The Sefton Group has welcomed the proposed new format for the Manx Grand Prix Festival, announced yesterday by the Department of Economic Development.
The proposals, which could come into effect for the 2013 festival, are centred around a shortened 10-day event and designed to capitalise on the short-break motorsports market. A major feature would be the creation of a series of prestigious races for classic motorcycles.
Sefton Group Chief Executive Brett Martin said: ‘We’d certainly welcome the proposed changes to the MGP format and fully support the Government’s vision for the festival.
‘The TT is the gold-standard for modern motorcycle road-racing and is arguably the Island’s premier brand on the world stage. However, in its current guise, the MGP risks being crowded out by the popularity of the TT and therefore needs to offer something different.
‘The growth in the motorcycling nostalgia market provides the ideal niche for the MGP. Classic motorcycle events would broaden the appeal of the festival and benefit both the MGP and the Island in general.’
Mr Martin added: ‘Looking at the future of tourism generally, we believe the Island is best-served by the development of a range of high spend-per-head niche markets that are manageable in terms of our transport links and hospitality resources. The proposed reformatting of the MGP into a predominantly “historic” format fits well with this view of how Island tourism should be developed.’
