IOM TT changes

[Bustaspoke]

Looks like they'remaking some changes for the future TT races.
https://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news ... s-for-2022
I still find it hard to believe what happened to Gus Scott,or Steve Mercer the other year.

[Skub]

That reads like a text book full of buzz words which appears to pay lip service to safety. To be seen to be doing something is the thing. Year after year the milestones appear for fallen riders,I'd venture to suggest the IOM tourist board views that as collateral damage during the course of doing business.

Still,maybe I'm being a bit unfair and perhaps they are trying to do something.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

It does read a bit "we've put all the procedures in place so we've covered our arses if someone dies"

[Dodgy69]

I think the electronic flags is good. Quicker and more visible perhaps. Forgot the rest.

[Taff]

That reads like a text book full of buzz words which appears to pay lip service to safety. To be seen to be doing something is the thing. Year after year the milestones appear for fallen riders,I'd venture to suggest the IOM tourist board views that as collateral damage during the course of doing business.

Still,maybe I'm being a bit unfair and perhaps they are trying to do something.

I think that the article is written directly in safety management speak rather than having it interpreted into plain English for general consumption. We suffer from this almost on a daily basis because too many of my fellow safetyists speak in this kind of language and design engineers just gloss over in boredom.
Implementing an SMS and associated cultural changes is really hard in an environment that hasn't had one before.
It actually contains a whole raft of measures to manage accidents on the understanding that they can't stop them from happening.

[mangocrazy]

Two things that jumped out at me were 1) reduction of grid size to 50 in 1000cc races and 2) sighting lap before the race.

I'm not sure what current grid sizes are, but when I was attending TT races it was more than double that number. That will have a huge impact, in terms of both race teams and spectators. The races are going to be seriously oversubscribed, meaning a lot of people will miss out, especially if they are newcomers and have no track record (no pun intended). And for the spectators it's going to mean far less bikes circulating and less interest. It will hopefully get rid of the slow backmarker problem though.

A sighting lap is de riguer in most other forms of bike racing - but on a 37 and three quarter mile course? That will burn through nearly half a tank of fuel - will the bikes refuel before forming up on the grid? In the space of one lap the weather on the Island can change from sunny to rain and fog (and vice versa). What will be the time difference between first and last riders and how will the riders approach it - treat it as another practice lap or take it steady(ish)?

Hidden behind all the businessbollocksspeak are some radical changes.