I've watched the Superbike race from the grandstand. It's nice that you can mooch around the paddock in the build up and just stroll to your seat without being there hours before. You also get to see the podium presentations and pit stops. The other side of the coin is that there are more exciting places to watch.

If I recall correctly the tickets went on sale around mid-November and sold out pretty quickly for Superbike & Senior. Not quite like getting ferry tickets but don't hang about.