John McGuinness won his 23rd Isle of Man TT race with victory in the Senior event in 2015

Isle of Man TT great John McGuinness said official confirmation that the 2021 event had been cancelled has left him feeling ‘empty’.

The Manx Government announced the decision on Monday, saying it had no choice other than to call off the world-famous race meeting ‘despite the progress of a Covid-19 vaccination programme’.

McGuinness, who is the second most successful TT rider ever with 23 victories behind Ulster legend Joey Dunlop, made his TT comeback with Norton in 2019 after missing the previous two years through injury following a crash at the North West 200 in 2017.

He said:

“I’m a little bit empty to be honest. I’m not surprised, just sad really.

“For me selfishly, it’s the wrong time of my career to be missing another TT,” added the Morecambe man, who would be 50 by the time the 2022 TT is set to take place.

“I think all of us in the industry had it in our heads that the TT would probably go ahead in August, so it’s a bit of a shock for it to be called now but I understand.

“Next time I’ll stand on the start-line I’ll be 50 years old and to be looking down Bray Hill on a Superbike, I’m not sure if that’s going to happen,” McGuinness told Manx Radio.

“A couple of years is a long time ahead and it has affected us because it’s my living, my passion and my job… I’m just trying to get my head around it and I’m super disappointed. I was due to make my 100th TT start next year, which would have been a special moment, but if it’s 2022 then it’s 2022.”

The news comes as a further setback for road racing, with the North West 200 – provisionally scheduled to take place from May 11-15 – set to be postponed until later in the summer, the News Letter understands.

However, there still remains a chance that racing motorcycles will grace the legendary Mountain Course next year, with the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix currently set to go ahead from Saturday, August 21 to Friday, September 3. A final decision on whether the event will take place is expected by the end of March next year.

The 2022 Isle of Man TT is scheduled to take place from Saturday, May 28 to Saturday, June 11.