From Paul Riley - 40yr maximum age for Newcomers at TT

[steve-e]

Hope you don't mind me contacting you, but I need a favour and a bit of your time.
Over the last 3 years, I have been building towards the TT in 2018. As you know it takes a great deal of time and money to prepare. Not only the unit but yourself as well. The course has to be learned and learned well with qualifying times so high.
On Thursday 30 November, after delivering my unit to Mike Richards in France to have a new centre made (in preparation for the TT) I returned home to find an email from Gary Thompson waiting for me.
"I am afraid Paul, the news is not good. You won't be aware but we do put an age limit on the Newcomer for the TT and the Manx GP. For the TT, the age limit is 40 years of age.
The view is that the newcomer is the future of the event, and what we don't want to do is accept someone as a Newcomer who may only want or have time (age wise) to do the TT for a few years.
With the above in mind, it was decided - again to keep the Newcomer threshold relatively young to put an age limit of the Newcomer for both Solo and Sidecar to an age of 40.
I know you will not be happy with this - it is not specifically aimed at you but is applied across all Classes and likewise we have turned away similar requests recently for TT 2018"
Now, I know that some points are correct, we do need younger teams taking part, not just in the TT, but in all aspects of our sport. In the last 2 years, two newcomers have taken part in the TT, both of them of a similar vintage to myself, one of which went on to take the fastest newcomers lap.
Could I please ask you (and only if you think I am right) to email Gary Thompson at Gary@acu.org.uk to show your support in my endeavour to enter the 2018 TT.
As I have said, we do need younger teams and I would be the first to pull out if I was blocking the way for a younger team. I feel that what they are doing is against the spirit of the TT, especially when every year our grids are getting smaller.
I may not qualify, but I feel I deserve my chance! Their policy of having newcomers under the age of 40 should have at least been published 12 months in advance of its implementation, at least that would save someone the expense of both time and money. I would hope to compete for at least the next 5 years, which is no small commitment!!
So, thank you again for taking time out to read this and thanks, hopefully for your support.
Cheers, Paul

[jeff buckley]

wot a load of bull

[jeff buckley]

i was hopping to do the tt in 3 year wen iwill be 75

[robbie100]

Absolutely gutted.......only reason I started racing and I'll be 41 by the time it comes......gutted for you Paul as I know what effort you've put in.....

[Dean Dickinson]

My plan was to compete in the 2019 TT, We bust a bollock to get our national licences this year, so we had held them for 12 months before we applied for our entry,as required. I don't understand the reckoning, l don't think people just gear up to do the TT with just a few years of competing there in mind, it's something that takes a few years and then some to learn, I would think Tony Baker is actual proof that a cut off age of 40, is just outrageously low !

[lang]

Juan Manuel Fangio had his first Grand Prix drive at the age of 40, and went on to be the best Grand Prix driver of all time.
Good job for him (and the sport) that an age limit did not exclude him.
Perhaps you should point this out to the relevant people who make the rules.
We are in a time of people living longer, and staying active for much longer, so discriminating against someone because of there age is very politically incorrect.
Experience, wisdom and wise judgement, all increase with age.
I wish you luck and suggest you make a vigorous appeal, against this very unfair rule.

[petercaughlin]

Typical of the Numpties who run the sainted Another Cock Up,as you say with grids getting smaller you would think they would welcome anyone who wants to put in the time, effort and money to keep the TT going, also I didn't think they could discriminate on grounds of age If you were a mixed race, disabled trans gender person they would`nt dare because they`d get crucified in every court going. Some years back the maximum age for Manx GP was set to be 40 they lost that one very quickly,also I believe again years ago Les Judkins was refused because he was 65(+?) again they lost ,If nothing else give the powers that be all the bad publicity you can and then challenge them in court.

[anprz]

You would expect that for a novice Driver to gain the necessary experience and qualifications to take part in the TT would take a reasonably good Driver 3 Years, To that end the powers that be should give that amount of notice for such an age related change in rules. It would make a great case in Court. It always appears that rule changes are done with no or very little thought for the future of this great sport.

[dick tapken]

how many newcomers were there this year not many, yet they stop someone with the yearning to do the best racing circuit in the world ,just because he's over 40 bloody cracker's methink's there's something else in this?

[realroadracer]

This ruling seems very arbitrary for a number of reasons. Why 40? why not 35 or 45? If you are fit enough and qualify through the medical and your results, surely your age is irrelevant.
Apparently this move is aimed at getting younger competitors to do the TT. Just how does this rule achieve that? Do we know of any younger competitors who would suddenly wish to do the TT because of this new rule? Where is the logic?
It seems that the organisers don't want people doing the TT for just one year. Why not? And why could a competitor not start at 40 and race for another 20 years? There are plenty of competitive sidecar competitors who are well into their fifties and above.
I suspect that the answer is nothing to do with any of the above but more to do with somebody's idea of the image they wish to project.
I wouldn't want to jump on the paranoid bandwagon that the organisers want to do away with the sidecars at the TT. However, this latest rule change doesn't do anything to dispel that notion. It does suggest a certain lack of understanding of sidecar racing, i.e. that it generally has a higher average age than solo racing.
Finally, it is discriminatory. Given a required level of physical fitness (as demonstrated by passing the medical) I can see no reason why a 41 year old should not be accepted as a newcomer. Indeed, I would say that maturity brings with it a greater safety element than that of the average 20 year old.
I'm glad my time has passed.

[steve-e]

I have read Paul's post again and again and it's the best response any of us have to this nonsense.

Well done Paul!

[David Stewart]

This is new to me (and I get to know most things before they become public).

I have been to every single ACU Road Race Committee Meeting for the last 5 years and I can tell you that this has not been discussed. I think I know where (who) it comes from and it is a tactic of holding a gun to the ACUs head and then letting the organisation, rather than the individual responsible, take the flak.

Get yourself down to a decently qualified Sports/Contractural Lawyer and challenge it.
For all of the reasons given by others and a few more that I could list out (but don't have the time) a blanket ruling of this kind is Unfair, Unjust, Discriminatory and just Plain Stupid.

Good luck.

[Fanch]

I think that the list would be as long as winter without any race…

But, as an ongoing competitor, François Leblond was a newcomer as a passenger at 43 in 2000, and again a newcomer as a driver at 46 in 2003.

Instead of birthday numbers on an ID card, physical and psychological health would be better factors to enter such an event.

[RARING TO GO]

This is an outrage! If the "not accountable dopes" who decided on this were asked "In your own words, please explain" I doubt if a valid fact-based reason would be forthcoming. It is discriminatory, to say the least, If it were me I would consult counsel on the matter.

[dick tapken]

paul i would get in touch with annette of team past it they got turned down because of robins age ,but got it turned round when challenged by quoting age discrimination ,it's worth a few minutes talk with her best of luck to you .