Firstly, Can I say that in my opinion anyone who knocks Harvey has probably not met him.
I have known him for over 20 years, and he damn near gave me my first bike, a pair of boots, and took me to trials events when my parents could never have afforded too. Without Harvey and his kindness (and that of his family) I would probably not have enjoyed the last 20 years of competitive motorcycling.

If I had to choose one word to describe Harvey, it would be "reasonable". If you are not a rider or entrant, please pass your opinions on anyway. I am sure they would all be considered.

My opinion (for what it's worth) is that Paul Phillips has improved the standard at the TT, and that the event is in better shape with a bright future. Apart from the "6 meetings" rule (for the love of god someone explain why !!) and the fact that the TT is basically the same race 4 times* it looks ok to me.

The Manx should (in my opinion) be a "feeder" series for the TT, so for that reason we need the newcomers class to stay roughly as is. I would leave the 400's well alone as they are cheap to run, and offer an excellent power/stability balance for the newcomer, and would keep the 600's for their popularity, low'ish cost and reliabilty. I would drop the 750's as the entrys are comparitavly few, and I honestly belive a 1000cc bike is too much for newcomers. Twins/triples at the discression of the organisers.
If people want to compete on the mountain circuit, they should enter as a newcomer on a modern reliable bike. (There are enough risks without the mechanicals as well)

The senior classic is a growing class and should remain as is.

The junior classic could be run concurrently with the ultralightweight (Ultralightweight away first).

The Senior MGP really needs to remain as the premier race, but restricted to 600cc on grounds of cost and safety.

Right, the fun bit. I am no fan of sidecars. Never have been, never will be. But, why not have a classic sidecar race cut off date say 1980 ?. 2 laps, no capacity limit, run wot yer brung. Don't know if you could fill a grid, but it has to be worth an ask. (Moly might make a few quid from replica chassis ?)

Lastly, the serious bit. The cut off dates at the Manx have been held back too long. a T20 suzuki is now expensive to run, as is a 350 Honda. I believe Manx Nortons are actually getting cheaper due to remanufactured parts.

I proposed a new race. cut off date 1984. 250/350/750/1300 to be run concurrently. Hopefully that would ensure a full grid, and more importantly and intersting one. P&M Kawasaki's, Harris Honda's RG 500's, TZ/TR/KR 750, Rotax etc.

See how it goes for the first year, and then evolve to suit. I don't belive a 1000cc Suzuki can be wrestled round much faster than a TZ 250, so it should be safe.

So the week would be:-

Monday. Newcomers 400/600. Senior Classic.

Wednesday. Classic Sidecar. Lightweight. (classic and modern)

Friday. Post classic. Senior (600cc)


I guess this will uspset a few people, but I have tried to make it interesting from a spectator's point of view as well as bringing the TZ's that the Manx is begging for.

* The TT IS the same race 4 times. I understand that this is due to the class structure of racing generally, but why not move the senior Classic MGP to the TT ?.

Cheers

Peter.