Diamond Races is a new road racing festival which will be held in October 2021 on the Isle of Wight. Road racing fans can rejoice as next year there’ll be two TT races – Isle of Man TT and Isle of Wight Diamond Races.
We all know how racers go head-to-head every year on the 37.73-mile mountain course through the roads, trees and houses at the Isle of Man. Unfortunately, this year the IOM TT (Isle of Man Tourist Trophy) was canceled due to the current pandemic, but next year, we’ll have the chance to see another event.
The Diamond Races is set to take place on a 12.4 mile-long course in the south of the Isle of Wight, just two hours was from central London, in the UK. The road race will go through the villages of Chale, Kingston, Shorwell and Brighstone as well as a fast five-mile coastal stretch along the military road. Spectators and road racing fans will get to watch the Superbike, Supersport, and SuperTwin series in action on the 12.4-mile loop as well as a Sidecar racing demonstration.
The Diamond Races will be held under strict regulations enforced by the sports’ governing body, the ACU (Auto Cycle Union), through which all UK motorcycle sport is administered. Besides road racing, the event is focused on road safety as well as the importance of safe road use. In addition to the races, the organizers will offer the option for motorcyclists to ride on the Diamond Races course, led by professional road races to experience road racing on safe, closed and controlled roads in order to promote road safety.
Moreover, the Diamond Races were developed with the help of the local Isle of Wight council and a couple of motorcycle racing experts. Among the organizers, we find some important names including Gary Thompson MBE (Isle of Man TT Clerk of the Course), Steve Plater (past Isle of Man TT Senior winner and ex British Champion), Neil Tuxworth (ex-Honda Racing Manager) as well as James Kaye (ex- British Touring Car Championship driver and Diamond Races co-founder) and Matt Neal (three-time British Touring Car Champion and Honda UK ambassador).
Diamond Races are scheduled to take place in October 2021, with two practice days on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the time-trial races on a Saturday. At the moment, there’s no exact date scheduled for the event, but the official day for Diamond Races will be announced after the 2021 British Superbike calendar is published.
The goal for these races is to become a year-to-year event scheduled as a celebration to end the motorcycle road racing season while the Diamond Races are planned to take place a week after the British Superbike season wraps up at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
It’ll be the first time a professional road race is held at the Isle of Wight which will be a good reason for the motorsport industry to gather racing fans and spectators from a total population of 17 million people who are estimated to live in the UK’s London & South East region.
It all sounds awesome and we have to say that motorsport needs more events like these. So, we’re looking forward to seeing these guys racing on the edge next year.