Major schedule and class changes made for 2026 Isle of Man TT

A new schedule and revised Supertwin class will come into effect from 2026

04 Sep 2025

Michael Dunlop, 2025 Isle of Man TT
© Isle of Man TT

Isle of Man TT organisers have announced major changes to the schedule and to the Supertwins class for the 2026 event, while confirming provisional 2027 and 2028 dates.

The 2025 Isle of Man TT was met with weather challenges throughout the fortnight, though organisers were able to run all but the Senior TT finale.

Despite the headaches, this year’s TT proved to be the best attended in almost two decades, with organisers revealing a crowd figure of 51,650.

The TT last overhauled its schedule in 2023 to add an extra Superstock and Supertwin race to the event, as well as moving the Senior finale to a Saturday instead of a Friday.

With these changes providing a boost for event, organisers have now outlined a major change for the 2026 season.

New schedule for TT 2026 sees more qualifying, additional rest days

From 2026, there will be three rest days implemented into the schedule, increasing by one from 2025.

Qualifying week will now feature a rest day on the Thursday in order to allow the paddock additional respite during a hectic fortnight.

Despite this, qualifying sessions will increase from six to seven in 2026 with the addition of a daytime session on the Wednesday.

This has been done, according to the organisers, to move more sessions away from evening slots while offering more preparation time for competitors and teams.

Greater flexibility has been added to the schedule, too, with more contingency sessions available to the Clerk of the Course to find more usable track action slots beyond simply altering road closure times.

The race week schedule has also been tweaked, with Superstock and Supersport swapping in the programme.

For TT 2026, the first Superstock contest will open up race action. Since 2023, Supersport held this honour previously held by the Superbike class.

The Superbike TT remains the second solo race of the event, pencilled in for Sunday 30 May, while Supersport 1 is on Tuesday 2 June.

Superstock 2 will run on Wednesday 3 June, while Supersport 2 is on Friday 5 June.

A provisional schedule for TT 2026 has already been created to outline these changes.

Supertwin class in major overhaul for TT 2026

The biggest change for 2026 comes in the Supertwin class, which will now be known as the Sportbike TT as the event shifts the regulations to allow Sportbike machinery to compete alongside the current Supertwins.

This has been done in a bid to bring the TT more in line with class changes in British and World Championship competition.

Organisers have also outlined a continued push for the Supersport class to transition into Next Generation regulations as has been the case worldwide.

Commenting on the 2026 changes, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson said: “The refinements to the 2026 schedule reinforce the core structure of the event and ensure we remain responsive to the unique and evolving demands of the modern-day TT.

“Building greater resilience into the schedule remains a key priority, and these updates are designed to safeguard the race programme.

“The introduction of a scheduled rest day during qualifying and the expansion of contingency periods significantly enhances the flexibility of the event, while also placing greater emphasis on the welfare of the competitors, marshals, medics, officials, and volunteers who are essential to its success.

“Importantly, the increased flexibility provided by these additional contingency periods also supports decision-making in challenging conditions, allowing us to act more dynamically and with greater certainty.

“This not only safeguards the event itself but will also help us minimise the disruption to the

public by enabling clearer, more efficient operational planning.

“Combined with the technical updates to our race classes, these changes represent an important step in future-proofing the TT – protecting what makes it special today while strengthening its long-term sustainability.”