No problem Malcolm, I'm just sorry I did not feed you my news from the MGP, my first visit for 23 years. I saw a lot of changes, not least the fact that the MGP took second place to this Classic TT event which really should have been more separate from the Manx - to me it was a continuous attempt to have a festival of motorcycling incorporating elements of the Manx and the old TTs and in doing this format, they seemed to miss the mark somewhat.
Many "Classics" were modern reproductions of the bikes from days gone by....I asked one chap with a Matchless G50 "How old is this" and was told "Oh, Three and a half years" ---

I loved hearing the sounds but there must be a more honest evaluation of these copy bikes. I'm not against having guys with loose money making these copies using modern metals and techniques and actually loved hearing Honda 4s and 6s coming at me at the Crosby Hotel in 2013, remembering them at the same spot in the decade of the 1960s.

I am writing up my own appraisal of my two weeks at the MANX/CLASSIC TT and hope that those who read it will see it through my eyes, the eyes of one fan who has been loyal to the TT for 66 years and yet loyal to the Manx for only six !