Sorry to bang this particular drum again, but this a real-life situation not just a whinge for the sake of it.

The TT Course licence has, we are told, been brought in purely on the grounds of improving safety - nothing else. So tomorrow, at least one competitor will be competing on Jurby Airfield for one reason only - to get one of two more required signatures in order to get a licence to race at the MGP this year. The weather forecast for tomorrow is for a MAXIMUM temperature of 5 degrees C, a gale force North Westerly blowing straight off the sea, and very possibly hail, sleet and snow as well.

Can somebody, anybody, please explain to me how being effectively forced to ride (not race, that will be impossible), a little 125cc bike in those conditions has anything at all to do with improving safety? I really would love to know.

????????? :shock:

WELL JUST EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE IN THE RACING WORLD KNOWS THE TERMS OF QUALIFYING FOR A TT COURSE LICENCE AS DECIDED BY POL POT AND HIS GANG HAS NO BEARING ON OR RELATIONSHIP WITH SAFETY.

THAT IS WHY IT PROBABLY CAUSED THE BIGGEST STORM IN THE HISTORY OF ROAD RACING RESULTING IN EVERY FORUM CONNECTED WITH THE SPORT BEING SWAMPED BY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GOOD LOGICAL REASONS TO SCRAP IT AND RESULTED IN FORCING THE ACU CLOSING IT'S MESSAGE BOARD DOWN. THE TRUTH MUST HAVE BEEN TO PAINFULL FOR THEM

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE ALLEGED MINUTES OF THE ALLEGED MEETING THAT THIS DECISION WAS MADE THAT MEMBERS OF THE ACU WERE TOLD THEY COULD GET A COPY OF THROUGH THERE AREA SECRETARY, EVEN ENGAGING SOLICITORS FAILED TO OBTAIN A COPY. WHERES THEM MINUTES PARKER, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO HIDE? IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE THEN PUBLISH THE MINUTES OF THE ALLEGED ROAD RACE COMMITTEE MEETING ON THIS AND OTHER SITES OR WAS IT LIKE TONY BLAIR AND HIS WMD's

HOW CAN A XXXXXXXXXX WHO HAS NEVER THROWN A LEG OVER IRON DOWN BRAY HILL OR ANY OTHER ROAD CIRCUIT POSSIBLY KNOW BETTER OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER THAN EXPERIENCED RIDERS WITH HUNDREDS OF LAPS UNDER THEIR BELTS.

YOU CAN BET DARLEY MOOR AND CERTAIN OTHER SHORT CIRCUITS WITH CONNECTIONS TO THE VESTED INTEREST PARTIES HAVE A GOOD EARNER OUT OF IT. JIM TOWNLEY MUST BE TURNING IN HIS GRAVE.

I WAS A FOUNDER MEMBER OF DARLEY MOOR CLUB AND ALONG WITH JIM 'SMITHY' THE DUGDALES, BOB HEATH, ALBERT MOULE, KEITH HECKLES AND A SHEDLOAD OF OTHERS WHO CREATED THAT CIRCUIT WITH OUR BARE HANDS AND HARD GRAFT FROM A DISUSED AIRFIELD EVERY WEEKEND OVER THE WINTER. I WAS ALSO THE HIGHEST PLACED RIDER TO GIVE THE CLUB IT'S FIRST EVER TT CLUB TEAM SILVER REPLICA AWARD.

EVEN SO I DID THEN, AND ALWAYS THOUGHT THE CIRCUIT WAS BORING AND GARBAGE AND A WASTE OF SPACE AND NO WAY CAN RUNNING AROUND A BIT OF A TRIANGLE HELP ANY RIDER IN RESPECT OF ROAD RACING EXPERIENCE OR SAFETY ON THE TT COURSE.

NOW THE OLD FULL CIRCUITS AT OULTON, CADWELL, SCARBOROUGH AND BRANDS WERE A DIFFERENT MATTER, AND ONE RACE AT THE SOUTHERN 100 IN PARTICULAR, OR ANDREAS ROAD CIRCUIT, MID ANTRIM AND ALL THE OTHER IRISH ROADS IS WORTH MORE THAN YOU COULD EVER LEARN AT FIFTY SHORT CIRCUIT RACES.

