Saw this on iomtoday.com:

THE boss of a Manx family firm that has supplied TT course cars for generations has resigned as an official roads open driver after the contract was awarded to Audi this year.
It was announced today (Monday) that the new Audi TT, originally named in honour of the TT races, had been chosen as the official car of the 2008 event.

For nearly 60 unbroken years the Mylchreests Group has been supplying the roads open and course inspection cars free of charge for the TT.

But last week company managing director David Mylchreest was told personally by Tourism and Leisure Minister Adrian Earnshaw that his department has received a 'better offer'.

Mr Mylchreest has now resigned as official driver for the course cars and insists his company will not be supporting the TT for the 'foreseeable future'.

He said: 'To say I'm upset is an understatement. Our company has been supplying cars for the TT and MGP for 59 years continually and exclusively. My father Brian and I have driven those cars throughout the time, him for 40 years and myself for 30 years.

'I'm proud that we've supported the TT and MGP all those years. We are desperately sad that it has come to a halt in this way.'

Mr Earnshaw told the Examiner that the decision was a commercial one and the process had been fair.

He said: 'I am disappointed but I can understand why David Mylchreest is upset.

'We received a very good offer from another provider, one that would be very difficult to refuse. As a businessman I hope that David will understand that.

'I recognise that David is a very skilled and experienced driver and I hope that he will reconsider his decision to resign.'

Audi will supply eight of its new 272PS TTS cars for the races. The festival will also feature on Audi's satellite TV channel and the deal will also see the manufacturer providing a cash injection into this year's TT.

What do you think of the switch? Send your opinions to newsviews@newsiom.co.im

The full article contains 355 words and appears in n/a newspaper.Last Updated: 07 April 2008 2:23 PM

"Audi will supply eight of its . . . . . . etc"

EIGHT?????

What the hell do they want eight for?

One for Mr Parker to swan round in, and one for Mr Nelson - that leaves four over and above the two (presumably) Road Open/Closed cars.

Who gets them?

I think it's a sound commercial move Larry. Personally, I'd pay good money to see either of those two trying to get out of an Audi TT

It makes total sense to me. People are saying that Mr Mylcreest has done it for free for years, but the way I look at it he has had it for free for years! It's a massive commercial item which is rightly being used for the good of the TT. All other high end motorsport events have a car partner, so why shouldn't the TT?

Jeff

I think they should have stayed with Mylcreests. Yes David has supplied cars for free, thats called support if you ask me. Much the same as marshals supply their time for free. So would you want a company that runs a marshal supply, much the same as the people in Indy car, or what ever its called now?

He supplied them for nothing when no one else was interested, and he did that year after year. I think its disgusting the way they have gone about it, behind his back without consultation or even an offering. A total money grabbing exercise from the IOMTB. Mr Earnshaw is a total disgrace, and this is not the only thing he has messed with and totally got wrong. To be dragged in and told over a desk that you are no longer required after years of support is a disgrace, no wonder he has resigned. Lets hope he supports the MGP or we won't have any car to open the roads. I am disgusted.

Will be fun though seeing who they get to keep the gap between them and the first bike over the Mountain. No wonder they need 8, the first 6 will be over the side and down the hill in bits before the end of practice week. Spares anyone? Breakers yards will be rubbing their hands.

It never ceases to amaze me how half truths can be promoted as the whole truth....................

"that the new Audi TT, originally named in honour of the TT races"


The Audi TT was in fact named after the NSU TT which itself was named in relation to the TT races

So it can be seen that the Audi was not orginally named after the TT.

Yes I heard about this on the radio coming home and typicial ACU have kicked Mr Mylcreest in the teeth. He says he wrote to them in December about the arrangements for the TT and guess what......never heard a thing! Then to be told this after all these years he's supported the TT/MGP. Now it's said that he could reconsider...............have they offered him one of these Audi's to drive ?
Wonder if the new lot will pick riders up in between races when they breakdown..................
Someone is upsetting a few loyal locals, way things are going, there will be a complete new team of people running everything before long! Lets just hope they know how to treat riders, marshalls etc and they have a good attitude.

If Mylchreests were providing the cars free (for both the TT and MGP) and the IoMTB has received "a better offer" involving 8 cars, I'd love to know how come the offer was better and where those 8 very expensive, desirable, prestige cars will be going.

Its true what they say, the Isle of Man does not like change! MG and Rover are not the kind of cars which would be targeted at the main demograpic for visitors for the TT. Audi is a far greater and recognised international brand and the Audi TT being an official car of the TT makes more sense.

I am glad to see the TT, a worldwide event, moving forward with internationally recognised branding, events and personalities. If it is to survive in the modern day, it needs to get the sponsorship and appeal from a wider audience.

