Motorcycle road racing has returned to Ireland after a four-year absence in recent weeks, with events in west Cork and Meath. They brought an end to a period in which organisers struggled to secure insurance cover for events.
But while competitors and organisers have welcomed the sport’s return, questions remain about safety, rising costs, and its long-term future.
Unlike track racing at venues such as Mondello Park in Co Kildare, road races take place on closed public roads, making them among the most demanding and controversial disciplines in the sport.
Mondello Park in county Kildare
Among the races returning this year is the Athea Road Races in Co Limerick, which will be held next month for the first time in 15 years.
For organisers, the return of road racing marks the end of years spent trying to get events back on the calendar.
“It’s absolutely mind-blowing to get it up and running again. For the community, even myself, it’s a dream coming true at the moment,” Mike Dalton, organiser of the Athea Road Races and President of Southwest Road Racing Athea said.
Mike Dalton who President of the Southwest Road Racing Athea
But the sport’s return has also renewed scrutiny of its safety record. Since road racing resumed in Ireland this year, one competitor has died.
The fatality occurred at the Skerries 100 in Co Dublin in July, where a rider in his 50s died following a single-bike collision.
Two others were killed in separate incidents in the North where the sport continued uninterrupted in recent years.
Those involved in the sport argue that safety is central to every event, despite the inherent risks involved in road racing.
“The first three things we think of for every event we organise are safety, safety and safety,” said Motorcycling Ireland President Alex Sinclair.
Riders also say competitors understand and accept the dangers before taking part.
“That’s obviously the heartache end of it, and it’s the unfortunate part of every sport. But we sort of just try not to think of it,” said leading Irish rider Kevin Keyes.
“To the outside [it] looks like we are stone mad. We’re in it because we love it. The passion, the drive, the adrenaline, the atmosphere,” Mr Keyes added.
Kevin Keyes is an accomplished circuit racer
Insurance and costs
The difficulties securing insurance that brought road racing to a halt in 2022 continue to shape the sport’s future.
Organisers say rising costs have made events increasingly difficult to stage, while Brexit has reduced the number of insurers willing to provide cover for road racing in Ireland.
“The last UK broker we spoke to said: ‘Frankly, we won’t touch it because we can’t put a value on any awards that are given out by the courts in this country’. That cut out a major source of insurances that we could avail of,” Alex Sinclair, President of Motorcycling Ireland said.
Motorcycling Ireland estimates annual insurance costs have multiplied compared with when road races were last held in 2022, from around €100,000 to more than €600,000.
Organisers and competitors argue greater Government support will be needed if road racing is to remain viable in the years ahead.
Alex Sinclair, President of Motorcycling Ireland
While funding for Motorcycling Ireland has increased somewhat in recent years, the organisation says it has not kept pace with rising costs. While events like the one in Athea attract some public funding and support from local authorities and agencies, the sport itself received €60,000 from the Sport Ireland fund this year, the same amount as ice hockey.
On this, the Department of Culture and Sport said “motor sport clubs are also eligible to avail of funding through the Community Sports Facilities Fund (CSFF). There will be a further round of the CSFF this year, with details expected to be published shortly.”
“It is anticipated that the forthcoming funding round will particularly target areas and sports that have historically not benefited from significant investment.”
Some with strong family histories in the sport expect funding and backing for motorcycle racing will come with additional events.
Racer Alanna Maher, who was recently appointed Motorcycling Ireland’s Women in Sport Representative, believes promotion and awareness are key.
“We are lucky enough that we do have a part of the funding, but compared to some of the other sports, we will be a minority. The biggest thing is to try and get the word out there about the racing,” Ms Maher said.
Motorcycling Ireland’s Women in Sport Representative Alanna Maher
The return of the Athea Road Races next month illustrates the scale of the effort and support required to launch such an event. Organisers say years of fundraising, local authority support and public funding were needed to bring the event back after a 15-year absence.
Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan said Limerick City and County Council provided significant funding to upgrade the course.
“An investment of €120,000 has gone into the track to bring it up to safety standards,” Cllr Sheehan said, adding that the office of Limerick’s directly elected mayor, John Moran, also contributed funding towards the event’s insurance cost.
The prospect of attracting visitors to west Limerick was a key factor in winning political backing for the event.
“This event is going to really buy into west Limerick tourism, because what we really want to do in a place like this is get a niche of tourism where people might do the two or three nights,” Cllr Sheehan said.
Organisers also believe the event will provide a boost to the local economy by attracting visitors to the area.
“This event is probably carrying maybe 80 to 90 riders, maybe more, some from Northern Ireland, France, Wales, Scotland, even riders coming from the United States,” Mr Dalton said.
While road racing is back on Irish roads for now, those involved say its long-term future will depend on securing the funding, insurance cover and support needed to sustain the sport.
A report on motorcycle road racing from Josh Crosbie and producer/director Isabel Perceval is broadcast on the 6 August edition of Prime Time at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.