Another beautiful island...potential for another great road race?
Diamond Races – a new road racing festival coming to the Isle of Wight
'Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not'.
Yes it's true the Diamond Races, the all-new road racing festival set to be hosted on the Isle of Wight, is coming in October 2021
You may think of the Isle of Wight as a great go-to holiday destination with its lovely sandy beaches, proms at Shanklin and Ventnor, dinosaur remains and of course The Needles - three giant white chalk tooth like rocks watched over by a 19th century lighthouse to protect shipping. But there is more to this picturesque island than its beautiful coastline, it also has great roads! Yes you guessed it, more sublime road racing, hopefully akin to the isle of Man TT, is coming to the Isle of Wight and it's going to be called the Diamond Races.
The island's new course will run through beautiful villages of Chale, Kingston, Shorwell and Brighstone with a stretch along the stunning coast – really exhilarating. But the race will be pukka and run properly according to ACU (Auto Cycle Union) rules with road safety and safety of both racers and crowd as a vital component.
So it's going to be happening in October 2021, with the exact date being made public once the 2021 British Superbike calendar is published. It will start with two practice days on Wednesday and Thursday with the time trialled feature races on Saturday. As well as the feature races there will be a mass participation event for all motorcyclists when they will be able to try out the road circuit for themselves. It will likely take place the week after the BSB season ends at Brands Hatch - so really something new to look forward to!
The event is the brainchild of two Isle of Wight residents (James Kaye and Paul Sandford) and has support from the Isle of Wight council as well as an illustrious and experienced team behind it comprising great names from the motorcycle road racing industry like Gary Thompson MBE (Isle of Man TT Clerk of the Course) Steve Plater (Isle of Man TT Senior winner and ex British Champion) and a host of other great names from the world of racing.
CEO and Co-Founder of the Diamond Races Paul Sandford, says of the event:
"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.”
Obviously it take meticulous planning to put on an event this big and although the road surfaces are great, there is a lot to prepare. For example 2,500 white lines need to be treated, 1,500 cats eyes removed as well as some telegraph posts and 177 manhole covers have to be coated for starters – so it's no small undertaking!
The island will be dotted with 80 marshalling points, spectator points and campsites so a good, exciting and fun event is anticipated.
It's great to hear of a new road racing event and this is the first time in the history of the Isle of Wight that it has run a professional road race. It has much to offer with great roads and scenery but its location is also perfect as it is within easy reach of the approximately 17 million people who live in London and the South East and it is expected to attract around 50,000 spectators. It looks pretty certain that a good time will be had by all – bring it on!
Comments:
30/07/20 - All the prisoners that could escape from parkhurst in the confusion. Lol.
30/07/20 -
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