Grianane Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 It looks very much as though there won't actually be any racing at all this year because no one will marshall. Last year they had trouble getting marshalls for race week. Usually the practices are ok coz its outside work times so the locals turn out, Saturday didn't happen because of the rain but there weren't enough marshalls anyway. The recent arrest of the sector marshall has certainly spooked a few people who have said they won't do it again. Normally a corporate manslaughter charge would go to the head of the organisation, but for some reason they arrested someone further down the tree instead of the head marshall. I think if the head marshall had been arrested instead the volunteer marshalls may have been a bit more confident about signing on again. Was the arrest, just before the TT and not of the head marshall, a synical way of scaring away the marshalls and will it result in the end of the MGP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scanner Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 It looks very much as though there won't actually be any racing at all this year because no one will marshall. Last year they had trouble getting marshalls for race week. Usually the practices are ok coz its outside work times so the locals turn out, Saturday didn't happen because of the rain but there weren't enough marshalls anyway. The recent arrest of the sector marshall has certainly spooked a few people who have said they won't do it again. Normally a corporate manslaughter charge would go to the head of the organisation, but for some reason they arrested someone further down the tree instead of the head marshall. I think if the head marshall had been arrested instead the volunteer marshalls may have been a bit more confident about signing on again. [Was the arrest, just before the TT and not of the head marshall, a synical way of scaring away the marshalls and will it result in the end of the MGP. ] I agree,the decision to make an arrest must have come from very high up the police command chain and not from a local inspector.It seems to me it was timed perfectly to have a serious effect on the MGP with the instigator knowing full well it had little or no chance of succeeding.Cynical, you are damn right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheJudge Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Normally a corporate manslaughter charge would go to the head of the organisation, but for some reason they arrested someone further down the tree instead of the head marshall. There is no offence of corporate manslaughter in the Isle of Man. if you recall, the Solway Harvester trial was halted for this reason. I'm sure that those at the top of the marshals organisation are breathing a sigh of relief at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grianane Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 You bet, but the sector marshall was arrested not the marshalls who were actually resposnilble for that part of the course - cynical indead, there's clearly a larger plot to kill off this event, someone above a PC had to have directed the arrest, just like they pulled the police from the course 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Ten Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 I agree,the decision to make an arrest must have come from very high up the police command chain and not from a local inspector.It seems to me it was timed perfectly to have a serious effect on the MGP with the instigator knowing full well it had little or no chance of succeeding.Cynical, you are damn right. Well in all honesty you could probably count the senior police officers on the Isle of Man above the rank of "local Inspector" on one hand so I wonder who that could be? Last Ten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 You bet, but the sector marshall was arrested not the marshalls who were actually resposnilble for that part of the course - cynical indead, there's clearly a larger plot to kill off this event, someone above a PC had to have directed the arrest, just like they pulled the police from the course 2 years ago. If there is a plot to finish these events then it's time we all stood up to be counted and and make sure that it fails! We shouldn't just roll over and die, show them what they are up against! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Are you seriously accusing the senior Police of treating the death of 3 people as a mere cynical attempt to kill off the TT and MGP ? - The police were withdrawn two years ago as the Chief Constable said he could not accept responsibility for safety with the resources he was given - he may well have been informed that had he continued to supply officers both he (& the IoM police) may well have been held legally responsible for the 1% of competitor deaths each year + any spectator/marshall casualties. I suspect the really worried people must be the car rally organisers as they appear really pushed to provide sufficient marshalls for the simultaneous road closures they go in for - the indication that the police would go for criminal manslaughter charges in the event of any serious accident arising from poor marshalling decisions must provide for some serious considerations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Maybe the police felt they had no option having read some of the totally stupid posts that appeared on here from "eye witnessess" immediately after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Enough with the hand-wringing. Motorsport has its risks: ensure those risks are reasonably mitigated through effective policing and marshalling and let the riders and spectators get on with it. Regardless of how much motorsport does or doesn't generate in direct profit for the Island it's part of what makes the place special: take that away and you're left with some nice countryside and a few interesting historical sites. Events like the TT, MGP