Well said Hilary. I did the Manx for 9 years, and it never did me any harm. I admit, that but for the fact that I was strictly a holiday racer in those days, (due to Professional Trials commitments), it would have been better for me to ride the Manx twice at the most. However, there is so much more pressure at the TT, I would have far preferred to ride the Manx at least once, and get an idea where I was going.
And you're quite right again Hilary, how does six meetings round Mallory prepare you for the Mountain course? I can only think of machine preparation, but surely if you're expecting to enter the TT, you should be riding (for example) at Scarborough?
Anyway, what do I know about the price of cheese?