Two people receive specialist care after TT crash

Two spectators watching the opening day of the Isle of Man TT festival have been flown to the UK for specialist medical care after a competitor crashed into the crowd.

Event organisers said six other spectators and the motorbike racer had now been discharged from hospital.

The crash on the TT's first practice day happened on the exit to Parliament Square in Ramsey at about 13:50 BST on Monday.

Following the crash, TT organisers said fans would be banned from the viewing area at Parliament Square for the remainder of the 2026 event as a "precautionary measure".

In a statement, they said given the "unusual nature of the incident", the decision had been taken following "an initial assessment by race, safety and operational personnel".

The step reflected the event organisers' "commitment to reviewing and responding to safety considerations whenever an incident occurs".

The opening practice session of the 2026 event was red flagged following the crash on the northern section of the 37.7-mile (60km) Mountain Course, leading to the abandonment of the remainder of the day's schedule.

Manx Care CEO Teresa Cope told Manx Radio Motorsport the organisation's "thoughts and best wishes are with all of the people who were involved in yesterday's incident and those who witnessed it".

She added: "It is one of those elements of racing but equally when you're faced with something like that it is difficult, so we do not underestimate the impact of that."

Manx Care had "extensive medical professionals" within the hospital and with partners including the island's ambulance service, the Great North Air Ambulance Service and Manx Roadracing Medical Services.

Cope said those services had done an "exceptional job" in preparing the Noble's Hospital teams to respond to the incident and deliver the "very best care to those involved".

Following all serious crashes, the teams "debrief immediately afterwards", she said, because it was "important we understand any learning from those incidents and what we can take into our future planning".

"We hope it never happens, but this is what we plan for."

Run on closed public roads, qualifying for the event is set to resume later, with the festival set to run until 6 June.

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