and the rallies give the Island an energy it would otherwise lack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccm Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 Enough with the hand-wringing. Motorsport has its risks: ensure those risks are reasonably mitigated through effective policing and marshalling and let the riders and spectators get on with it. Regardless of how much motorsport does or doesn't generate in direct profit for the Island it's part of what makes the place special: take that away and you're left with some nice countryside and a few interesting historical sites. Events like the TT, MGP and the rallies give the Island an energy it would otherwise lack. The same is also said of Beachy Head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Enough with the hand-wringing. Motorsport has its risks: ensure those risks are reasonably mitigated through effective policing and marshalling and let the riders and spectators get on with it.. it may be that the marshalling was not effectively enforced at joeys which contributed to the body count? hence arrests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grianane Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Maybee, but if someone slips on a wet floor you don't sue the acretaker, you go straight for the top. Why pick on someone on the lower order. Looking at the accident spot it does seem that if a bike when astray there it would collect any specators on that bank. Again though the bank provides the best vantage point to watch bikes which pass. I thought all the danger spots were identified and notices posted banning spectators, if so then should the people who were unfortunate to be there have known that the place they were in was potentially dangerous, or had this been missed. Of course at 120mph plus no one can really predict what a bike on its own will do or which way it will head. The only safe option may be to ban outside corner spectator areas, but that doesn't mean anywhere else is safe. Taken to the extreme we could end up putting crash barriers right round the course which isn't realistic. motor sport is dangerous, unfortunate thought the deaths were they rank below a number of much more horrific motorsport spectator deaths in recent years, not least of whihc include rally crashes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 amazing the above post is still there!! it has not been deleted yet due to unpopular unproveable accuracy like my previous post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Maybee, but if someone slips on a wet floor you don't sue the acretaker, you go straight for the top. Why pick on someone on the lower order. Looking at the accident spot it does seem that if a bike when astray there it would collect any specators on that bank. Again though the bank provides the best vantage point to watch bikes which pass. I thought all the danger spots were identified and notices posted banning spectators, if so then should the people who were unfortunate to be there have known that the place they were in was potentially dangerous, or had this been missed. Of course at 120mph plus no one can really predict what a bike on its own will do or which way it will head. The only safe option may be to ban outside corner spectator areas, but that doesn't mean anywhere else is safe. Taken to the extreme we could end up putting crash barriers right round the course which isn't realistic. motor sport is dangerous, unfortunate thought the deaths were they rank below a number of much more horrific motorsport spectator deaths in recent years, not least of whihc include rally crashes. the rumour was that the area was restricted but not enforceed by the marshals which may be why arrests were made. it takes a tragedy to get things made safer. if you look at where 'milky' hit the hedge at ballaspur, now there are white sheets of ply on the inside hedge. this means if you do touch the hedge, you have a smooth surface to slide along rather than a lumpy bumpy hedge that would kick you off randomly as happened to 'milky' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Are you seriously accusing the senior Police of treating the death of 3 people as a mere cynical attempt to kill off the TT and MGP ? - The police were withdrawn two years ago as the Chief Constable said he could not accept responsibility for safety with the resources he was given - he may well have been informed that had he continued to supply officers both he (& the IoM police) may well have been held legally responsible for the 1% of competitor deaths each year + any spectator/marshall casualties. I suspect the really worried people must be the car rally organisers as they appear really pushed to provide sufficient marshalls for the simultaneous road closures they go in for - the indication that the police would go for criminal manslaughter charges in the event of any serious accident arising from poor marshalling decisions must provide for some serious considerations. Whilst not trying to marginalise the terrible outcome of the accident at the 26th milestone, car rallying and motorsport of all kinds have suffered spectator casualties many times in the recent past. Steps have always been taken to try and prevent the accidents occurring again but the circumstances are nearly always different. I myself have been present at several incidents both here and abroad, but have never known of the type of reaction that our police force has succumbed to on this occassion. As previously stated, the timing appears to have been carefully chosen for maximum impact. I am sure that they would have known that an action against a sector marshal would never stand up!! Normally a higher level official would be investigated, this is obviously an attempt to divide the marshals association and cause panic in the ranks!! It has to be asked at the highest level, are the police OUR servants or are they in fact a law unto themselves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.