2019 Island Classic

Island Classic fans love welcoming Team UK to each Island Classic. Win or lose there is no doubt that the Roger Winfield backed squad have helped elevate the event to its current status as if not the best, certainly one of the best, historic road racing events in the world.

Winfield doesn’t trot out show ponies for parade laps, but turns out highly tuned unobtanium tuned to win, and ridden by true stars of international road racing.

If anyone ever doubted how much this means to Team UK, one glance at Roger Winfield sat in the chair brought home just how much that meant to them. — If anyone ever doubted how much the win in 2015 meant to Team UK, one glance at Roger Winfield sat in the chair brought home just how much that meant to them. Roger seen here with Ryan Farquhar and Jeremy McWilliams

Roger got in touch with MCNews.com.au today to respond to the comments put out by the Phillip Island organisers of the event earlier this week. (Link)

To clarify the situation in response to our non appearance at the Phillip Island International Challenge in 2019 we would like to set the record straight.

As required by P.I. in their new regulations ‘Team UK’ registered their interest to once again take part in 2019.

The response received from P.I. was that the usual financial arrangement had been terminated and the only offer received by the Team was for the rights to the proposed televising of the event, which we could then sell to a TV company as an alternative source of income.

Before responding to P.I. we thoroughly researched the income possibilities from this via
various contacts in the industry, who made it quite clear that income from this source would be virtually non existent.

At the time of lodging our interest to take part in the event, we expressed our concern regarding the new fuel regulations and the difficulties this would present for teams coming from other countries.

This however was not at any point stated as a deciding factor by us that would result in our non appearance at the event.

Team Winfield, as part of Team UK, has worked very closely with P.I. management over the years to help promote the ‘International Challenge’, and has made substantial investments to achieve a situation to bring top riders on professionally prepared bikes to the event.

We are at a loss to understand the stance that has been taken by the organisers and sad not to be a part of an event that has, with our help, now reached international recognition as a ‘World Class’ event.