PLAYING THE GAME, OR NOT...

The spirit of the game. What does it mean? Those accused of not playing within the "spirit of the game" are usually winners (see below). The accusers are often not. Or those who set rules which invite smart, or less scrupulous, people to find a way round them in order to get an advantage.

Sport has had an avalanche of this recently. The Formula 1 fandango where Vettel has told his boss that he is not playing to their rules; golf, the most gentlemanly of sports, where the players supposed to disqualify themselves if they break anyone of several hundred rules ... except Woods wouldn't; cricket, where batsmen are supposed to return to the pavilion voluntarily; and then there is football. No comment.

And now motorcycle racing. Josh Brookes set the cat among the pigeons at Brands Hatch when he suggested there were people in British Superbikes who weren't playing the game. Holy cow, who could he have been meaning? Cumbrian chicken mangler Paul Bird had already had a mild slap on the wrist from series chief Stuart Higgs for finding a way round the rules designed to stop non-approved testing - in Spain, for example.

Of course, Bird loves this. He knows the promoters probably need him more than he needs them. And it took him about five minutes to declare that, "We are getting inside his (Brookes) head!"

As for the rules, the cynics would say they are there to be broken. These, of course, are the very people who complain when disadvantaged by one of their own type. So pity the rule-makers. They are set with the best of intentions, principally to give everybody a chance

But we seem to have a certain affection for those rebel against authority. And it can often provide much greater entertainment than the sport itself. Which is why those same authorities, and certainly the promoters, while publicly condemning it are secretly revelling in the sound of the cash registers 'kerr-ching!'

OLD BLUE EYES IS BACK!

Reports of the demise of Irish road racing are greatly exaggerated according to Mick Chatterton. As is his retirement, it appears. The experienced Barnsley youngster - fifty years and more racing under his belt - will be starting another season at the Tandragee on May.

"I didn't actually say I was retiring," he explained, taking a break from fettling his 125 Honda, "I said I was thinking about it. And having thought about it I didn't fancy it. I'm not coming back, by the way, I haven't left."

The music-loving Yorkshireman whose racing in latter years has all been in either Ireland or the Isle of Man is irritated by the pessimistic comments on road racing. "Yes, there are problems, especially in Ireland, but it isn't all new. Kells didn't happen last year and Bush has been on a knife-edge for some time. It is difficult, organisers are very stretched and they deserve huge credit for keeping things going.

"But the Vauxhall sponsorship for the North West is great news and I hear some of the classes at the Cookstown are oversubscribed. I may even turn out myself for a demo on Gordon Bell"s TZ 750. There's plenty of life in us all yet."

WINNER OR SINNER...

Are winners nice people? Do we prefer a good loser to a bad winner? The actions of world champion Sebastian Vettel and the words of Carl Fogarty in BikeSport News have lit the fires of controversy. Vettel is branded as "untrustworthy" for ignoring team orders and Foggy describes some of his competitors as "nasty guys" because they were prepared to win at all (almost) any cost, a practice which he himself was not averse to.

The argument about team orders has long raged and the F1 malarkey is more than interesting because this practice was supposed to have been banned. And so it should be despite the teams and commentators (who should know better) trying to justify it.

But a more interesting debate centres around the characteristics of highly successful people. How do they get to where they are? One very successful businessman once told Wolf: "Successful people don't get where they are by being reasonable, they are generally unreasonable." In other words, the 'after you Claud guys are not winners.'

Foggy describes today's stars as being "too nice" and singles out Valentino Rossi while acknowledging his greatness. Hold on there Foggy. Actions speak louder than words and Rossi doesn't take prisoners. Remember him driving poor old Sete Gibernau off the track in winning the 2005 world championship. Their rivalry remained bitter ever after. The moral? Watch out for people who smile a lot!

Winners are selfish. It is their nature. Believe it.

AND FINALLY

Is Chaz Davies currently Britain's best rider? He is certainly the most under-rated by a country mile. His World Superbike performance at the weekend was stunning and while it might be argued that it came about because Messrs Laverty and Sykes ruled themselves out and the performance of the Honda team was poor, it is not one which holds water. He is a world champion, World Supersport 2011 if you had forgotten, and is now up with all the other contenders in what should turn out to be a great championship. Pity no Brands but roll on Donington next month.