The way I see this is that Mylchreests have always supplied cars in the past as a car dealership, not as a manufacture (i.e Jaguar, Volvo etc) therefore has done it off his own back, which I applaud. The new deal as far as I can see is with a manafacutre direct, similar to I guess how BMW support Moto GP etc, therefore I doubt Mylchreets could of competed with what Audi were offering. It sounds to me that Mr Mylchreet has spat the dummy to me cause he couldn't match what was being offered by Audi, rather than the DTL miss handling the situation.

Jeff

I tell you what Jeff, the international image means squat when you start crapping on the locals who support the TT. In the end if this is the way they are going they will loose all local support and then you will loose the TT. YOU NEED LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THE TT TO RUN, you need the farmers to allow them to use the land for both the helicopter and also you thousands that come here to watch from. They could so easily pull their support. You need the local marshal turn out, not all of them are from across, and after the last few weeks of wheres and therefores they need all the help they can get, and turning their backs on one of the local companies that has supported them through thick and thin is not a real good idea. As for us manxies not liking change, I always love it especially when I get it in the LOCAL shop.

For those of you that are a little ignorant to the way things are here, its not what you know here on the island its who you know on the island that makes things work. As the old saying goes, you don't poo on your own doorstep and thats exactly what they are doing and all that for a two year contract.... two years ..... can hardly wait for 2010 when Audi realise they don't get that much coverage.

I normally watch the TT from Brian Mylchreest's field at "Glenvine" for the Saturday race and have done so for the past 10 years or so.

i just think it is very sad, that after all those years of supplying the course car free of charge, with the possible risk of smashing it up, that they are treated this way after 60 years of LOYALTY to the TT.
Its a shame that in todays society, the powers that be, could not give a toss about loyalty and the past.
Its a real shame that their 60 year run has ended in sadness.
Talk about being stabbed in the back, and thanks for nothing.

I have always believed in supporting the ones that support you.

Another piece of TT history gone.

cargo Wrote:It never ceases to amaze me how half truths can be promoted as the whole truth....................

"that the new Audi TT, originally named in honour of the TT races"


The Audi TT was in fact named after the NSU TT which itself was named in relation to the TT races

So it can be seen that the Audi was not orginally named after the TT.

my thoughts too

There are always two sides to the argument.

Yes, Mylchreest has been supplying (and driving) the cars for years and years without charging the organisers. But as Jeff says - thats an awful lot of free advertising. So you honestly believe the Mylchreest family were doing it simply out of love of the event? Then they wouldnt need to have "Mylchreest Motors" splashed all over their cars then would they...

Having a major international car MANUFACTURER provide cars, which share the name of the event (however they got the name), AND pay for the privilege, has to be a good move for the event. You think Audi are going to let this go without using it in their global advertising?

Change happens. People on this forum cry out for it in other areas of the TT organisation. I suggest that Mr Mylchreest accepts that he's had it good for a long while and that he moves on and accepts the reality of a commercial world.

sticky Wrote:I think it's a sound commercial move Larry. Personally, I'd pay good money to see either of those two trying to get out of an Audi TT

So would I! As Larry says,why do they need Eight?
It appears that Mr.Mylchreest was not given the option to compete for this deal,as as has been said,the ACU did not bother to reply to him.The now "retired " clerk of the course also wrote to the ACU offering them his continuing support,in an advisory capacity,and guess what? They didn't reply to him either.I know because he told me.Another lifetime of support for the races,flushed down the pan.This so-called good business means nothing if the organisers do not even have the decency to answer letters and e-mails.It is all about money again,and Audi have offered that by injecting it into the TT coffers.I know that sponsorship is needed,but not by dirty tactics.We all know that Mylchreests wil have benefitted from publicity over the years, but the support has been tremendous,and they have been treated very badly. I wonder if Audi will support the MGP too.They will need more than eight cars for that,as there is more practice and racing to cope with

The (extinct) Tourist Trophy for cars has no real connection with the motorcycle races, other than that someone realised that sauce for the goose could be sauce for the (2-wheeled) gander! The Trophy is now at the RAC in London. The course was not even the same, being a tad longer....

"How did the Isle of Man become the Birthplace of British Motorsport? For the answer, we have to turn back the clock to 1904 and some enterprising legislation on the part of Tynwald.

Following the success of Englishman Selwyn F. Edge in the Gordon Bennett section of the Paris-Vienna race, it was decided to hold elimination trials for the British entry in the 1904 'Gordon Bennett'. But then, as now, the UK government turned its back on the prospect of closing public highways for racing. Eyes turned instead to the Isle of Man where, at record speed, Tynwald passed the necessary law to close Manx roads in time for the trials.

