Three pound to park your car in Nobles park during practice on what is public land & five pound to watch practice from grandstand during practice disgraceful . What happened to our TT , remmber when i was young the granstand full of families during practice where local people would bring there kids for a look at the bikes , needless to say it was empty tonight , more people down bray hill than grandstand .

I have no problem paying to watch there during races although £25 is excessive , but certainly not during practice .

The TT is in danger of losing its grass roots supporters , who at the end of the day are its lifeblood , local people will not pay to go park in an area which they subsidise through taxation & will not pay £ 5 a head to watch from the grandstand with there kids , this will of course knock on to the traders who will lose valuable customers .

Nowhere to watch & now this in one of the only places you can , disgraceful .

Organisers be very careful .

I fully agree with you on this Shaun. Practise up in the grandstand is a great time to take sons/daughters of an evening to soak in the atmosphere. As a youngster i thought there was nothing better than the smells and sounds of a practise from the stands.
If they make a charge then perhaps a small contribution direct to the helicopter fund would feel more appropriate and beneficial.

Nice to see Reevesey got 2 solid laps tonight.

Unfortunately, this is one of the pleasures of the ACU being in charge,no doubt.Somebody has to pay for the Audis.I certainly won't pay to park in the field just so I can visit the 38th milestone.I hope all the locals keep away

Shaun thats why i dont bother the whole event is a rip off, i could go on and on but it would take me all week even the Duke site i couldnt enter? i reckon in TT week you have to pay for Radio TT on the pc but i am lucky living just 80 miles away and you know what Shaun you are 100% correct in what you posted give Conner my best wishes if you see him.

The point i make is that , not all the locals like the races but traditionally they will takr there kids to the grandstand just to let them see what it is all about , imagine having one or two kids and parking up , then going into the grandstand you will be light of over £20 before you start , we here are brought up with the TT as our heritage & the local people here are very tolerant to the TT MGP etc now we are getting ripped off by our own heritage , i am relly very angry about this .

As said the organisers lose the support of the locals they are in deep poo & i know some of the organisers on friendly terms believe me they will get a piece off me when i see them .

Very quick comment from me because I want to go home to bed!

Before last year there was no car parking at the Grandstand, so we discussed using Nobles Park with Douglas Corporation.

We hire the land for a considerable fee, the usage charges offset the cost - dead simple! If we had been given if for free, we could offer the car parking for free - again dead simple. This provides car parking for those who want it and it is cheaper than parking in Douglas in any of the pay car parking during the day. For those that aren't willing to pay, nobody is forcing anyone to use it, but for those who criticised the lack of parking provision in the area previously, now have an option.

Hilary - nothing to do with the ACU, and nothing to do with the Audi's - Audi pay the DTL not the other way around.

Hope you all enjoyed practice, short delay, but great weather, great riding and most importantly, no incidents at all to report.

Night

Paul

Paul Phillips Wrote:Very quick comment from me because I want to go home to bed!

Before last year there was no car parking at the Grandstand, so we discussed using Nobles Park with Douglas Corporation.

We hire the land for a considerable fee, the usage charges offset the cost - dead simple! If we had been given if for free, we could offer the car parking for free - again dead simple. This provides car parking for those who want it and it is cheaper than parking in Douglas in any of the pay car parking during the day. For those that aren't willing to pay, nobody is forcing anyone to use it, but for those who criticised the lack of parking provision in the area previously, now have an option.

Hilary - nothing to do with the ACU, and nothing to do with the Audi's - Audi pay the DTL not the other way around.

Hope you all enjoyed practice, short delay, but great weather, great riding and most importantly, no incidents at all to report.

Night

Paul

So there was no parking at the grandstand before last year so i must have dreamt that i locked the keys to my car in the boot whilst parked on the field ajacent to the return road for the bikes in 2005 and there was no charge just a man in a white coat directing you in. but then men in white coats maybe i did dream it.

