The Southern 100 Club are very disappointed that the Department of Tourism and Leisure have decided that they would not fund the 125cc and 250cc Billown TT Races in 2010 at the cost of £18K, a miniscule part of their TT Budget.

As this would have been the third year of the event with entries and interest growing year on year and crowds of over 10,000 at last years event, it has come as a major blow to the Club.

However Southern 100 Racing has already been in touch with a potential major sponsor with regards to continuing racing at Billown at the end of the TT Festival, an event which has been run since 1991 and hopes to make an announcement in the media in the next couple of weeks.


You can read the full Press Release where this information was initially divulged HERE

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???!!!
s*d the playground on the prom s*d the electric zimmer frames going round s*d the pamper twots from mcn having a play on bloody closed roads when NO-ONE wants them around s*d the idea of sunday racing when all the marshals and medics should have a break....give us proper racing not just the homogenised 4 races which are so similar now...get us back to the TT proper-ie bring back the strokers...what concentration is required ???!
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http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=40823

Billown dropped from race programme
Published online at 26/11/2009 13:57:23


There will be no lightweight and ultra lightweight races at TT 2010.

The announcement was made at the Bike Show at the NEC in Birmingham this lunchtime.

However, festival entertainment on Douglas Promenade is back.

Sports editor Tim Glover reports (text, below, from attached audio file):

The races at Billown have been dropped after just two years as organisers say they have decided to concentrate resources on the core event.

The introduction of the lightweight and ultra lightweight races with full TT status, despite not being staged on the mountain course, was met with a mixed reaction.

Seven nights of entertainment will take place on Harris Promenade with extreme sports, stunt shows, music, comedy and film.

A Live stage on the Villa Marina Colonnade will feature bands, a giant screen will be in situ and adrenaline junkies will have gyroscopes, slingshots, simulators and bungee jumps to choose from.

The Royal Hall will host at least one of the UK's leading stand up comedians and a chart-topping act.

Other things of note include the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain air shows, Mad Sunday TT Day in Peel, a Day of Champions at the Grandstand and Bushy's Beer Tent.

The Senior TT prize presentation will take place on the prom, alongside a parade of all the week's winners and bikes and the evening will end with the firework display.

Listen To Related Audio Clip thru link

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sorry for rant but the 125/250 last year was fantastic and there were hopes for it to return to the mountain amongst a lot of us!!!
talk about clear and CONSISTENT thinking!

Come back the Steam Packet, pleeeease - and I never thought I'd ever say that

(26-11-2009, 11:11 PM)gary the nurse Wrote: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

???!!!
s*d the playground on the prom s*d the electric zimmer frames going round s*d the pamper twots from mcn having a play on bloody closed roads when NO-ONE wants them around s*d the idea of sunday racing when all the marshals and medics should have a break....give us proper racing not just the homogenised 4 races which are so similar now...get us back to the TT proper-ie bring back the strokers...what concentration is required ???!
_________________

---

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=40823

Billown dropped from race programme
Published online at 26/11/2009 13:57:23


There will be no lightweight and ultra lightweight races at TT 2010.

The announcement was made at the Bike Show at the NEC in Birmingham this lunchtime.

However, festival entertainment on Douglas Promenade is back.

Sports editor Tim Glover reports (text, below, from attached audio file):

The races at Billown have been dropped after just two years as organisers say they have decided to concentrate resources on the core event.

The introduction of the lightweight and ultra lightweight races with full TT status, despite not being staged on the mountain course, was met with a mixed reaction.

Seven nights of entertainment will take place on Harris Promenade with extreme sports, stunt shows, music, comedy and film.

A Live stage on the Villa Marina Colonnade will feature bands, a giant screen will be in situ and adrenaline junkies will have gyroscopes, slingshots, simulators and bungee jumps to choose from.

The Royal Hall will host at least one of the UK's leading stand up comedians and a chart-topping act.

Other things of note include the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain air shows, Mad Sunday TT Day in Peel, a Day of Champions at the Grandstand and Bushy's Beer Tent.

The Senior TT prize presentation will take place on the prom, alongside a parade of all the week's winners and bikes and the evening will end with the firework display.

Listen To Related Audio Clip thru link

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=40844

Disappointment over Billown TT decision
Published online at 27/11/2009 02:39:49

Racing on the Billown circuit

Yesterday's launch of TT 2010 at the NEC in Birmingham attracted praise from fans and competitors alike, but not everybody is happy.

The decision to drop the lightweight and ultra lightweight races from next year's programme has been greeted with disappointment in some quarters.

Southern 100 club officials say it's a major blow as the events, on the Billown circuit in the south of the Island, had drawn the crowds.

Club press liaison officer Phil Edge understands government's current financial concerns, but says the meeting was very popular (play audio file):

The club has been in contact with a potential sponsor to try and continue racing at Billown at the end of TT week.

Listen To Related Audio Clip thru link

The rot begins

I’m really disappointed thoroughly enjoyed this years event, looks like it will be my first and last visit to the Billwon circuit.

I can sort of see the logic, it’s the easiest thing for them to cut! Not universally popular when it was introduced and from a non racing perspective probably the least cost effective! Can’t help but think long term it might do more damage than good.

Biggest worry is where will the rot stop?!?

Apparently the meeting drew a crowd of 10,000 last year and to cut it for the sake of 18 grand just seems like penny pinching when considered as an overall percentage of the TT budget - especially when they seem intent on running the mind numbingly dull TTxGP again. I wonder if this might turn out to be a false economy?