The story had begun...and the following year heralded the first Tourist Trophy car race over four laps (52 miles each) of virtually the same course used for the 1904 trials."

Along with many others, I would love to know the details of this deal - how much? what happens to the cars afterwards? who will drive them? As this is public money, the public surely has the right to know?! What was wrong with the car provision being put out to tender, as Audi may well have then not been the succesful bidder. Another example of the organisers just suiting themselves, not acting as if they are accountable to the populace. Living in Spain, I am well used to sniffing out public rats, and there is a strong smell about this!

"the reality of a commercial world. "


Hows this for the reality of a commercial world.

If I ran a commercial enterprise that made millions in profit and had 500 plus unpaid workers who also had to pay hundreds of pounds each to commute to work for me and that they helped make my commercial enterprise a success and in fact my commercial enterprise would completely fail without them.

I'd be locked up.

What the DTL have done to Mr Mylcreest is vile beyond comtempt.

Wantan Wrote:There are always two sides to the argument.

Yes, Mylchreest has been supplying (and driving) the cars for years and years without charging the organisers. But as Jeff says - thats an awful lot of free advertising. So you honestly believe the Mylchreest family were doing it simply out of love of the event? Then they wouldnt need to have "Mylchreest Motors" splashed all over their cars then would they...

Having a major international car MANUFACTURER provide cars, which share the name of the event (however they got the name), AND pay for the privilege, has to be a good move for the event. You think Audi are going to let this go without using it in their global advertising?

Change happens. People on this forum cry out for it in other areas of the TT organisation. I suggest that Mr Mylchreest accepts that he's had it good for a long while and that he moves on and accepts the reality of a commercial world.

Of course Mylchreests put their name on the side of the cars they supplied FREE to help run the TT and MGP. Why on earth shouldn't they? I think you have a slightly inflated idea of the advertising value of this as well, since the only people likely to see the cars are the race fans on the Island and aside from Manxies themselves, how many of them will ever buy a car from Mylchreests? I have a slightly jaundiced view of how some things work over there but I do not doubt Mylchreests have supported the races for many year at no small cost to themselves, and should be rewarded with a measure of loyalty by the organisers. What happens after the Audi deal expires if they don't get the exposure and sales boost they want? Who will supply course cars then?

And I still don't understand why it takes 8 cars or why Mylchreests weren't even allowed to tender.

The deal for the TT is probably commercial sound sense and the way to go.

However from what I have read the way it has been done is shabby, underhanded and spineless typical of what we have come to expect as the norm from Pol Pot and his gang of Robber Barons from Rugby Castle.

No doubt Mylchresss have done well over the years from publiity with their course cars, but surely the only decent and honourable way to go ws to notify them from the very outset that the organisers were looking at alternatives and kept hem fully informed and amd negotiated that Mylchressts stll be involved with the offer of driving the course car.

Instead the fat controller has screwed up again and alienated local support which as has been said without the TT is dead in he water.

As Larry says EIGHT CARS!!! no doubt for Parker and his ass licking cronies to smoke around posing in only as to be expected after all w know that mans ego and greed is as big as his gut.

Ihope the wont be going cap in hand back to Mylchreests when the contraact ends in two years time.

Ignoring corresponce is simply pig ignorant, but then that is what we have beome used to from theses unsavoury money grubbers.

I've just heard Mr Mylchreest on Manx Radio and there does indeed seem to be a pungent aroma about all this. He said he was given just a couple of days to produce a tender and given no opportunity to counter Audi's offer.

Having Audi on board for two years is all very well in the short term but then what? I suggest the new organisers need to be very careful about who they alienate if the TT is to continue...

larryd Wrote:"Audi will supply eight of its . . . . . . etc"

EIGHT?????

What the hell do they want eight for?

One for Mr Parker to swan round in, and one for Mr Nelson - that leaves four over and above the two (presumably) Road Open/Closed cars.

Who gets them?

Mrs Parker will get one so will Mrs Nelson to go shoping ect, nothing changes with the ACU, How much will the ACUs bill be at the Empress this years £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

And No Paul P is not getting an Audi TT , hes still got that loverly Blue Metalic Porch from the DTL.

Getting back on track the TT has to be run as a Business venture and if they the DTL can attract extra off island income for the TT so be it, thats how it should be. The previous supply of cars should have been asked to submit a tender in the proper manner, if not why not.
Whats the deal with the Marshalls bikes, the marshalls transport, the beer tent, Hospitality units ?????.

Rumour has it the the Marshalls bibs are to be sponsored by the NELSONPARKER BANK