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By TMX Archives on 11th Mar 04
But there's even better news. But there's even better news. Another early start (well, I was already up) and one lead-footed drive down the M6 later and the company Vectra was parked up at Warwickshire services where a High Noon meeting was convened with Julie from RTT Racing Ltd. And the result? Well, after some pretty tough negotiations (she does a mean Chinese burn that Julie), I'm delighted to announce that we're the official Media Sponsor for the 2004 British Grand Prix on the Isle of Wight!We've already started work on a Bobby-dazzler of a programme - I'm talking big-budget, 100-page, full-colour etc etc - and Sutty's been feverishly cutting up little bits of paper as he works on the design for the freestyle arena we're organising (he's also showing a scary talent for blackmail but I won't go into that here).When RTT first announced that they'd signed on the line with Youthstream there was, inevitably, a few doom-and-gloom merchants quick to come out with the 'why the Isle of Wight?' comments. 'We'll have to get a ferry,' went the detractors, 'why can't it be more central?' Naturally, this is not the attitude and, I'm pleased to say, the whinging seems to have died off lately and been replaced by the kind of enthusiasm, optimism and sheer unbridled joy such news deserves to be greeted with.Unless you're a particularly strong swimmer, own a boat or hang-glider or (and not even Dave Thorpe managed this one) walk on water then, yes, you most probably will need to take a ferry. So what? There are some great crossing deals up for grabs and a half-hour wait for a boat hardly compares to a four-year wait for a GP - does it? If we want to regain out rightful place as a major player in world MX then we must support the event - and you can start by turning to pages 8 and 9 in this month's mag...PS Good to see it's business-as-usual in the Sutton-for-punishment stakes this month. Our production editor (or 'lowly reporter' if you listen to the IT department) went to Matchams a few weeks back for a pre-season shakedown and managed to get his second race red-flagged after a disagreement with the long-term KXF. Typical! Some people will do anything to cancel out a bad start...