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***Malcolm*** · 28-01-2015, 11:09 AM

A TT world series could have great benefit to the Isle of Man according to Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly.

Mr Skelly said a series of races, proposed at perhaps five different venues in winter in the southern hemisphere culminating in the June final at the Isle of Man would also promote the main TT event and raise its profile worldwide.

While the island may be packed during TT fortnight itself, the hope is that tourists could be encouraged to visit throughout the season.

‘One of the things we will get out of it is a rights or franchise fee,’ he said.

‘And the idea would be to have a profit share with the organiser of each event around the world.’

Initial investigations were done on the proposal back in 2012 and the government has spent approaching £200,000 on a report from The Sports Consultancy which thinks the plan is viable.

The idea is various countries will be able to bid for the right to host a TT race but the essence of the Isle of Man event should be preserved in that it will be at least partly run on roads, there will be an open paddock and spectators will be able to get close to the action.

‘It means we have exclusive rights to promote the Isle of Man in those destinations and the broadcast opportunities that sit along side that are also beneficial.

‘We probably can’t accommodate a lot more for the TT itself becase we are about to plateau as far as the races are concerned. But what we are trying to do is create other tourism opportunities.’

Another benefit would be the extra opportunity to sell a whole range of branded products including clothing and trinkets.

The government is currently inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in taking over the promotion side of the event currently managed by the Department of Economic Development motorsport team.

‘The event is in the ascendancy so now is the time to take a step back,’ he said.

But he said the motorsport team will still have plenty to occupy them: ‘We will still be managing all the infrastructure in terms of staging the event in the Isle of Man, things like road maintenance and closures, co-ordinating emergency services and all the other tasks associated with running the event.’

Commenting on how likely it is to happen, Mr Skelly said:

‘We have got the level of interest and the right calibre of people interested, I can’t say who at this stage. It does suggest there is a distinct possibility but there are also a number of issues to think through. We need to protect our reputation.’

The World Series proposal is to be put to Tynwald in November.

Marketing expert Professor Hugh Davidson said he thought the idea had the potential to offer benefits to the island.

‘It’s certainly worth exploring and I think it could be big,’ he said.

‘The TT is our biggest brand and when you mention the Isle of Man to people the subject of the TT always comes up. It’s a very strong brand with international potential.’

However, he said there were definitely certain issues that would need to be addressed, not least the matter of safety in times of increasing health and safety concerns.

Moreover, there is no guarantee of success: ‘Any new project involves a risk. But the potential pay off is so great it deserves some investment. If it didn’t work, I don’t think the people behind it should be castigated.’

The key thing will be to use and promote the same brand name, the same logo: ‘The event has tremendous history and heritage from the past 100 years and we can take advantage of that.’

By John Turner

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