MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TT




When we left TT 2000, none of could have foreseen what was about to transpire over the next three years.



We lost Joey Dunlop in the July at Tallinn in Estonia, and in 2001 the TT was cancelled due to the "Foot and Mouth Disease" scare. We were dismayed to find that while the actual TT was cancelled, fans were still allowed over to participate in the parties and run-outs. Strange, when they were trying to prevent the spread of a potentially major problem. In 2002 we all came back hoping all would be the same but there was a horrible feeling of apprehension that all was not right which accumulated in 2003 when we lost multiple TT winner and current record lap holder Dave Jefferies in a particularly horrible accident at Crosby Village.



The whole TT issue then came to a head and for the past year there have been major changes made in the TT. Not all of these have been met with enthusiasm, opinions coming from riders and spectators alike. The TT appears to have been reduced in status, laps and practice to a point where most people wonder if the expenditure of getting there either to spectate or participate is worth it. I can have a holiday in America for what it costs to go to the TT !! If we get less practicing and fewer laps and fewer races, for what are we making the expensive trip !!

I have been visiting the TT since 1947 and have personally seen it through some dramatic ups and downs; when it was stripped of its World Championship status, when top riders banded together to refuse to ride there anymore, the return of Mike Hailwood and the unbeatable 26 wins of Mr.TT, Joey Dunlop. We saw unbroken participation by the major manufacturers who used the TT as a prestigeous race, winners take all, yet they actually gave up in 1957, to return again years later when Honda and the other japanese factories arrived on the scene.

Now in 2004 we are seeing a new TT which is not like the ones I remember................No morning practices, short races and practicing after races.


...And said Goodbye to the Circus
Ian Huntlys published observations on the Isle of Man T.T. Races 2004


A good few years ago, my parents took me to the circus for the very first time..
I loved the fun, the smells, the noise and the many-and-varied acts, all of whom worked hard to entertain the huge crowds who attended circus in those days. The circus people performed with precision, loving what they did; they were a huge established professional family who did not, in those days, place emphasis on what they could make financially for doing as little as possible.......

I recently took my son to a local circus, hoping to bring to him the feelings I had after my first visit...However, I was greatly distressed to see but a few short acts and nothing truly spectacular to compare with the days when I were a lad. The lions, tigers and elephants had gone, it is now thought to be cruel to keep beasts in cages in captivity; The beautiful lady who stood on the horses back, as it circulated the ring, has gone, she might have fallen off and hurt herself; The clowns have gone, it is now thought to wrong to laugh at vertically-challenged, gaudily-dressed, people wearing make-up; the well-appointed ringmaster is replaced by a badly dressed, incoherent person of dubious extraction who is difficult to hear and to understand; the shows are cut short to fit in with the requirements of locals who found the band playing in the evening, too noisy; They gave up selling the Candy, the Sugar, and the sweets, they could cause decay in childrens teeth; The man who was fired from the cannon is out of a job because people objected to the use of guns, cannons and explosives......and the trapeze artists are now financial advisers here in Reading, since their speciality could have caused awful accidents if one of them fell off the safety net into the crowd. The Big Top with the canvas, wood and straw has gone; too much of a fire risk.

What is left is a sort of mild petting zoo with second-rate amateurish sideshow support, with everything geared to leave well alone anything that may cause even a tiny minority to object to the layout of a show or cause the merest scratch on anyones lilywhite skin.



Is this happening to the T.T. ? Are we pandering to a minority who dictate what must be, as the highlight of the Road Racing year ? Do they think that this sort of revamp is going to protect the image of the T.T. ? Can the prestigeous trophies, won by men who rode with dedication and valour, still be awarded to the people who take part in a short, shadow of a former event that was, but is no more, part of world championships ?

Personally, after all the years I have been involved with this wonderful two weeks of racing, I am extremely concerned that we are going to see a club meeting instead of the international, world-renowned event which has run since 1907.
We needed changes but I feel we are seeing too many changes happening at one time. For instance, if we are to see one third reduction in the racing and half the practice, then the costs to us, the paying public, should be reduced accordingly.

For me, the T.T. as we knew it, died in year 2000, not just because we lost Joey and Peter, but it was then that we saw that plans were being laid down to downgrade this event and in 2004 this is extremely evident..............

The Isle of Man has an event it needs to protect, for not all of us come to see the Purple Helmets (bless them) and side shows we can see in England most summer weekends !


MORE TO COME SOON

BUT I AM STILL COMING TO THE TT IN 2004
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