By Jimmy Walker
03 January 2004THE case of the Shrinking TT has failed to meet with the approval of Ulster's Adrian Archibald who regards the decision to have the two main races - the Formula One and the Senior - reduced from six laps to four this year as ludicrous.
The move was made in the so-called "interests of safety" but Archibald, who won both races last year, is totally unimpressed.
"The TT is supposed to be the pinnacle of achievement but this year it looks like being some sort of short circuit," said Archibald.
"I am disappointed at what has happened, for I regard the two big races as the major features of the meeting and to have them slashed from six laps to four is just absurd.
"This means they are now of the same duration as the 125cc and 600cc races.
It doesn't look good in my view and it's certainly not attractive for spectators."Geoff Cannell, the press officer for the TT, told me: "As a traditionalist I would be against slashing the number of laps.
After all, it's not so long ago since the Senior and Formula One were seven lap affairs and back in 1957 for the Golden Jubilee race the main event - the Senior at that time - was over eight laps when it took over three hours to run and was won by Bob McIntyre, who became the first man to lap the course at over 100mph.
"However, I can understand the concern expressed in some quarters about the safety aspect of the TT.
"No-one wants to see any more major accidents and there is a theory that the longer the races go on, the more tired the riders become and are therefore prone to mistakes. "All this seems very logical and sensible but you have to ask your-self the question - do the riders now not concentrate to the same extent as they did 30 and 40 years ago?Are they not as physically and mentally fit as they were in those seemingly far-off days?Personally I think it's a lot of nonsense to suggest that riders now become tired after four laps.
Admittedly speeds are much higher than they were years ago, but modern day riders can cope in this situation and I am sure none of them would wish the TT to be just another race.
Its an interesting point for debate and apart from Archibald, Ian Lougher is another regular who has expressed concern.
"I like the TT as it is, although I would shorten the practice period," he told me.
"As it is, they have decided to abolish morning prac tice but we will still be in the island for more than a fortnight and these days, this is too long."The practice periods make an interesting point and surely they contradict the idea that riders become tired with too much exposure to the circuit.
After all, the plan is to have practising immediately after each race day and surely this would add more miles to the rider's clock.
In my experience, riders are more likely to crash and have serious accidents in practice than they are in the races.
And if, for example, they are tired after a four lap Formula One on the Saturday, how can they possibly go out again that evening and practise for the races coming up?It doesn't seem wise.
In fact, it seems a little strange that "tired riders" can suddenly revitalise themselves for practice.
Concentration is the name of the game and after riders have competed in a four-lap event, are they still likely to retain that level of application as they had in the race earlier in the day.
I will be interested to find out what happens.
Certainly from a spectator's point of view, it doesn't seem worth the trip going to the Isle of Man to see your favourite rider on only four occasions during a race.
The schedule is: Saturday June 5 - TT Formula One (four laps), Sidecar A (3 laps), solo practice.
Monday June 7 - Lightweight 400 and Ultra-lightweight 125 (4 laps), Production 1000 (3 laps), solo and sidecar practice.
Wednesday June 9 - Junior 600 TT (4 laps), Sidecar B (3 laps), solo practice.
Friday June 11 - Production 600 (3 laps), Senior TT (4 laps).
Archibald meanwhile has turned down a tentative offer from Jason Griffiths, acting on behalf of Yamaha GB, to ride for the factory in the TT.
Griffiths said: "I am now sales representative for Yamaha and they are hoping to field a super-bike team at the TT.
"The first rider I asked was Adrian but he has already signed up with TAS Suzuki.
At the moment, the team is very much in the embryonic stage and mightn't surface at all.
But you have to find out who is available."Archibald said: "Griffiths spoke to me out of the blue.
I had no idea there would be a Yamaha team but obviously I am fully committed elsewhere."It looks as though we will be seeing very little of Archibald this year on home shores.
He tells me he won't be competing at Cookstown or Tandragee, or the mid-Antrim later in the year.
He will be confining his activities to the North West 200, the TT and the Ulster Grand Prix.
To warm up for these races, he is riding in the British Superstock championship in England and he hopes to have some races under his belt by the time the North West comes along.
Whether or not this will put him in the right frame of mind for winning at Portstewart remains to be seen.
It certainly seems to be an odd sort of preparation for major road racing.