Minister for Enterprise.
 
“We have every confidence that the organisers will be able to bring back the event with a strong return, and as a department we look forward to welcoming visitors once again to our wonderful island when the time is right.”
 
The Manx National Rally will next run on 13-14 May 2022.