(02-07-2009, 12:16 AM)shaun hogg Wrote: My two penneth on this subject which i can se from all angles i think , firstly having lost my brother in 1989 i know the insurance pay out which we recieved after his death was minimal , but that didnt matter as this was his chosen avenue & all riders have some sort of personal insurance although i dont think you would expect much of a pay out & a high premium in this game , which we all know is extremely dangerous & also extremely selfish on the riders part , because they all think they are invincible & in the case of injury or worse it is the family who are left to pick up the pieces , however we all get as much pleasure out of it as they do .

Since phil was killed in 89 i have been heavily involved in fund raising for our ambulances which are under the manx motorsport medical services charity administerd by doc stevens , our fund has been running since 1991 although david was looking after the Rob Vine fund prior to that , our fund is to provide immediate care to injured riders by way of rescue ambulance , immediate care packs which are situated all around the course & paramedics , who all give up there time volutarily to help here , taking holidays just to support the TT & MGP

I think our fund is an invaluable & absolutely necessary part of the racing here as is the Helicopter fund .

However on reading some of the posts on this subject aqbout central funds for injured riders , i am not so sure how this would work or could work , we do of course have the ACU benevolent fund which helps , we also used to have in the hotels i remember an aid for the injured riders fund which i think was linked to the Acu where all the hoteliers payed a annual fee of i think £20 or so , obviously there are no hotels now to speak of so that has gone , which probably accumulated quiet a few quid years ago , personally i would be happy to pay into an annual fund for the riders who get injured as inevitably they will here some worse than others unfortunately , say a £50 annual fee as a rough guide , the unfortunate thing with such a fund is you could not really offer a lot to injured riders , but a small amount is better than no amount .

This brings me on to my next segment which is supporting individual riders by fund raising etc , this has of course been highlighted by the terrible accident invloving Nicky Crowe & Mark Cox & also the accident involving TM John Mcbride , the fund raisers set up to help these guys are set up by family & friends of the guys who are asking for help , if they did not need it they would not ask & because they are all local we see it more & feel it on a more personal level , i know John McBride quite well although i have nver spoken to Nicky Crowe he has provided some of the greatest sidecar driving we have ever witnessed on this Island & given great entertainment to the spectators along with Mark & varous other passengers over the years , last year with Moly was the stuff of epics . i think we all know Nicky is in a very bad way at the moment .

The point i am making is that whilst i agree on a central fund which i am sure many supporters would subscribe to , the main support comes from family & friends & locallity which is where the main fund raising is done & where the people know the competitors personally , which is exactlly what ishappening at the moment , Rosie & Hayley are working there socks off to hepl Nicky & Mark & the TMs are planning events to hep John Mc because he is one of theirs & needs help it is a natural reaction to support a local person , we see all the time various funds to help riders injured everywhere & i can guarantee that nine times out of ten if you dont know the rider you wont dip your hand in your pocket to hepl , which is natural i do it myself.

I think the overall here is the people who want to help & there friends or loved ones should not have to justify it to anyone , at the end o f the day you dont have to if you dont want to & if no one got of there ass they would have nothing .

As said just my point not preaching or having a go at anyone . Shaun Hogg

That is one of the most powerful postings I have read on this website, coming from someone who, in his own words, can see this situation from all angles.

There is one particular part of Shaun's posting which particularly strikes a chord with me and is an opinion with which I have agreed 100% for a long time now - but have never posted that opinion on the website for fear of offending or upsetting anyone.

Sincere good wishes to everyone who has been injured for the speediest and fullest recoveries possible.