The Chris Kelly Memorial Rally has been called off for 2024 as the organisers have not ‘gained consent from the Department of Infrastructure‘ to run the annual event.
The directors of Manx Autosport say that the application was submitted on October 18, 2023 and the Club received a reply in early March 2024 after it had requested an update on the submission.
The DoI gave the Club three weeks to re-submit all the information required to run the rally and it claims that in the DoI’s opinion it was incomplete and not acceptable.
Rally Cancelled
Manx Autosport says that the information contained in the application included an Event Safety Plan, an Event Risk Assessment, an overall stage plan and the application form.
It says that the club did not submit a Traffic Management Plan and Stage Safety Plan as it had not received an acceptance for the proposed route.
The organisers say that it followed the protocol that it has used several times, with the exception that it started the application many months earlier following a request to do so from the DoI.
On March 30 of this year, the Club re-submitted its amended plans to the DoI but this was also rejected on May 14 for the same reasons.
An ‘unhappy’ DoI
Manx Autosport says that ‘at no point’ have the team been made aware of what in, particular, the DoI was unhappy with.
Adding that the Club’s application emphasised that all its documents were live and could and would be improved upon or extended as and when required.
Since the announcement the DoI has indicated that it would consider replying to the application within a couple of weeks.
Manx Autosport says it is ‘disappointed that so many volunteers, competitors and Isle of Man businesses will feel let down by this decision’.
Manx.News have contacted the Department of Infrastructure for comment.
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