Onchan Raceway Denies Exit Talk

Onchan Raceway has insisted it has no intention of walking away from the island’s most established stock car track, issuing a detailed rebuttal after a media report suggested the operators wanted to leave the site.

In a strongly worded statement, the business said the article ‘does not fully reflect the current situation’ and stressed it ‘remains fully committed’ to continuing motorsport in Onchan. It says it has never expressed a desire to ‘sell up’ or cease operating.

The clarification comes after Onchan Commissioners discussed a new tenancy agreement last month.

Members were told the board was willing to invest in drainage repairs and maintain the wooden grandstand, but also heard the company was unable to agree to the lease and ‘wanted to leave’.

Onchan Raceway says this is not the case.

Instead, it argues that restrictions in the proposed lease, introduced by the Commissioners, have made operations increasingly difficult.

The organisation says it merely suggested the local authority might consider buying its assets if it were ever forced to leave, so any successor could continue running motorsport at the site.

The raceway claims some of the proposed conditions would compromise safety.

A ban on using the outside area as a pit extension, it says, would ‘tightly compress’ cars and competitors into a much smaller space, raising the risk of accidents.

It adds that initial proposals to restrict practice sessions and children’s race school activities would have undermined driver training and pit management.

The venue also challenges repeated references to noise complaints, saying it has never been shown formal evidence to support those claims. It further criticises a request to remove stock cars from an area where documentation shows they can lawfully be stored.

Despite its concerns, the raceway says it has now reached an agreement allowing practice sessions and its children’s race school to operate every Friday between 2pm and 8pm when required.

Onchan Raceway says it hopes the Commissioners will reconsider restrictions on using the outside area, and says it remains focused on delivering a safe and ‘exciting’ 2026 season.

Gef has contacted Onchan Commissioners for comment.