Thanks for the response Paul , however still think there should be no charge made to park your car on Nobles Park which has been the case for many years as i park there regularly , on a normal practice evening i would pop up to granstand for 10 mins before going out on to circuit for a mooch about , now if i want to go there i have to pay £ 3 for privlege , i dont think so .
I dont think it is relevant who rents off who , at the end of the day it is all goverment departments wether DTL or Douglas Corparation or DTI it does not matter , the point is people have been allowed to park there for years free of charge & now they cant .
As for paying to get into grandstand that is not on either , i know of at least one family who walked away rather than pay £ 5 each to watch practice , our own organisation the Hailwood Foundation was 50% down on normal takings on Saturday evening if that is spread through all the traders up there there will be some unhappy people .
The last couple of years the organisers have been spreading the TT gospel locally through the schools etc , having the Paddock walkabouts , which have all been very positive , but now if you want to go around paddock you will have to pay to park your car first .
I thought the emphasis was on making the TT more user friendly to everyone , all this nonsense is a step backwards & i know of a lot of people who are very disgruntled by this carry on .

Shaun you are correct but the answer from PP well i have my own opinion but do the VIP'S,get charged on race day going to there hopitality tents

Pykey, you had to ask????
I have mixed opinions on the current state of affairs at the TT as far as I can see the point of the extra commercialism, ie the audi course cars etc but surely the most important thing is to ensure that local people enjoy and approve of the TT, more so nowadays than in years gone past. Surely people should not have to pay to park their car just to take the youngsters to see the stars at practice? Surely local people should be able to wacth the practice free of charge from the grandstand, what a cracking week of nights out that could be for some families and kids? But not if they've gotta pay £3 each time to park and perhaps £5 each to watch? Encourage the local families, let them enjoy it, get them on the side of the TT, don't push them away, because once they've been pushed you'll never be able to pull them back.
I wish I was there now and not at home facing the prospect of yet another week at work ;-(
I hope those of you who are lucky enough to be there have a damn fine time. Might if I can get over see you in August for The Manx Shaun.
Take care
Russ

I agree wholeheartedly with what Shaun has said. I know many people who have become involved with the TT in one form or another, simply because they were taken as children to experience it. Early morning practices, at the Grandstand, the opportunity to get some autographs and talk to the riders was a huge highlight of my childhood.

It is a real shame that charitable organisations such as the Joey Dunlop fund and the Hailwood foundation are losing out too.

I'm sure Mr Henry Bloom Noble wouldn't be too happy to see ratepayers being made to pay twice (in effect) to use a so-called public facility.

And you'd at least think they'd get the spelling right on the notices informing you of the charges. But no, that would be too easy.

Oh, Hermoine... you're such a pedant!

The Bag Wrote:Pykey, you had to ask????
I have mixed opinions on the current state of affairs at the TT as far as I can see the point of the extra commercialism, ie the audi course cars etc but surely the most important thing is to ensure that local people enjoy and approve of the TT, more so nowadays than in years gone past. Surely people should not have to pay to park their car just to take the youngsters to see the stars at practice? Surely local people should be able to wacth the practice free of charge from the grandstand, what a cracking week of nights out that could be for some families and kids? But not if they've gotta pay £3 each time to park and perhaps £5 each to watch? Encourage the local families, let them enjoy it, get them on the side of the TT, don't push them away, because once they've been pushed you'll never be able to pull them back.
I wish I was there now and not at home facing the prospect of yet another week at work ;-(
I hope those of you who are lucky enough to be there have a damn fine time. Might if I can get over see you in August for The Manx Shaun.
Take care
Russ

I too used to park in Nobles park fields for free, it seems now that every part of the TT has to be earning money, any chance of giving some of this money back to the privateers that are not paid by the DTL to compete here, they too have expences and are not sponsored as much as the big teams.

Unless you are part of one of the big teams you have to pay, why should I or any other person help out a rider finacially to compete at the TT if we have to pay to park or watch our chosen riders.

