TT 2022 ??

[manxman1980]

1 hour ago, A fool and his money..... said:

That's fair enough, I'm sure you'll come to love it again.

I think the TT zero cancellation was more to do with the motorcycle industry rather than purely racing. None of the machines that took part were ever commercially available, or ever planned to be, electric motorcycles are only just starting to be produced commercially now and have a very long way to go.

FWIW I liked the TT zero and was disappointed when it was to be shelved and didn't agree with the decision. I can see why it was made though, I think the only thing the TT did wrong in its move towards non ICE bikes was being ahead of its time.

I agree with the comments on TT Zero and it is a shame the big manufacturers did not get on board.  Proving the technology on the TT course, especially if they could get a multi-lap race, would go a long way to proving the technology works.

Again that goes back to the origins of the TT where it was used as a test bed for developing technologies and to prove they were viable away from a normal circuit and could be used on the road.  Didn't they also test air bags built into the racing leathers, or at least the trigger mechanisms, to demonstrate that they would not accidently trigger on the road?

 

[Barlow]

3 hours ago, Happier diner said:

If its on this year. We will be off Island.

Will you let your new friends use the house?

 

[Happier diner]

1 hour ago, Barlow said:

Will you let your new friends use the house?

 

Of course we will. That's a given. 

[Barlow]

Mate, you're a star.

[Numbnuts]

Another plus for the TT going ahead . 1886 advertising for staff ( 210 ) for massive venue for practice and race week.  Big plans and for sure going to shake up entertainment for TT .

[Freggyragh]

Just throwing this out there, but I used to love the TT, and over the years the deaths have really dampened my enthusiasm. If I were in charge I would:

1. Use traditional formats - limit the Junior TT to 350cc & the Senior TT to 500cc. 

2. Bring back ultra-lightweight classes (50cc / 125cc) classes - they might agree to race on wet roads. 

3. Continue to limit sidecars to 600cc. If anything that should be being reduced, not increased.

4. Continue the Zero races. Allow change of battery pit-stops.

I don't think big litre+ bikes are as popular as they once were, except in the adventure/tourer market, and even there  the trend is towards smaller, lighter bikes. Big bikes are becoming very cheap secondhand now - as boomers are now finding the oversized machines they bought 20 years ago are too heavy and impractical.  

Maybe the TT should start thinking about finding a younger and broader demographic and run races that Chinese / Thai / Indian bikes could just go and win, rather than the same old 100cc / 600cc BMW / Honda / Yamaha /Suzuki / Kawasaki show with the occasional Ducati / Triumph / Norton showing. 

[WTF]

10 hours ago, Freggyragh said:

Just throwing this out there, but I used to love the TT, and over the years the deaths have really dampened my enthusiasm. If I were in charge I would:

 

but there were deaths long before your loving of  the TT,  its a bit like saying i liked being in the army but i lost too many mates in combat, which begs the question why join the army ? dead soldiers isn't a new thing.

[James Blonde]

11 hours ago, Numbnuts said:

Another plus for the TT going ahead . 1886 advertising for staff ( 210 ) for massive venue for practice and race week.  Big plans and for sure going to shake up entertainment for TT .

That's not to be sniffed at, 

[joebean]

10 hours ago, Freggyragh said:

Just throwing this out there, but I used to love the TT, and over the years the deaths have really dampened my enthusiasm. If I were in charge I would:

1. Use traditional formats - limit the Junior TT to 350cc & the Senior TT to 500cc. 

2. Bring back ultra-lightweight classes (50cc / 125cc) classes - they might agree to race on wet roads. 

3. Continue to limit sidecars to 600cc. If anything that should be being reduced, not increased.

4. Continue the Zero races. Allow change of battery pit-stops.

I don't think big litre+ bikes are as popular as they once were, except in the adventure/tourer market, and even there  the trend is towards smaller, lighter bikes. Big bikes are becoming very cheap secondhand now - as boomers are now finding the oversized machines they bought 20 years ago are too heavy and impractical.  

Maybe the TT should start thinking about finding a younger and broader demographic and run races that Chinese / Thai / Indian bikes could just go and win, rather than the same old 100cc / 600cc BMW / Honda / Yamaha /Suzuki / Kawasaki show with the occasional Ducati / Triumph / Norton showing. 

The problem is that bikes in the lower cc categories that will prove to be a racing spectacle don’t really exist. 125 and 50cc machines are now mostly 4 stroke and don’t produce sufficient power to get to any meaningful speed over the TT course. 600cc sports bike engines belong to a class of motorcycle that no longer exists in production motorcycles. The TT is mainly about production motorcycles as it does not have the money behind it to use specialised machinery outside of the so-called Superbike class. So the bike categories you speak of, save 500cc twins are not really there. 
Your post serves to illustrate the problem for production-based racing and with that, the TT; to stay relevant in a biking market and demographic that has moved away from sport motorcycles. The changes being made to the race categories now are a decent attempt to move with the industry but the challenge of remaining relevant in this changing environment are only going to get bigger. 

