I take it Ammo that the " mate " you are referring to is me????
I wouldn't push anyone into riding on the TT course, but I've sat and talked with Garry about how he approached his one and only TT ride in 1988 and we can both see why he didn't do very well. You see Garry at the time was a 125 rider, and had never been to the the Isle of Man to learn the course, only to watch some racing as a young lad with his Dad. He also rode a "real production" 600 CBR, in the days when a proddy bike was a proddy bike, in my opinion, and one that Garry agrees with, his whole approach to the TT in 1988 was WRONG!! No support, no idea where he was going, a bike he'd never sat on before, little wonder he was blown away by the whole thing.
BUT I do believe that a rider with Garry's ability, drive and competitiveness would do very well on his 250 at the MGP, it is a bike he has adapted to very well and feels at home on, he would also have a team of people around him to do the work on the bike with his Dad, to show him around the course, to do the going through scrutineering and get the bike ready and warmed up so therefore taking any additional stress from him so that all he has to do is concentrate on learning and riding the TT course. This is the RIGHT and only way to approach it, and he would then do well at the MGP.
He is gradually learning the circuit with videos, and through our conversations, and if one day HE feels, along with his DAD that the MGP would be a GOOD move then HE will do it, and if HE doesn't then HE won't, but if HE DOES do it then it WON'T be because I have FORCED him to, it will be because I have SHOWN him how it should be done!!
Maybe you could come and learn something about turning a bike out that looks and is the part instead of those heaps of cow dung you turn up with every year!!!! Even if you don't have the money to have the best, it costs nothing to make a bike look presentable Ammo????
Thats my gripe for the day, it must be catching as I was doing a pines GP with Garry yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!