Only just come across this article published at the end of January, it would seem that Health & Safety, insurance costs & the weather are all conspiring against this great sport, I do hope they find a way to keep going. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/northern-ireland/51176935
Some of the best road racing and bravest racers can be seen on the Emerald Isle. Hope the racing doesn’t come to a conclusion
Have to agree @Tiglet the racing is awesome, but I do wonder if it can survive in todays claim culture environment and the growing costs involved in staging these events.....
Spectators are able to get very close to the racing, nothing quite like it , compared to circuit racing where there is usually at least 30 yards a tyre wall/air fence & a 15 foot high safety fence to stop any high siders making it into the crowd!
Yep I agree with that @Bad Billy , very exciting stuff. But that is one of the reasons the insurance costs are so high.....
Just brought back a memory from yesteryear ... was racing a CR500 at Moto-X, they used to have track side ropes, then a secondary 'safety' set of ropes some 20 feet back in order to keep spectators a safe distance back. There was quite a big jump as you crossed from one field into another, as always you get a big crowd near the jumps that get big air, anyway I came round to said jump nipping on a tad, gave it large on the take off but over did it, the back end kicked out on take off & I jumped the track side fence , still makes me chuckle thinking back to the sight of all those spectators legging it to try & avoid being landed on , I did actually land it OK in the gap between the 2 sets of ropes without injuring anyone, ducked under track side rope & carried on, needless to say the next time round I was a little more restrained.
On all of the a pure road circuits in Ireland and the IOM that I have visited as a spectator or marshalled at have over the years reduced the number of vantage points that spectators can view from. All because those crazy motorcycle racers and their machines are so fast nowadays
