Following the divorce of classic racing elements from its traditional Manx Grand Prix programme last year, to form the Classic TT run under direct Isle of Man Government control, the Manx Motor Cycle Club (MMCC) has recruited its first-ever headline MGP event sponsor from the Island’s financial services industry.
IMGold, the operational brand of Isle of Man Bullion Ltd, is raising an already-glittering profile by establishing this new partnership with the 2014 MGP. Based at secure vaults in the heart of Manx capital Douglas, IMGold is a major precious metals trading, investment and depository company.
Acquisition of such a blue-chip backer from a hitherto untapped sector has neatly side-stepped sponsorship restrictions imposed on the MMCC by the government’s Department of Economic Development motorsport unit. These stemmed from the latter’s insistence that the club should avoid deals that could potentially conflict with existing TTand Classic TT official partners — in the insurance and e-gaming industries, for instance — severely limiting its room for manouevre.