[Happier diner]

57 minutes ago, WTF said:

but there were deaths long before your loving of  the TT,  its a bit like saying i liked being in the army but i lost too many mates in combat, which begs the question why join the army ? dead soldiers isn't a new thing.

Except wars are not usually optional. 

[hissingsid]

I reckon even if the TT does not happen there will be an influx of biker visitors over the two week period. There are some who have had their bookings rolled over and others that have booked their travel already and what is not to like the course is open with an opportunity to speed in certain sections, the atmosphere will be in part here and I am sure everyone will have a great time.     In the day I knew quite a few bikers who came over had a great time and never saw a race came for the craic.

[Max Power]

11 hours ago, Freggyragh said:

Just throwing this out there, but I used to love the TT, and over the years the deaths have really dampened my enthusiasm. If I were in charge I would:

1. Use traditional formats - limit the Junior TT to 350cc & the Senior TT to 500cc. 

2. Bring back ultra-lightweight classes (50cc / 125cc) classes - they might agree to race on wet roads. 

3. Continue to limit sidecars to 600cc. If anything that should be being reduced, not increased.

4. Continue the Zero races. Allow change of battery pit-stops.

I don't think big litre+ bikes are as popular as they once were, except in the adventure/tourer market, and even there  the trend is towards smaller, lighter bikes. Big bikes are becoming very cheap secondhand now - as boomers are now finding the oversized machines they bought 20 years ago are too heavy and impractical.  

Maybe the TT should start thinking about finding a younger and broader demographic and run races that Chinese / Thai / Indian bikes could just go and win, rather than the same old 100cc / 600cc BMW / Honda / Yamaha /Suzuki / Kawasaki show with the occasional Ducati / Triumph / Norton showing. 

I always preferred it when the TT and MGP were mainly for pure bred racing machines, the only classes anywhere in the world for these now are MotoGp and Moto3. The former is totally prohibitive and the latter may be a possibility when enough older riders take them up. At GP level it is 16 to 20 year olds who seem to be the most successful in this class. I can see a day when manufacturers move away from mass market sports road bikes, they will be like supercars or for track use only, and very expensive due to the low numbers made. Perhaps racing will begin to revert to the old TTF1 formula then? 

11 minutes ago, joebean said:

The problem is that bikes in the lower cc categories that will prove to be a racing spectacle don’t really exist. 125 and 50cc machines are now mostly 4 stroke and don’t produce sufficient power to get to any meaningful speed over the TT course. 600cc sports bike engines belong to a class of motorcycle that no longer exists in production motorcycles. The TT is mainly about production motorcycles as it does not have the money behind it to use specialised machinery outside of the so-called Superbike class. So the bike categories you speak of, save 500cc twins are not really there. 
Your post serves to illustrate the problem for production-based racing and with that, the TT; to stay relevant in a biking market and demographic that has moved away from sport motorcycles. The changes being made to the race categories now are a decent attempt to move with the industry but the challenge of remaining relevant in this changing environment are only going to get bigger. 

Completely correct in my opinion, the TT has to reflect what the motorcycle racing market is doing throughout the world. There are exceptions mind you, the MGP introduced a 650 Twin class, the TT followed suit, and despite my cynicism, the class has become a worldwide success! The bikes are ideal for the Mountain Circuit too!  

11 minutes ago, Happier diner said:

Except wars are not usually optional. 

Which is much worse really. In my own case I was responsible for what happened to me, there were a couple of things which I think had a bearing on the fact that I came off but I was well aware of them beforehand. 

[TomTucker]

6 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

I reckon even if the TT does not happen there will be an influx of biker visitors over the two week period. There are some who have had their bookings rolled over and others that have booked their travel already and what is not to like the course is open with an opportunity to speed in certain sections, the atmosphere will be in part here and I am sure everyone will have a great time.     In the day I knew quite a few bikers who came over had a great time and never saw a race came for the craic.

Which is why the entertainment aspect is more important than the races.

The visiting bikers should feel they got value for money with shows on the promenades, beach races, the chance to wreck their bikes on the mountain, bands and racing. 90% of the human race seems to want to fresh content to share on socials and the TT needs to be instagram-able. 

Make it a great festival and it keeps the locals happy too as they get to do stuff out the ordinary too.

[Numbnuts]

2 hours ago, James Blonde said:

That's not to be sniffed at, 

I see what youve done there !! 🙂 

But seriously making the old Villiers site into a venue will be something else . Tidying it up will be the first plus. Gone through courts yesterday . 

[Non-Believer]

2 hours ago, Numbnuts said:

I see what youve done there !! 🙂 

But seriously making the old Villiers site into a venue will be something else . Tidying it up will be the first plus. Gone through courts yesterday . 

No doubt the eco-warriors will be up in arms about the removal of the self-seeded plant life and the rest of the fauna...