[skidlids]

to me the first year of racing is often the most costly as it often involves buying a bike along with a trailer or van, paddock stands, spares etc.

Then there's always been the costs of joining a Club, Series and the ACU licence,
In recent years they introduced the ACU classroom course and now a rider assessment. All increasing the initial outlay.

Now I got into the club racing scene in the mid 90s when everyone started as a Novice and were restricted to a maximum bike size of 600cc which back then were around 85 - 90 bhp, Grids were full and paddocks crowded.

As costs have spiraled upwards, numbers have dropped and I can't see how pushing up the initial costs of getting in to racing is going to help.

And to me the signs are there just by looking at the interest in Class B this year compared to previous years.