I was up the grandstand prior to last nights practice & dont think i have ever in my life seen it so quiet , stood chatting to Martin Bulloch & his comment was we could be stood here in the middle of Feb ( aside from the cold ) , there was not a souls about , no buzz no atmosphere nothing .

The Granstand itself had when i left at quarter to six a mere habdful of people on the stands , very sad & not in the spirit of the TT that i was reared on at all .

Have spoken to many people & ther comments i have had have all been negative so far with the restricted areas , charges etc it seems that there is a hidden agenda here somewhere .

Spoke this morning to a cousin of mine who flagged at bottom of Barregarro for many years & like me is an ardent supporter of the TT who said he probably wont bother going to spectate anymore , he live in Kirk Micheal & would often walk to Bank car park , which yes is now restricted .

This situation is all very sad to me it is like watching an old friend going through his death throes .

The people up the top need to get there heads out of the sand & listen to what people are saying & either do something about it & very quickly or the whole thing will go under .

That is for sure .

At least the practice last night was very good on a positive note , however why on earth did they hold the main sidecar entrty back till 8 30 to let one newcomer out , surely the circumstances of last nights session would warrant letting them go first & set the newcomer off at the back of the field as it was they did not pass me at Hillberry till five to nine & got one lap in , if they went first they would have got two , but commonsense goes awry sometimes .

Nobody watching on The Bank Wall at Kirk Micheal??? Whatever next, I used to welcome the sight of all that colour of people when I came into Kirk Micheal after seeing miles of green hedges, grey walls and the occasional Orange Jacket.
Cheers
Russ

Done several laps of the track this morning and never seen a bike.
Posted latest pics of restricted areas, scary

I can only agree with what Shaun and others are saying on this thread. On saturday we walked down to St Ninians to watch the start of the first practice session of the year, then wandered over the bridge, through st andrews chruchyard, hopped over the wall and made our way to the Grandstand. I then had a lovley evening spolied by trying to explain to my 8 year old son why I wasn't prepared to pay £5 each to stand up on the grandstand for 10 minutes whilst he watched the sidecars setting off.
he remembers every previous year of his life (until 2007!) going up into the (packed!) grandstand on practice days and can't understand why he can't do it any more.
Yet another family TT-tradition ruined by money-grabbing!

At least we live close enough not to need to park in Nobles Park, but we won't be frequenting the stalls at the grandstand as often as usual if we can't simply park up and have a mooch around for a few minutes (yes, I too can remember the free parking and the man in the white coat showing you where to park)

My son, and his friends are the future of this island - and of the TT. You alienate them at your peril!
I only have 15 years of TT memories to draw upon, but for my children, the TT and all that surrounds it (the bikes, the fair, the red arrows, the prom entertinment at bushy's tent, honda day etc) are a big part of their life and the highlight of their year - please don't spoil it for them!

127 Donut , you have hit the nail spot on centre & if the organisers of this event cant see this there bottom need firmly booted .

Still cant believe what they are doing , you get fleeced at every turn now , alienate the local population from the TT forget it , it will fall apart rapidly .

Shaun

Like others I agree with Shaun on this one.If the new regime has been so successful at attracting substantial sponsorship,I believe Maxxis have paid a 6 figure sum to supply tyres for the TM bikes,then surely it would be equable to underwrite the small cost of providing parking and free grandstand during practice week.

Mind you if you were in the grandstand how many bikes would you actually see going round,I fully understand the need to keep speed differentials to a minimum meaning smaller fields but with so many riders having so many rides you are lucky to see 70/80 bikes on a 37 mile course,not a lot and slightly yawn inducing.

Anyone have ideas on resolving that conundrum?

beepee Wrote:Anyone have ideas on resolving that conundrum?

LET THEM poo IN THIER OWN NEST

TO THOSE IN THE IVORY TOWER TAKE NOTICE OF WHAT THOSE ON THE OUTSIDE CAN SEE AND ARE TRYING TO HELP YOU KEEP WHAT LITTLE IS LEFT