In an ideal world we as bike fans would have government funding to underwrite every road race - be it in the IOM or Northern Ireland/Ireland and beyond. Unfortunately we live in a world of limited resources - schools, social services, health -the list is endless that needs public money.

As a value proposition, the MGP has a relatively weak case. In this day and age, If you want to use public money, public roads and public services etc, there needs to be a return. It’s fair to say the DED has come in and carved off the ‘profitable’ portion as they see it - TT stars on classic bikes - but it at least gives the MGP a chance. Every tax payer(voter) has an opinion on how public money should be used.

The Ulster GP struggles year over year to close off and race on 7.4 miles for 3 days. It gets minimal public support because the fan spend back into the economy doesn’t merit any more I guess. The NW200 obviously does better given the greater attendance. The UGP does the best it can in promoting itself as the fastest road race in the world with the majority of TT stars in attendance. For a multitude of reasons, the fans are not turning up in their numbers.

I am all for the MGP surviving and flourishing. For me, watching anyone ride around the TT/MGP circuit is a wonderful proposition but it needs to supported by the broader population.

Maybe the DED could do more but it appears they have rightly or wrongly ring fenced themselves within the Classic TT. This might be for legal or insurance reasons or it might simply be allocating resources directly to the product that can justify a return.

Road racing is an incredibly expensive sport. The Irish road scene is struggling. Riders can’t afford the upkeep of their bikes while paying rising entry fees to cover insurance costs. To offset the costs, fans are needed in their droves to show up,  buy programmes and have a few beers in the local bars.