Let's look forward, not just back.
I know progress isn't always to our taste, and change is scary, BUT...if this attitude had prevailed in the 50s we wouldn't have had Japanese bikes (Don wouldn't like that...), and probably not all the great heroes now being celebrated.
When the world championship went, there were doom laden predictions, and many forsook the races...almost fulfilling their own prophecy, but a new influx of people supporting those dreadful two strokes (yes...remember that...nasty, smelly, unreliable, they'll never catch on etc etc etc...) saved the day. Now we want them back, cos we grew to love them!
Those fantastic Hondas, the races we remember Hailwood for, and all Joey's great victories...just a mo...that was one of those despised "works" teams...THE works team...
Riders have always had to pay their own way, so nothing has changed there, except that now some of them make a lot of money, and the gorgeous trucks tell me they are not living in squalour. Even the "lower orders", the "holiday racers" are living in relative comfort...spot the fridges and microwaves, the TVs and cookers, in TENTS!
I don't particularly care for the style of bikes racing these days...never did like production racing, but I absolutely love the talented riders. You have to race what's current, and if someone comes along and beats them all with something different...that'll be the next big thing...and some of us won't like that either!!
I'm looking forward very much to TT2007 (forget the silly logo...all logos are silly...the TT Bug was awful) I will be marshaling most practice and race sessions, be involved with the JDF...hope to have lots of things going on then...and maybe, just maybe, something new and exciting if we can get the formalities completed in time.
TTwebsite are hoping to run a few special things for you to join in...fundraisers for the JDF(and possibly something else...aren't secrets fun?)
But...most of all, I am looking forward to seeing the friends I have made over 35 years of TTs, MGPs and Southern100s, and making new ones...the TT is about people and bikes...old, young, local, foreign...can't wait.
FORGET THE POLITICS...JUST ENJOY THE RACING..

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Personally I am looking forward very much to the improvements in the Grandstand area. I am old enough to remember the rickety wooden structure which preceded the Hailwood Grandstand, and the difference is amazing now.
If the surrounding are is being upgraded, I am delighted, and I hope it also benefits the local people for the 48 weeks of the year we are not there.