I've been reading this board for months, and finally read something which has made my blood boil sufficiently to pass comment.

Garry D. Who the hell do you think you are ?.

"Far too many riders just riding around, and not racing" I've never heard so much drivel. I would like to bet that EVERY competitor in the TT or MGP is riding at his or her limit, but due to differences in machinery, experiance, or ability some happen to go a lot faster than others. The guy at the back is trying his heart out with the tools he has available.
"The vast majority would'nt finish in the top three at a club race". possibly not, but they have finished in the top 50% on at least 10 occasions to get their national licence, and let me tell you to finish in the top 50% of any club race is no walk in the park. It is fast out there.

Lastly if you went to the FIM system of 110% qualification times, the grid would be depleated to a point races could not be run, or at least it would be very boring for spectators seeing 10 bikes come past every 18mins. Due to the complex nature of the course and all it demands, differences in abilty show up more than they would on a short circuit. That canadian guy (can't remember his name) who made the film about racing at the T.T for the first time, raced AMA. AMA !! that is a massivly high standard by anyones measure, but he failed to lap the course at 100 MPH. Lack of ability ?, definatly not. Machinery ? easily up to the job. So the missing ingredient has to be course knowledge/experiance.

If Garry would care to list his racing sucsesses, starting at club level ('cos that's easy) moving through road racing to the TT, with fastest lap please, I will bow to his experiance, apologise, and publically retract most of the above. If as I suspect he has never raced, he should try a club race (should win at a canter) and then lap at 100mph from a standing start on his first visit to the island.

It is dead easy to critisise something you have no comprehension of.

Feel better now.

Peter