He says he picked up similar vibes this past fortnight to those of 2003 following the tragic death of David Jefferies at the TT.

Changes to the way the TT was run and the commercial operation were made as a result.

Mr Cretney has responsibility for motorsport at the Department of Economic Development.

He admits when the original idea was raised to run the Festival of Motorcycling - which incorporates the Classic TT, Manx Grand Prix, Festival of Jurby and Trials - it led to disagreements and a controversial public debate.

He says all parties involved need to bury the hatchet and move on to guarantee the event's future success:

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