Isle of Man TT racing abandoned as eight taken to hospital in serious incident
Race organisers have issued a statement
Eight people have been taken to hospital after a motorbike rider crashed into spectators on the opening day of practice at the Isle of Man TT races.
The serious incident, which occurred at the exit to Parliament Square in Ramsey, happened at around 1.30pm on Monday during the opening free practice session of this year's event, with organisers saying it involved a single competitor and "several spectators". It led to a red flag being issued, with the session immediately brought to a halt.
Emergency services immediately attended the scene and it was later decided that all racing activity would be suspended for the remainder of the day.
In a statement issued by race organisers on Monday evening, it was confirmed that the rider involved had been taken to hospital with leg injuries, but is reportedly "conscious and talking" and receiving further treatment.
In addition, eight spectators were taken to hospital for "further assessement and treatment" following the incident.
"A red flag was issued at 13:30 in response to an incident during the opening Free Practice session of the 2026 Isle of Man TT Races," the statement read.
"The session was immediately stopped and all racing activity around the Mountain Course was suspended to allow for serious incident response procedures to be enacted.
"The incident occurred on the exit of Parliament Square, and involved a single competitor and a number of spectators.
"The competitor was taken to Nobles Hospital and is currently reported as conscious and talking with leg injuries, and continues to receive further treatment.
"Eight spectators were identified as requiring treatment. All were reported as conscious, and were transferred to Nobles Hospital for further assessment and treatment."
An investigation into the incident is now set to be launched, with race organisers adding: "To ensure the incident was managed as effectively as possible, the decision was made to suspend any further racing activity for the remainder of the day.
"In accordance with the event’s standard operating procedures, an investigative process is now underway involving race, medical and safety personnel.
"The Isle of Man TT Races would like to thank the marshals, medical teams, emergency services, Manx Care and all personnel that supported with the response to today’s incident, and our thoughts continue to be with those involved."
The incident came less than 24 hours after it was confirmed that a competitor had died following a crash during the Pre-TT Classic race on the island.
Alan Oversby, from Bolton le Sands in Lancashire, crashed during the 400cc race on the Billown Circuit in the south of the island, with the 68-year-old experienced rider tragically losing his life in the incident.