The Diamond Races: NEW road racing festival on the Isle of Wight. Kicks off October 2021.

At this stage, specific dates haven’t been released – but the expectation is that there will be practice days on Wednesday and Thursday, before the time-trial racing gets underway on Saturday. The exact date will be announced once the 2021 British Superbikes calendar is confirmed. The plan is that the Diamond Races become the new end-of-season celebration for BSB riders, and that many of them head down to the Isle of Wight and get involved.

The events going to run Superbike, Supersport and lightweight machine racing, a sidecar demonstration and a ride out to offer visitors the chance to experience the course led by expert racers on closed roads. Oh and there’s talk of an electric motorcycle race in the future too.

The track is a 12.4 mile-long stretch of public roads in the south of the Isle of Wight. It cuts through the picturesque villages of Chale, Kingston, Shorwell and Brighstone – and there’s a fast 5-mile coastal stretch along the military road too.

Developed alongside the Isle of Wight council and experts from motorcycle racing, the new event will be run under ACU regulations. Some of the key players who’ve helped get the event off the ground include 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 (exBritish Touring Car Championship driver and Diamond Races co-founder) and Matt Neal (three-time British Touring Car Champion and Honda UK ambassador).

Speaking about the news, Paul Sandford, CEO and Co-Founder of the Diamond Races, said: “As an Isle of Wight local resident, I am very excited to welcome motorsport fans from across the globe to this beautiful island, for what is sure to be an unforgettable weekend of racing action and entertainment for the whole family. The Diamond Races is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and planning by the whole team, and we’re very lucky to have the best of the best involved with its setup. No stone is being left unturned in striving to deliver a spectacular event which we have every reason to believe will be a regular back-stop to the island’s tourist season and put the Isle of Wight on the international motorcycle road racing map.”

Dave Stewart, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Isle of Wight Council, said: “We have been working behind the scenes for quite some time now with event specialists looking into the feasibility of such a race meeting, and we are very excited that we can announce another first for the Isle of Wight. We are committed to developing and expanding the island’s economy and this event is sure to thrill local enthusiasts as well as attract visitors from the mainland and indeed northern Europe, which will help to extend the island’s tourist season and provide another boost to our economy in the final quarter of the year. Our emphasis will be on the safety of the event and I am pleased that the organisers are keen to work with us in the coming weeks and months to promote safe motorcycling here on the Island.”

For more information on the new road racing event, click HERE.