If you go to any mainland classic meeting you will find it overflowing with entries and young riders enjoying themselves alongside the greybeards. Post classic has done a lot to bring the younger riders into the sport as they can relate better to the machines than the Manx Nortons etc their dads used to ride, and in many cases the machines are a lot cheaper to buy and run than "collectors pieces and exotica" that seem to dominate the results in the premier classes.

Remember too that the people who are riding are not teenagers who are short of money, these are mature adults with some earning power who can afford to race (or sponsor the youngsters!). The upshot is if you want to attract the spectators you need not only to spread the word but also to ensure the spectacle will be worth coming for. Full grids of bikes they can relate to in particular. Which means the cost of coming must be seen as worthwhile. Start with the riders since without them there is no show to sell. Reduce the entry fees and subsidise the ferry, the two major areas of cost. If they don't invest in the riders but just continue to milk them as part of the income stream they shouldn't be surprised when the riders decide they've had enough risking their skins and paying for somebody else to make money out of them.