Tea Helen? Please don't forget those scones! I had better not start that old thread off again,we were in trouble last time weren't we?
Glad you got sorted with UTV Pykey.Hope to see you at the S100,not sure if Gail is riding or not.She is busy training in an attempt to make the Island games qualifying time for the 10k in Rhodes 2007. :roll:

Glad everyone is now sorted !

Pykey you are never far from my thoughts

Especially when your local derby match is on ! :wink:

Hopefully we will catch up this season ?

Maybe next BSB Oulton ?

cheers,
Stella x

i got SCOTTISH region also now, lol

Oh dear, Pykey...Stella and I will not be able to hide now. Our exploits will be there for all to see!!

Well how good was that ????

Best North West 200 i have seen in a long time !

Did Steve Plater want to Win or Wot ? Mega !

Great to see a smile back on Les`s face too

cheers,
Stella

Once again the 125/250/400 get rubbish coverage blink and you'd have missed it didn't even interveiw nige beattie complete disgrace. All they are interested in is superbikes and look after the big teams and not the privateers who actually make up the rest of the grid.

Each class deserve's equal coverage we all want the chance to promote our own sponsors, just as much as these big teams with trucks and hospitality which take up most of the pits. Leaving the rest of us stuck in a field and crammed in like sardines.

Totally agree Garry. It was almost as though it was annoyance having it on the program. This obsession about superbikes is getting a bit much. No wonder Britain can't field a competitive GP rider.

You are spot on there sticky its an insult to all involved in the two stroke supporters club, joe, noddy Vivien etc, and the riders. The superbike issue is rammed down our throats all the time, and as you say where are our stars of the future ? Carl Fogarty came through the ranks of 250s and we've no one even near coming close to his achievements.

I'd like to know who edits these programme's and would ask them why this race recieved such a little coverage.

Totally agre with you Gary! It is the same at every meeting,the tiddlers are swept under the carpet.It must be the macho image that superbikes seem to project.They seem to forget that the small capacities have to be ridden much harder round the corners in order to maintain their speed.I doubt that any amount of complaining will have an effect though.

SO Superbikes is the way to go :wink: :wink: :wink:

This is not the first time the tiddlers have been swept under the carpet,
you only have to look at the Manx GP, S100 etc and like you say they are only interested in the filming SUPERSTARS at the front on the Superbikes.
Not interested in the holiday racers in the rest of the field
or even the leading 125/250/400 as you say. They're not interested in the way some of our Carl Fogarty, Ian Lougher, Joey Dunlop came through.....

You have only got to look at the way the TT has changed recently ..........all big bikes.....

As for the NW paddock again the BIG TEAMS get the best spots and the rest is first come first serve............so get there early ! :wink:

Makes you think where its all going to end doesn't it, and as you say Hilary it will just fall on deaf ears. Can you imagine the chaos and toy throwing if the superbikes had only got one practice session ! Maybe we should have our own riders rep to voice our opinions.

Until motorcycle sport in the country start following the lead of the Italians, Spanairds etc then we are never going to produce a world gp champ for a very long time. Rossi, Biaggi, Pedrosa, Nakano, all came through the two stroke ranks, how much more obvious does the writing have to be for the so called experts.

I don't know how long UTV have the contract for the NW200 but I hope next time it comes up for renewal BBC NI make a serious bid for it. I thought the Beeb's coverage of Cookstown and Tandragee was far better than UTV's effort at the Northwest. Commentary, camera work, editing - all better.

Going off on a slight tangent for a moment, if there was a proper class for 250s in the British championship then young riders coming up from 125s could make a decision about whether to aim for GP or not. The way the series is structured at the moment they graduate from 125s and are forced into a career path that terminates in superbikes. In my opinion adding 250s would make the championship far more valid and important - in turn it would put 250 racing at all other levels in better health.

I was at the post-TT the year 2 strokes were banned from the TT and one of the commentators was saying he knew someone in the racing spares business. He reckoned that from his customer base there were getting on for 500 active 250s in Britain. Probably a lot aren't being used regularly due the lack of properly focussed championships. Surely that's enough to put a decent championship together?

Agree with yous all! As far as the NW went, we arrived around 2.30 on the Monday p.m. and were greeted by the Man On The Gate with "Where have YOU been then, Snetterton?!" as if the fact that the (250) rider (who has to keep his boss happy so can't have any MORE time off work!) having worked flat out to single-handedly prepare his bike, "load the van" (half a day's job) service the caravan, spend 7 hours driving up to Scotland, 1 1/2 hours on the boat & no sleep for 30 hours in all, was insufficient excuse for such a late arrival!! We were offered a space in the small grassy field at the back which was so tight due to 2 parked motorhomes on opposite sides of the gangway that no amount of manoeuvring would get the caravan reversed into it, so it had to be unhitched from the van and 2 kind men helped us manhandle it into the space! We weren't complaining as every racer will accept these things so's he/she can get out on the bike. It was a bit more upsetting on Tuesday to find out, in the warming-up area, that our practise session wasn't going ahead by hearing that the Roads Open car had gone out, though!
From my own point of view as a spectator, I think that the average man on his sofa watching the TV prog would've been very pleasantly surprised by the close & exciting racing in the little bike races that he was deprived of seeing!!
My Post-NW-Rant over for this year!

Quote:

"Until motorcycle sport in the country start following the lead of the Italians, Spanairds etc then we are never going to produce a world gp champ for a very long time. Rossi, Biaggi, Pedrosa, Nakano, all came through the two stroke ranks, how much more obvious does the writing have to be for the so called experts."

Gary may i just point out that at the moment we have at least 3 youngsters competing in the spanish championships and getting podum finnishes ?
Today Dan Lindfoot was competing in the 250 moto Gp !
There is also a great deal of talent coming through from the British 125 championships.
A great deal is going on to try n find future British World Champions it does not all just evolve around the superbikes !

OK rant over.......I just know how much some of these kids parents have put into their kids futures in the sport .
cheers,
Stella

Problem is Stella,that the media do not recognise what goes on behind the scenes,and therefore Joe Public is totally unaware of how good the racing in the small classes is.As long as this low key attitude exists,so the would be sponsors are unaware of the young talent which abounds.If I were a sponsor of good young rider in the 125/250 class,I would be asking questions as to why they were treated with so much disrespect.Not everyone WANTS to ride a superbike! :roll:

Stella, You don't have to tell me about the parents side of things, My own parents have supported me for the last 25 years. I didnt say we dont have the talent its a case of the powers that be dont do enough for these lads, as is done in france,Italy etc with backing from goverments and major sponsorship deals from large national companies.

This bsb is all centred round the superbike's end of story and as Hilary points out not everyone wants to ride a superbike. Their is no natural step upwards they have 125 then straight into 600s, what did the mcrcb do a few years ago drop the 250 from bsb. And replace it with another 600 based series, why is there a need for two superstock classes because they want them to eventually move to superbike.

If they had any sense at all they would reintroduce 250s, but they've no idea so I cant see that happening.