Whilst having a long overdue tidy-up at home at the weekend, I came across copies of letters I sent to the 'TT Think Tank' and to David Cretney in 2003 and 2004. This was at the time the TT had hit rock-bottom in just about every sense - profile, standard of entry and organisation. Reading what I wrote at the time, and then thinking of last weekend's 2007 TT Press launch at which the strongest entry in the history of the TT was announced, made me realise just what an amazing transformation has taken place over the past 3 years.

Whilst I don't agree with quite everything that has been done, I do find it extraordinary that the one individual who has worked harder than anybody else to bring about this rebirth of the event over the past 3 years or so, still continues to be villified in some quarters. I really have no idea why!

Anyhow, I thought it might be of interest to reproduce what I wrote in the early part of 2004, and to compare what was happening then with what is happening now:

Dear Mr Cretney,

I write in response to the Consultation Document regarding TT 2005 and beyond, recently released by your Department. I also wrote to the TT Think Tank last summer in response to the request for public views at that time.

Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank and congratulate both the Department of Tourism and Leisure as a whole, and you personally, for the tremendous amount of time and hard work that has clearly been devoted to this subject, which is so close to so many of our hearts. In my view, the single most positive thing to happen has been the removal of the ACU officials from the administration of the event, and the handing over of that responsibility to the Manx Motorcycle Club in partnership with the Department of Tourism and Leisure. This is a huge step in the right direction, and one which I feel sure will make for a much more pleasant environment for the riders and their teams.

I am not, however, saying that I am happy with all the proposals and suggestions that have been put forward, indeed certain ones have left me totally bewildered. I hope you will therefore accept my criticisms in the spirit in which they are intended, coming as they do from someone who is a passionate supporter of the TT and who consequently has strong views on a number of issues. Rather than replying specifically on an 'issue by issue' basis, I would prefer to make a few general comments regarding decisions that have been made in respect of TT 2004, and some of the proposals for TT 2005 and beyond.

4-Lap Formula One and Senior Races - In all the time I have been a fan of the TT races (something like 35 years), this idea of cutting the two showpiece races to 4 laps is unquestionably the most ridiculous decision, and the reasons given for that decision the most insulting to the intelligence of the general public, that I can ever remember. Since this decision was announced, I have spoken to countless people from every area of the TT - riders, sponsors, general public, media etc - and I have yet to find one single person who disagrees with my opinion. I have no doubt that this issue alone will reduce the number of spectators travelling over to the TT more than anything else has done in the history of the TT. I know for sure of several people who were undecided about coming over for the TT this year who have now decided not to come because of this.

Why? Because as a visitor, you spend a small fortune to travel over to the Isle of Man and stay here for two weeks - far more than you would spend on a two-week holiday to Majorca - and will now be getting less value for that money. For me personally, as a local, the highlight of my year is always the Formula One TT. If the weather's reasonable, you get to your spot on the course, get yourself comfortable on the hedge, unpack the radio, sandwiches, coffee (or beer if you're not riding), and enjoy two hours plus of the best entertainment the world of sport has to offer. A 6-lap race, for the spectator, is the ultimate in relief from the stresses of day-to-day life and gives you a wonderful chance to unwind. A 4-lap race can never be the same - just when it's starting to get really exciting, it's over. For the rider, 6 laps is very hard work, no doubt about it, and you have to be extremely fit. But if you're not extremely fit you shouldn't be competing in the TT anyway. I believe that even most of the current riders acknowledge that winning a 4-lap F1 or Senior race could never put them in the same league as all the great names who have won 6-lap races and therefore passed the test of both rider and machine. The prestige of a rider and a machine winning a 6-lap race is, to coin an old phrase, the ultimate.

The excuse that accidents happen toward the end of long races is nothing more than a smokescreen with absolutely no basis in fact. I have no doubt that reducing the races to 4 laps will turn them into a frantic sprint, riders will try even harder and take more risks than they already do, and there will be more accidents, not less. And the notion that the amount of practice time a rider has had should reduce the race distance simply defies belief. Why should that have anything to do with the race distance? Why is it OK for riders who haven't had as much practice as they would have liked, to do 4 laps, but not another 2? Sorry, I just don't buy this one.

The really strange thing about all this is that the decision was announced supposedly after lengthy consultation. With whom? I don't know a single rider, or sponsor, or spectator, who is in favour. I do know of many other issues that were raised by many of the people who were consulted, but not this one. Please, please, accept that a huge mistake has been made, and restore the Formula One and Senior Races to 6 laps in time for THIS year's TT. People will respect the admission of a mistake, which is a sign of strength not weakness.

