Rider calls for Isle of Man TT organisers to “get creative” after recent cancellations

Weather has affected several Superbike races on the Isle of Man recently

04 Sep 2025

Sam West claims competing at the Isle of Man TT and Classic TT is “difficult to justify for sponsors” due to race cancellations and has called on organisers to “get creative”.

This year’s Classic TT saw the Senior finale for retro Superbike machinery, as well as the Formula 1 race, cancelled due to poor weather on the Isle of Man last week.

That came just months after the Senior race at the 2025 Isle of Man TT also had to be scrubbed due to unsafe weather conditions, while Classic TT 2024 was severely impacted too.

TT races have not taken place on wet roads for well over two decades as a safety precaution.

But Sam West, who competes at the TT and the Classic TT, believes organisers must look for ways to stage races “when conditions aren’t ideal”.

In a Facebook post - in which West offers no solutions of his own - he said: “Back in the workshop now after the biggest anticlimax, Classic TT 2025.

“A great start to the event with perfect weather and the track in great condition… but the weather turned just as racing started and led to delays then cancellations.

“I’ve been building the Prosperity Racing Ducatis since October, so it's pretty gutting to not get a race after the huge effort to get the bikes built to a race winning standard.

“I only did a handful of laps in qualifying but the bike ran great and I knew we had the pace for a strong finish

“The last three Superbike races on IOM have all been cancelled due to poor track conditions/weather, which makes the event pretty difficult to justify for sponsors.

“If the TT can only now run in perfect conditions then we're just going to get more and more cancellations.

“Safety is important, but there is a balance and with no way to control the weather it's time for the organisers to get creative and work out a way to avoid cancellations when conditions aren't ideal.

“Massive thanks to my team, sponsors, and everyone who helped these complicated classic bike builds!”

West made this post on Wednesday 3 September, prior to TT organisers announcing this Thursday that it had altered its schedule for 2026 to allow for greater flexibility in case of weather disruption.