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The TT Podcast

Gary Thompson MBE: Why I Cancelled the Senior (Part Two)

Season 3, Ep. 18

In part two of Chris Pritchard and Steve Plater’s chat with Clerk of the course at the TT, Gary Thompson, he gets into his history at the event and his best, and worst, days in the job.


Remembering how he started right in the deep end in 2012, becoming the first man to cancel a Senior TT, Gary explains why that decision was actually very easy on the day and how he sees accusations of being ‘over the top’ in his decisions.


Alongside making historically disappointing decisions, Gary is also the man responsible for putting on a five race day at the 2019 event and he tells the podcast how that came about, getting into some of the complexities that come from rearranging races and managing the expectations of competitors, marshals, fans and residents.


Though he admits he is often told that many would not want to do his job, Gary explains why he loves the role and all the problems it can bring, also letting Chris and Steve in on the one job that he himself would not want to take on.


Be sure to subscribe to receive that episode as soon as it drops, head to www.iomttraces.com for all the latest TT news and features, and search for @TTRacesOfficial for all our social channels.


Music by Calva Louise - latest album ‘Euphoric’ out now.

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