Readers write

Missives aplenty from you, and your thoughts on racing, the future of racing and the racing world in general. Absolutely zero bakery chat going on here. Guaranteed.

Dear CR

Regarding Pat Alexander’s proposal in CR #200, I think that first it needs to be decided what is to be (re) created. If the intention is to put on modern races for totally standard machines, so the only real deciding factor is rider ability, then Pat’s proposals look fine.

But let’s not fool ourselves that this will recreate anything which ever existed back in the day.

One only has to read the biographies of the top racers from the classic era to know that the bikes they were racing were far from standard.whether this was home modification or, for the top men, factory supplied one-off parts, the winning bikes on the grid were – to use Pat’s definition – aliens.

So the best bikes and riders would be segregated into Pat’s silhouette class, with the standard, slower, bikes making up a grid of their own.

No prizes for guessing which race the punters would be interested in watching!

Andy Overton Doncaster

Thank you for the mail, Andy. I wonder if it would actually matter to a potentially larger audience?

With the very nature of racing, every class will eventually evolve in the way you describe. But until it does (and then perhaps comes in for a rules review/ overhaul) would you then have a very easy to understand formula for all involved?

Tony