HOW DID THESE MUPPETS EVER GAIN CONTROL OF THE ACU AND OUR SPORT TO IT'S GRAVE DETRIMENT.

No I am not SHOUTING caps just help me make less mistakes with failing eyesight.

i was up there today for a signature for a mountain licence. due to bad weather it was cancelled. so no one got a signature for TT or manx!

So now some people will have to make rushed journeys across to try to get signatures on strange circuits they would never visit itherwise, no doubt. SAFETY? B**l***s.

thewitch Wrote:So now some people will have to make rushed journeys across to try to get signatures on strange circuits they would never visit itherwise, no doubt. SAFETY? B**l***s.

YOU ALL HAVE MY SYMPATHY, AND I SERIOUSLY MEAN THAT.

A LOAD OF UTTERLY STUPID EXTRA COST THAT RACERS CAN ILL AFFORD JUST TO SATISIFY THE PIGS WITH THEIR SNOUTS IN THE TROUGH, COCKROACHES HOLDING OTHERS TO RANSOME AND FEEDING OF ILL THEIR GOTTEN GAINS.

Tom - do I gather that you are a little bit peeved, and not fully in agreement with these rules? George Ratcliff could be looking down on you, saying "Tut, Tut" :?

WELL I KNOW YOU WOULD BE IF YOU WERE STILL RACING. I JUST DON'T LIKE A BUNCH OF NO MARKS FLEECING THE LADS AND LASSES; THE MOST OF WHOM STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS OF TACKLING THE MOUNTAIN. YOU WERE NOT AROUND THIS AND OTHER FORUMS A YEAR AGO WHEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF POSTS WERE MADE IN PROTEST.

RIDERS ARE HAVING TO TRAVEL DURING WINTER MONTHS SOME AT IMMENSE COST FROM THE ISLE OF MAN TO SOME DISTANT MICKY MOUSE CIRCUIT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE TO DO 5 OR 6 LAPS IN WHICH A NUMBER, NOT ALL, OF OF THE ACU ROAD RACE COMMITTEE HAVE A VESTED FINANCIAL INTEREST.

THEY KNOW THEY HAVE THE LICENCE HOLDERS BY THE THROAT AND ARE WRINGING THEIR NECKS FOR EVERY PENNY THEY CAN LIKE BACK STREET SHARKS AND HUCKSTERS. UNFORTUNATELY HELEN HAS TO MODERATE MY DESCRIPTIONS OF THESE LICE. AND THESE VERMIN DO NOT ANSWER TO THOSE WHO PAY THEM, THE LIVENCE HOLDERS.

GEORGE LOOKS DOWN ON ME EVERY DAY FROM A HUGE SUPERB OIL PAINTING OF A WELSH WATERFALL HE DID ME FOR AS A WEDDIMG ANNIVERSARY PRESENT FOR THE DRAGON. HE WAS AS BRILLIANT AN ARTIST AS WELL AS A TWO STROKE TUNER SAD HE DIED SO YOUNG.

I completely agree with your sentiments Tom. I cannot see the point of this licence: if it was based upon experience of road circuits then it might, just might make some sense, but any qualification that just needs someone to take part in a short-circuit race has no relevance.
In "our day" entry into the MGP was not easy - based upon a record of how many races you had done, at a National level. Then of course the TT, for which a full international licence was required, earned through points gathered from club and National races. I like so many ended up with a full grand prix licence, making me eligible to race anywhere in anything (!), and as far as I am aware, there was no need to keep qualifying for this - rather like a road driving licence, once you had proved you could do it, there was no need to keep proving it over and over again.
certainly the last time I came over to the TT, there were many competitors who looked like they had not even got a provisional licence for the roads they were obviously so incompetent. Nowadays it does look as if the standard of rider is much better, and this has much more to do with the good marketing and improvements that have been going on, and NOTHING to do with mickey mouse licenses.
If I were younger and fitter, would this mean that all the replicas that I have been fortunate to earn would count for nothing, and I would have to take part in some inappropriate club races - the most dangerous because of the varying standard of rider - before being permitted to enter?
Evidence of past competence, plus a medical should be enough.