|
|
|
| What Happens To The Prize
Money ?
|
|
Now that the TT has been cancelled there are many
problems to face for the Isle of Man Government, mostly financial. However, the
large 'pot' of prize money will not be paid out, and many people are interested
as to what will happen with these funds.
It is possible that the money
will go back to the overall TT fund or it may even be added to next years Prize
Money Fund. These may be the most likely outcomes, however there are many other
things the money could be used for.
Recently it has been mentioned that
the leading TT stars are going to suffer highly because of the cancellation,
which is true. However what about the sponsors and entrants who provide the
machinery in the first place, who year in year out pay large amounts of money
to provide riders with bikes to entertain the public with.
The lack of
race meetings this year could cause problems for sponsors well beyond 2002.
People like Mannin Collections, Martin Bullock, John Shand, Winston McAdoo,
Patsy O'Kane, The Royal Hotel and countless others invest thousands of pounds
each year into our sport. These teams and sponsors are also supported by
smaller interests which may be reluctant to become involved again due to the
lack of exposure received this year. This may make it difficult for teams to
provide the same level of support in the future.
Perhaps some of the
prize money could be used to help out TT sponsors?
Going back to the
riders, when the suggestion was made that the top riders should be reimbursed,
many people thought it was wrong to forget the other riders who make the TT
what it is.
There are many riders who ride at the TT who are in serious
financial difficulty due to their addiction to the sport. Second mortgages,
countless loans and several full credit cards are just some of the things
riders find themselves facing to risk their life for the sport they
love.
Again, the riders should be considered for financial assistance
in this difficult time, and not just the 'stars'.
An interesting
suggestion was made to me today regarding the Southern 100. Should the event
run (and we all hope it will) would it be possible to take an amount, say
£20,000, from the unused TT prize fund and add it to the Southern 100
prize fund in an attempt to attract some riders to the event and reward the
other regular competitors?
The same could apply to the Manx Grand Prix,
where there is no prize money. Could the organisers offer free entries this
year?
There are a lot of ifs and buts here, but basically all I am
saying is that we shouldn't forget the most important aspect of the TT, the
sport itself. The decision was a political one, which it had to be, but since
the decision was made, the riders and sponsors have been forgotten and politics
has taken over.
Please don't let that happen. I am, as always,
interested to here your views, so please post on our message board or if need
be, contact me directly at paul@ttwebsite.com
Long live the TT and long live Pure Road Racing.
Paul Phillips
|
Back to Features Index
|
|
|
| Interviews
|
 |
| Read about your favourite riders and what they think
about the the Isle of Man TT Course and Road Racing in general. [
more...
]
|
|
