There was a disappointing end to the Manx Grand Prix 2007 when the 'blue riband' event of the meeting, the Senior MGP, was cancelled because of the weather.

One for the historians - has this ever happened before - a race not just postponed or truncated, but cancelled?

Production A and C TT 1987

Ah - a "programme filler" class, before production racing took over and pretended to be the only form of real racing! (Cynical comment, and yes, I enjoyed some Production races in the Island and on short-circuits :wink: )
I think the time is rapidly approaching, if it is not here already, to seriously ask if the races should be dropped, and just remember the 100 years that went before.
If things have "progressed" so far that the organisers are frightened to allow racing unless there is virtually perfect vision on all points of the island, frightened to let spectators near a large percentage of the course, support for marshalling is at best borderline, in the case of the TT it is impossible to tell one race from another, costs for attending have spiralled - both for riders and spectators, and the business of the host country has changed so much that there is little toleration for the disruption then I believe the races are time-expired.
Is it not better to be able to say "I remember the TT and the MGP" rather than "I remember when they were a really great event, not like they are now" ?
An annual festival with short-circuit races for Classics (preferably on a new dedicated facility, not the frightening Billown roads which were always marginal on safety for a massed start race) would surely be a success, and produce a facility for other motor sport, without closing roads. Look at the Ascari facility in Spain - a superb circuit, funded by rich businessmen, with an improving list of facilities such as golf course, country club, hotel either being built or already there. Surely something like that would bring the Isle of Man closer to the 20th, if not the 21st century?
Road racing can continue to be better catered for in Ireland, until they too become too scared of allowing racing in anything other than perfect conditions - racing in rain, wind, high temperatures and so on has always been part of the test. Soon there will only be indoor arenas with a decibel limit of 50 or 60, electric non-polluting engines, with riders looking more like american football players with so much padding that they cannot hurt themselves.
Tin-hat on, trench dug, head down!

Peter how can you publish what some would consider to be heresy!
Trouble is I agree with you entirely, but who will have the courage to bring a dignified end to the races which would be better than them being legislated out of existence.

I just consider myself to fortunate to have been around during,what was to me,the golden era of SMBH & co.

Well, I was there, and I was at the UGP, and the UGP was awful, in my opinion... it's not racing if you can't see... the Manx was difficult, but it was racing.
Don't stop the MGP and the TT, and don't stop developing them. And don't try to run modern races as if it's still 1960.
We have developed bikes, so why wouldn't we develop the course and the rules too? Do we want 2007 bikes on 1907 roads, with no marshals etc as it was in the past?
I am a pensioner, so I've been there, done that, but I don't live in the past.

Oh, and here's a thought on the tired old howlongisthecourse topic. It is, of course a different length for each rider, as they all take different lines... sometimes different lines every lap.
SO, set up the transponders so they record the distance travelled as well as the lap speeds. The lap would be from startline to finish, but the length would vary. Every rider would design her/his own course, and hold the lap record for it.

I like the idea of adapting the transponders but I heard that one of the TM's bikes was trying out a GPS system,now theres a way to find out the length of the course and just where they stop for a cuppa at the same time.

The length of the course question was asked at the MGP marshals supper.
I suggested that it doesn't really matter as most riders are only concerned with the time it takes to complete a lap.

It is the media and spectators who seem to have more interest in the speeds.

Every one of the MGP riders present agreed

The rag (spit) measured the course back in the 70s with professional surveying equipment as I recall and found it had actually shortened by about 1/3 or a mile from its original 37.75 miles over the years due to bends being straightened out. The organisers wouldn't have it and refused to change the "traditional" length of the course. So today's lap speeds may not be quite accurate!

However I agree with their decision, it's not absolute speed that matters as every rider out there is fighting his own private battle and what matters is where you come in the finishers list, not some theoretical average speed numbers.

However Peter, you have raised some interesting points. You have outlined pretty well the problems facing the events but I don't agree with your conclusion that we should accept we are beaten and walk away with our tails between our legs. The Mountain Course is still a unique challenge and it would be sad to let it fade into the mists of history and accept a dull grey safety obsessed future. Today's challenge is to recapture its relevance and spark the enthusiasm that such unique events should be able to. Look at the number of spectators who came over for the 07TT despite the boring samey programme. People WANT to be excited and thrilled. The riders WANT to ride a fantastic closed road circuit. The organisers and governing bodies need to get off their well-padded derrieres and manage the events professionally - meaning run the classes riders and spectators want, make sure the facilities are there to actually run the races even if there's a cloud in the sky and ensure those who want to come over are not ripped off at every turn. That would mean hard work, not just issuing a few press releases and waiting for the money to roll in from the willing sheep. The potential is immense if they were only prepared to do the work and unlock it.