Works Teams/Race Programme - In an ideal world, it would be great to have all the big teams at the TT every year, and it would certainly add to the prestige of the event. I can't help feeling, though, that perhaps a little too much emphasis has recently been placed on what the manufacturers are asking for, at the risk of alienating many of the other competitors without whom the TT could not exist. I'm not in favour of reducing the TT to 9 or 10 days as has been suggested in some quarters - I think the Practice and Race programme should stay largely as it is, including the 125/400 race. The riders to fill the grid at this race are out there - a little encouragement is all that is required to get many more entries for this race, which after all is now the only one that breaks the monotony of the big 4-stroke bikes doing 4-lap races. I believe that this race is one of the most popular of the week amongst spectators. One thing I am very concerned about is the suggestion of having practice sessions after the racing on Saturday and Monday. I can't really believe that a rider who has just done the Formula One race, successfully, is really going to want to hang around sober for 3 hours waiting to do a couple of practice laps after the sidecar race. Similarly, many spectators will want to get away after the last race of the day. Perhaps one lap on Monday afternoon (in place of the Classic Parade) and one on the Wednesday (as already happens) would suffice.

Quality of Entry - This is something which I feel really strongly about. I don't know if any one individual is responsible for rider recruitment or whether it's a collective responsibility, but either way this area needs to be improved massively. It has been very frustrating over recent years to witness the incredibly low standard of some entrants, especially the foreign ones who have no doubt been paid a good deal of money to come here. Better by far to approach riders in clubs throughout Britain and Ireland, where there is a huge amount of untapped potential, especially on the Irish road-racing scene. Many of these riders wouldn't need much persuasion to try the TT, but they HAVE to be approached in the right way, and given appropriate support and encouragement. Perhaps the TT organisers should speak to Mervyn White and Eddie Johnston who are the 'main men' at the North West 200. The way in which they run their meeting and the quality of entry they attract every year is an object lesson for the TT, which is horribly amateur by comparison. We shouldn't be frightened of learning from others.

Classic Weekend - I think the idea of having a 'Classic Festival', incorporating the Classic Parade after the Senior TT on the Friday followed by further parades at Billown during the Steam Packet Meeting on the Saturday together with displays of classic machines in Castletown Square, has a great deal of merit. One thing I did wonder with regard to this - how about the Pre-TT Classic meeting and the Steam Packet Races swapping dates, thereby having all the classic events over one period of 3 or 4 days at the end of the fortnight? As it presently stands, you have the pre-TT Classic Races at the start of Practice Week, then the Parade Laps etc nearly 2 weeks later. It's asking a lot for classic enthusiasts to travel to the island twice in such a short space of time if they're not here for the full fortnight. I must admit that I'm not quite sure how you'd incorporate the Steam Packet races into the first part of practice week though, but it's at least food for thought.

TT Production Races / MGP - I covered this subject at some length in my previous correspondence, but feel I have to raise it again. I totally oppose the idea of riders being allowed to compete in both the TT and the MGP, regardless of whether their TT ride is on a Production bike or not. The only exception should be with regard to the MGP Classic races which should remain open to all. Yet the word is that, far from stopping this happening, the organisers will this year allow riders to compete in the Senior TT on their Production machines, and still be eligible to compete in the MGP. So we have now reached the point where the Senior TT, once the greatest road race in the world, is now a practice session for the amateur Manx Grand Prix - very sad indeed. The riders who do both meetings are depriving others, perhaps promising newcomers, from getting a ride in the TT at all, while they are getting two bites at the cherry. One of two decisions must be made immediately. 1 - Once a rider has competed in any TT race on any machine, he/she becomes ineligible for the modern classes at the MGP (I am strongly in favour of this), or 2 - Drop all restrictions between the TT and MGP, thus allowing any rider to compete in both events without any restrictions. In other words, have two TTs. Now that both the TT and the MGP are being run by the same administration, a decision must be made on this immediately before the situation becomes even more farcical than it already is.

I feel sure that I will think of other things after I've sent this off to you, but these are at least a few of my opinions on what I see as the major issues. Notwithstanding the criticisms I have detailed above, I think that many very positive steps have been taken over the past few months with regard to the future of the TT. I would like to wish you and all those involved in the future organisation of the TT all the best, and thank you for all your hard work so far.

Yours sincerely,


David Griffiths