Nobody expected the announcement by the IoM Department for Enterprise squeezing the Manx GP into nine days and abandoning the Classic TT to be greeted with applause.
More likely surprise, and for many relief, as it followed a long period of prickly negotiation with the Manx MCC in that they should accept changes had to be made in order to safeguard the future of an event in it’s 99th year And, more importantly, the sustainability and future growth of the island’s biggest tourist attraction, the TT.
While those of a more realistic view recognised that the government held all the cards and that compromise was preferable to somewhat darker prospects the changes were accepted. But there were casualties.
The non-appearance of Manx MCC Chairman Peter Maddocks and former Chairman Harvey Garton at it’s annual meeting was no surprise as they had both resigned following accusations that they had been collaborating too closely with officers of the Department and ACU Events.
What was surprising was the firing of a senior marshall for expressing his opinion on the changes. Chief sector marshall Mike Brown used Facebook to say he was ‘disgusted’ at the speed of the change - “With competitors already having bikes
built, marshals and visitors having held over their accommodation and ferry bookings due to Covid such major changes should have been held over until next year.”
According to the Isle of Man Examiner, Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson informed Mr Brown that as a senior official within the TT Marshals Association and therefore part of the race organisation his comments were not appropriate and his services were no longer required. Interesting in that the new MCC Chairman John McBride and his deputy Jim Hunter are both travelling marshals. Their appointment is perhaps appropriate as a number of their fellow volunteers are not happy with the slap on the wrist doled out to Mr Brown for speaking his mind. And as hundreds of marshalls are required but that not easy to come by there may be problems.
But the good news is that the 99 year old Manx survives. And Bruce Anstey, who must rate as one of the most remarkable, and greatest, riders ever to set foot on the Isle of Man, still has a chance to celebrate his 53rd birthday in the two classic events along with other greats like John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop should they choose to do so and have the right machinery. Six months ago New Zealander Anstey, who for half his life has battled with cancer, announced his intention to compete in 2022 Classic and, according to sponsor and family friend Clive Padgett, has not dismissed it:c “Whether Bruce wants to race or not - and it will be his decision and not mine - we will support him if he wants to. It has always been the way we have worked with him particularly since his illness. This would have been his eleventh year with the team.”
The tussle between the government department and the Manx Motor Cycle Club, organisers and guardians of this legendary race for amateurs, had been bubbling under for a couple of years when the government decided it was a luxury they couldn’t afford plus the constant aggro over road closures etc.The situation was not helped by the pandemic, bringing all racing activity to a halt for a couple of years. It also has to be said that the launch of the Classic TT in 2013, hailed as a life saver for the Manx and a great idea on the basis that if Goodwood can do something like this why can’t we, was not quite the revenue earner hoped for. Teams had to be paid and those of us who love wallowing in nostalgia came for a couple of days then went home.
And it also has to be said that the quality of Manx GP competitor was not at the level of 50 years ago when Geoff Duke, Bob McIntyre or Phil Read would win at the Manx and then go on to win a TT even when the latter was a world championship event. The game has changed and with road racing in general under pressure in the risk averse world we live in and costs going up it required a very focussed effort to maintain the brand and reputation of the TT, described by Murray Walker as the ‘greatest race in the world’, but to expand the uniqueness of it’s appeal beyond the shores of the UK and Ireland.
After months of haggling and some quite bitter exchanges bearing a curious resemblance to Russia versus the Ukraine a compromise has been reached which keeps the realists of the Manx MMC not totally unhappy. Faced with the possibility of total annihilation they bit the bullet and the Manx survives. But many fans while accepting there are issues with finance, road closures, etc. still cannot understand why the a brand like the Classic TT seems to have been abandoned.
And what do team owners like Clive Padgett think of it: ”I’ve been thinking a lot about it and although I don’t yet quite know the details I think it is a shame to have lost the Classic TT. It grabbed people’s imagination. Back in the day winning the Manx was a route to getting a factory ride. But we were in a different era. The biking fraternity was much younger for a start. In the fifties or sixties I would skip home from school and help my Dad put motorbikes together.
“The average age of a biker is much older now. People buying motorbikes are sixty and seventy years old and those attending traces are not youngsters. But those attending classic events like Goodwood want to see a very wide range of bikes whether they be an RS250 or a ZXR750. It’s a pity the industry seems to have lost it. The Manx has survived the test of time, we all love the Manx, my brother Gary won the newcomers race and as a team and a family we had much success there.
“The Classic will be sorely missed in the guise that it was - not that we won’t see something in a couple of races. I accept that the change may be simply commercial and had to happen. We don’t have to hand the full financial facts but recognise that every business has to survive and stack up whether it be BSN or Padgett’s. We all tend to look at it with rose tinted passionate glasses but some one has to look at the balance sheet and if it says something has to be done about it, whether it is condensing it or making it the Manx only again, then something has to be done. If we aren’t able to go then it will be sadly missed.”