Anyhow - I got to thinking and this is copied from a post I made over on the 'other channel':

Just kicking an idea around here. At the TT there was 'the people's bike' where fans could donate toward sponsorship of the bike. How about hijacking that idea and have 'The People's Race Meeting'? The S100 club should still try and attract a title sponsor and obviously this couldn't work without their approval and co-operation but I'm thinking of a fund where fans could contribute however much they feel able, the purpose of the fund being to assist competitors with travelling expenses, entry fees, running costs etc. Maybe then we could still have a quality field of machines that aren't allowed at the TT anymore and I'd extend the invitation to the slidey cars too.

Apparently Fitz is going to talk to George Peach about it. I know times is hard for everyone (God don't I know it...) but maybe this is a way to help keep some much needed variety during the TT period, so what do you think?

(27-11-2009, 02:16 PM)smokey125 Wrote: I’m really disappointed thoroughly enjoyed this years event, looks like it will be my first and last visit to the Billwon circuit.

Why? The club are in talks with other potential sponsors. Did you ever attend the Steam Packet Road Races? They have provided some fantastic races in the past with TT winners taking part. They just didn't have a "TT" title and rightly so in my opinion. I did not walk away from any of those races thinking that I had just witnessed a TT race.

I can guarantee that a 600cc race and a Superbike race on the Saturday at Billown as opposed to a 2 stroke TT race will attract a higher depth of quality competitor and full grids. A comparison of last year's Billown TT programme against any Steam Packet programme is evidence enough.

I can't see any bad news in dropping the 2 stroke TT at Billown. And don't let that be your last visit to Billown, the Southern 100 in July is one the best, if not the best meeting of the year.

Ultimately it comes down to time and money. Two things I don't have enough of!

For me the TT set up worked I got to race against the best riders, got good value for money and it only needed two days off work. The amount of track time you got made the cost worth while. With the steam packet set up it would have cost me a lot more for 1 shorter race.

The programme might be evidence enough but the results aren’t 1000 and 125/400 race results showed similar number to TT results, there were a lot more 600's but only 1 or 2 more big names. None of the results I looked at would have been full grids. I think its personal perspective, what you prefer to see.

I’ve looked at the Southern for the last few years as I really wanted to race the Billown course but it come back to time and money again if I do the Southern I don’t do the Manx.

If the new sponsor was able to fund a similar arrangement I would definitely go again. I didn’t care that it was a TT or not I just wanted to race against the best on a great course.

Am I correct in thinking that the 18K that has been saved by axing the 125/250TT is to be used for 'TT entertainment' ?
I object most strongly if money allocated for the racing side of the TT is used for the entertainment of people who often have no interest what so ever in road racing!
The 'old' Steam Packet races also attracted large crowds, and often provided superb racing. I can't help feeling that the 125/250 TT entry had never really attracted the 'big name entry' that was hoped for.

(05-12-2009, 12:21 AM)chris Wrote: Am I correct in thinking that the 18K that has been saved by axing the 125/250TT is to be used for 'TT entertainment' ?
I object most strongly if money allocated for the racing side of the TT is used for the entertainment of people who often have no interest what so ever in road racing!
The 'old' Steam Packet races also attracted large crowds, and often provided superb racing. I can't help feeling that the 125/250 TT entry had never really attracted the 'big name entry' that was hoped for.

I couldnt agree more the TT is about racing motor bikes well that is was in my day

i couldnt agree more the TT and MGP is about the racing so lets get the 125 and 250 back on the mountain and get rid of the electric snails or at least move them to a less spectacular slot-if the choice were between the strokers and the electric bikes then yes the strokers wins hands down however a choice between the electric bikes and a parade lap for celebs and mcrapn potter then i would choose the elecky bikes as it still a race and not a jolly (especially for a sniveller whos still regretting bashing the TT not so long ago)!

however we do need to remember the island is just that an island of 80000 people living on it 24-7 all year round so some will not want or enjoy the bikes at all and not all of them are come overs/stop overs so (proper and decent) entertainment should be laid on for them as well-cos if it aint then the anti-TT brigade will just get more members and luckily none of them have yet realised if they all run for mhks and win then they could try legislate for the halting of the TT etc (however highly improbable that would actually be)

Hi 'gary the nurse'. I agree with what you are saying about the anti-TT brigade, but I just wish the money for their entertainment didn't come from the TT budget. For me the TT is about 'the racing'.

but the budget comes from manx government so manx government responsible and accountable to manx taxpayer so manx people should all get summat out of the TT-especially those who dont like it just to keep them sweet so those of us who do get to keep enjoying it!

remember not so long ago-ie 8 yrs ago there wasnt a TT cos of the foot and mouth well an awful lot of people are thinking about that yr and how it didnt really hurt the manx peoples pocket as much as people worried about-and some of them are elected officials...

i honestly dont think we should have had the 125/250 sacrificed to get the fayre back i really dont (hell 1 of the others where the same teams with the same style of bike goes round and round with same rider in same leathers couldve been sacrificed and save more!!!)-it was the most enjoyable race last year by far!and it werent even on the mountain!but summat of the TT budget has to go to the manx people as a thankyou payment for entertainment if you like for having the TT

the anti TT brigade gets louder every yr-just look at the amount of rubbish flew last yr when there wasnt a fayre!!!and look at the number of people who said that douglas was dead and there was no TT atmosphere and werent gonig to come back-the government have to also listen to that cos if enough people say they aint going then they all listen to each other word of mouth spreads and next thing is youve got an almost impossible task to get it back and then the anti TT brigade will strike-its just lucky they havent actually started a formal group/gotten organised or lobby for government........YET!