The sight of 200bhp superbikes bashing fairings along super-narrow country roads and village streets is one of the unique selling points of Irish road racing. But it also looks a little anachronistic in the litigation-heavy, safety-concerned world we now live in.
And now it looks like the outside world is catching up with the world of road racing, with insurance companies pulling out, and the sport’s governing bodies in the north and south of Ireland unable to find suitable cover. As a result, both organisations – the MCIU in the north and Motor Cycling Ireland in the south – have cancelled all their events for 2023, including the North West 200, Ulster GP, Tandragee, Armoy and even the Sunflower event at Bishopscourt circuit are all, seemingly, doomed.
As BDN went to press, there were a series of moves to improve the situation, including fund raising efforts, and proposals to charge fees for spectators at some traditionally-free races. Organisers of the NW200 have issued an updated announcement stating the event will definitely be going ahead – that event in particular is a massive cash generator for the local area. But without proper public liability insurance coverage, it’s hard to see how events can be run.
The Isle of Man TT and Manx GP both seem to be more secure, thanks to the backing of the Manx government, which is far more able to solve insurance woes than the small clubs which organise the Irish events. However, without the ‘feeder’ function of the Irish road race scene, even the mighty Manx races will find it hard to bring in new riders for the future.