The Place

petercaughlin wrote:I`ve heard he used to be a merchant banker, Allegedly!!!!

realroadracer wrote:Everybody is entitled to an opinion but the world would be a better place if people's opinions were based on knowledge not ignorance. In his opinion Wayne Gardner clearly displays his ignorance of the TT prize money system. His comments also strike me as illogical as he does not appear to have considered the consequences of a TT ban.
To ban the TT would deprive thousands of people of a chance to take part in, or witness, an event that remains unique in its challenge. Life without the TT would, for many people, be a step closer to a more comfortable, controlled, nannied society. A society where freedom of choice is further restricted and subject to the controlling whims of regulators and law-makers whose main motivation in life is to control the lives of countless others;in other words, you.
Having banned the TT, these same people would not be satisfied and would then move onto other targets. Next would be Scarborough, the Southern 100 and Irish Road racing, quickly followed by a comprehensive review of all dangerous activities. It would be difficult to see Cadwell Park surviving.
One thing that always ocurrs to me when this subject is raised is the irony of young men (and women) being placed in peril. On one hand we see people engaged in dangerous activities such as climbing, racing motorcycles, pot-holing etc of their own free will. On the other hand, we see young people sent to lose their limbs and lives in pointless wars to satisfy the vanity of politicians.
It strikes me as highly ironic that we send these people to fight wars ostensibly 'to protect our long history of freedom' and then ban them from exercising that freedom!
I doubt very much whether any of the members of our Armed Forces would want these activities banned.
If you want to see the results of this type of thinking, go to Switzerland (where racing is banned). It is a very tidy, ordered, clean, neat country. But it is sooooo BORING!!!!!
Wayne Gardner's comments do seem strangely at odds with the usual Aussie attitude of pioneering, get-stuck-in, can-do, give-it-a-go, derring-do. I can't help wondering if Wayne Gardner would even have a platform to air his views if it hadn't been for a dangerous activity, i.e motorcycle racing.