(06-09-2015, 02:42 AM)Jan Grainger Wrote: I have previously posted my disappointment at the new look event curlydog and it's sad you felt the way you have described. Are the Manx GP competitors intimidated by the Classic TT group? Are they feeling somewhat pushed aside by the organisers to accommodate this group?
I have always urged people in Australia to get to any event in the Isle of Man and I will continue to do so but I have no desire to return to this new look Classic TT/Manx GP. Hopefully people aren't as negative about its future as I am. It used to be the greatest event.

As it was four years since last competed at the MGP I was awarded a low starting number and really felt that those down the order do get a bum deal.

The practises as split into two sessions, and then each session is split into three groups. The groups are determined by your class and number in the class. If your number is 60 or above your are in the last group.

For practice sessions, you are always the last group to get scrutineered, if there is an issue you have the least amount of time to rectify it. It also means your last in the holding area. If you can get one of the few remaining power points you will need an extra long extension lead to reach it. Strangely enough, on race day and it's an early start to scrutineering the last group is called first! Go figure.

When you do get out on the track, again you are always last. This means that you opportunities to get two laps in are very limited, because the session is flagged before you can complete your first lap. On friday night I got out within the first ten of my group, posted a lap at 105mph and the flag still came out a minute or two before I crossed the line.

It means you get to qualify one lap at a time, not having the benefit of a flying lap or finding out how your machine will cope with two laps. I didn't find out until the middle saturday that my bike wouldn't do two laps on one tank. By this time my chances of finding a solution in time for the Junior on the wednesday were limited.

Being in the last group also limits your opportunities to improve. My pace was a bit quicker than the general pace of the last group. I was constantly hampered trying to pass slower riders both from my group and the group in front. In the very last practice session I snook out with the low numbers in the Junior. My pace immediately jumped from 108 to 111.4mph as I was able to hang onto the tail of some quicker riders for parts of the course.

I realise that things were really disrupted this year and the organisers had a lot of conflicting pressures, but I did get the feeling that unless your a TT star, or a MGP front runner, you constantly seem to get the sh1tty end of the stick.

I did make representations to the organisers, but there was no interest and I was disimssed.

As I write this I'm laying in Nobles having come off in my race, perhaps trying a little too hard to make up for lost time. I'm certainly not blaming anyone else for my crash, but the lack of laps certainly didn't help after a four year break. Even including the race I only managed seven laps this year.

I don't want to be all critical of the organisers, Wyn from the riders welfare has been wonderful in helping organise accommodation and travel for my wife who's remained with me whilst I'm in hospital. I just feel that more consideration should be given to those lower down the order to help them improve both performance and safety. Simply by occasionally changing the order of the groups would have given the lower riders a chance to get a flying lap in, and perhaps get pulled along a bit by a faster rider coming through. I suggested this but it wasn't entertained.

Whilst the Classic TT is where all the effort is being placed, my gut feeling is that the MGP will be left to wither and die. Such a shame for those who will be denied the wonderful opportunity of racing this magical course.