Kells & Killalane 2017 Road Races Cancelled…

Extracted taken from Road Racing News :

The Killalane Road Races, will not be taking place this year, following a decision made by event organisers Loughshinny Motorcycle Supporters Club, who will continue to promote in 2017, the Skerries 100 scheduled to take place on the 1st of July.

With the various news in recent weeks about insurance premium’s going up for all Irish roads meeting’s, it’s fair to say quite a few people expected, the 2017 Irish roads calendar to be reduced in size.

In total this year, their will be seven Irish national meeting’s, the Cookstown 100, Tandragee 100, Kells (editted – also cancelled), Skerries 100, Walderstown, Armoy and Faugheen 50 Road Races.

Unfortunately from the time the above was writted Kells Road Racing Event has also unfortunately been cancelled – hence the strikethrough.

Screenshot taken from the Kells Road Races Facebook Page : No further statment has been issued at this time.

This is obviously horrific news and a major blow to the Irish Road Racing scene all over the island and should be seen as a harsh reality check for all spectators of the sport.

The local clubs are doing everything in their power to keep the events alive, but it all comes down to money.  The cost of insurance is soaring and the local clubs simply can’t afford it.

This is where we, the spectators come in.  Support your local club, most have a annual donation that the supporters make – this is what keeps the races alive.  After that (or if you don’t have a local club) buy the programme at the events you go to.  Sometimes it may seem expensive, but is it really?

They are all well put together publications with loads of info inside.  Not only that look at the price of other events.  ArenaCross Live was about £30 for one evenings enterainment (then the programme was an extra £10)-per person!  Spending £10 – £15 on a programme to keep these events running is a small price to pay.

We, the supporters and spectators, need to step up now and support our sport.  In this world of health and safety, legalities, and huge opposition against the sport it is up to all of us to try our best to ensure the future of the sport.  We are lucky to live here and have the sport right on our doorsteps, we are one of the few countries left that have road racing, it should a draw for motorsports fans from across the globe (if managed properly) but we are now in a real danger of losing events permanently to costs that the clubs simply can not meet.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a return to the roads for Killalane and Kells in 2018, and that no other events are lost in the meantime.