Dr Gruff Evans, the Chief Medical Officer for the TT Races, Classic TT Races and Manx Grand Prix, has hailed a gesture from the Rob Vine Fund to make its equipment, estimated to be worth around £750,000, available to the Isle of Man Government Department of Health and Social Security to complement existing equipment for medical professionals at Nobles Hospital.

“This is a superb and very pragmatic gesture by the Rob Vine Fund to provide some much-needed equipment to help the hospital in the fight against Covid-19.  The charity has a long history of making a real, tangible contribution to medical provision on the Isle of Man and this act shows the significant impact that their fundraising activity has made.”

The equipment, which is used for the many motorsport events on the Isle of Man, includes four patient ventilators, suitable for Intensive Care use, 4 multipurpose Patient Monitors for use on wards or Intensive Care, five suction units.

The charity will also be making available eight adult Advanced Life Support Bags, 3 Paediatric Advanced Life Support Bags, 130 Immediate care cases, 130 scoop stretchers and any other extra medical equipment currently held in stock. Much of the equipment that is being made available is usually situated at the 110 marshals points on the course during racing on the TT Mountain Course.

The fundraising organisation has also provided access to the three ambulances that it owns and volunteers from Hogg Motorsport Association are currently on standby to assist the Isle of Man Ambulance Service in any way that they can.

Dr David B Stevens MBE, the former Chief Medical Officer for the TT Races, founded the charity in 1985 in the name of Kent rider Rob Vine following Rob’s death in the Senior TT. The fundraising charity provides essential medical equipment for all two, three and four-wheeled motorsport races on the Isle of Man and estimates that they need at least £25,000 annually to update equipment.