FC Wrote:Riders are getting a lot more premium practice now, most of the riders are only on about 2/3 bikes not like the old days when a rider could be trying to set up 6 bikes. Not only this the bikes are more reliable than ever so breakdowns and missing practices is almost a thing of the past.
As for the marshalls being paid where do you stop, my idea would be to allow those who are local marshalls to be given a tax break during the two weeks, a bit like home stay which is Tax free. Marshalls from off Island could be offered fares over on a sliding scale based on the practices/races they attend and have their cards signed by a sector marshall.

FC you make some good points about incentivising Marshals. It's about time those guys were offered more help than they currently get, and in this climate we need all we can get. Many are dedicated souls who will come anyway but some are wondering if it's worth it for the cost and time away with little thanks, and new blood needs to be attracted in as well. All ideas are good in this respect.

However I have to take issue with you on the practice question. I can't speak for the TT as I only did the Manx. In my time there we went from 2 sessions Mon-Tue-Wed-Fri, plus 2 Saturday evenings and an extra long one Thursday afternoon, to one evening session per day (not Sun). That's 10 sessions down to 7 in absolute numbers, and a shortening of the Thursday one. I'm not sure what happened back in the days of setting up 6 bikes - I certainly never saw any of those - but you may be sure that delays to starting the sessions, cancellations, mechanical problems (which are still an issue for the classics) all serve to restrict practice time past what is comfortable. Days past you could more or less pick and choose which sessions you did because you knew you would have enough time barring disasters. The fast boys could do 20-30 laps in practice. Now it can be all you can do to get 7-8. Sessions are more often cancelled nowadays due to weather which we would have ridden in the past - I've been over the mountain following catseyes in practice many times in the past, but now they would cancel a session for that.

There is less practice, fact. Is that good for Newcomers? Is the pressure to qualify in fewer laps (with more bikes on circuit because of less sessions available) conducive to safety?