I must say I was a little surprised to see no tarmac "pedigrees" in the new board, which makes me wonder if the Fat Controller and his equally rotund oppo have truly relinquished power. For some time they have held the purse strings through MCRCB and it looks like the big money events will still be in their grubby mitts. And by "big money" I also mean any club that has the misfortune to have to pay rental of a racing circuit in the summer months!

It would be nice to think the new Committee do truly have the grass roots of the sport in mind, and not only on the grass. I will give them the benefit of the doubt - in my experience off-road has long been more sporting and less commercially driven than on-road. The ACU always used to be the grass roots organisation before the money men got their claws into it, and it needs to continue that tradition of supporting club events, protecting the sport from hostile outside influences, keeping the costs affordable for all and providing a framework where riders with the talent can rise to the top of their field without bankrupting themselves. That's a tall order in today's cold climate, good luck to them.