Isle of Man veteran Michael Rutter has supported cancelling this year's TT, saying that locals must be a priority for medical facilities and that the race will bounce back as it did after foot and mouth.

Rutter, who experienced the foot and mouth cancellation in 2001, said it would be a tough time for the island but it would bounce back and joked he might have to re-start his modelling career.

“The decision has perhaps come a bit earlier than I thought it would but, to be honest, it’s what I expected at some stage and I can fully understand the decision that’s been made," Rutter told bikesportnews.com.

"Us motorcyclists aren’t very good at keeping Nobles Hospital empty and all of the medical facilities on the island need to be going towards people affected by the virus. My two daughters live in France and are in complete lockdown and it’s all having a knock-on effect and working it’s way over here in the UK.

“I was hoping they might have pushed the TT back to August and try and run it then rather than cancelling it immediately so it’s going to be a tough year for everyone on the island.

"I experienced the cancellation due to foot and mouth in 2001 – contrary to what some people may say, I missed the TTs that were cancelled due to the World Wars – and while it was difficult for everyone then, it bounced back in 2002 so hopefully that will be the same in 2021.

“We, like most teams, have been preparing for months and it’s hard to know what will happen with the sponsorship side of things but we’ll keep working away as there’s always stuff that can be done.

"No-one knows when we’ll be racing again, whether it’s the roads or the short circuits, so I may have to re-start my modelling career in the next couple of months.”