Happy New Year 2022 to all our friends and visitors across the world!
May 2022 bring you everything you hope for and a little more.
May you get more miles on your bike this year, and more smiles on your face!
Stay safe and have a great 2022 – we will be here to keep you up to date on things biking and tech!
Honda UK Motorcycles have just announced (maybe the worst kept secret) their line up for the 2022 Road Racing Season and John McGuinness is back in the saddle of a Fireblade.
The full Press Release is available here : https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/bikes/john-mcguinness-back-on-the-blade/
McPint will be partnered up with Northern Irishman Glenn Irwin who plans on making his TT Debut in 2022. Glen has shown some real talent on the roads already with some cracking results at the North West 200, including taking the big one on a Ducati, Covid has since limited him to the track, but It is safe to say he will have the best mentor currently on the roads, and with only three TT wins being the difference between McGuinness and Road Racing Royalty Joey Dunlop I think It is fairly safe to say this is a massive year for both McGuinness and Honda Racing.
Only yesterday did we get confirmation of the TT 2022 Schedule, but with two years racing having escaped the Island I’m sure there will be loads more breaking news this side of the new year!
With Covid 19 still among us and a new variant already starting rumours on how 2022 may be affected the TT have come forth with some great news today and confirmed the schedule for the 2022 TT Races!
The news has been posted on the Official TT Web Site and explains the changes, and why they are important, but mores that they are just a step for bigger changes die to take effect in 2023.
You can read the entire post and explanation on how and why the changes will work here.
SMALL CHANGES = BIG IMPROVEMENTS
Whilst the changes to the schedule next year are less significant than those planned for 2023, they still come after a lot of careful thought and feedback – as well as some valuable first-hand experience – as Clerk of the Course, Gary Thompson, was keen to explain:
TT 2022 SCHEDULE CONFIRMED
Cookstown 2022 Tickets On Sale Now : (Christmas Vouchers Now Available)
The Cookstown 100 event is back scheduled in 2022 for it’s traditional date of April.
It will again be a Ticket Only Event and the Club have announced that from now until the 8th December 2021 Christmas Gift Vouchers are available. So there is no better way to secure your ticket for yourself and those lucky enough to to get Christmas presents from you than by getting in early and securing your Cookstown 2022 Ticket.
The Cookstown Club have announced all details on a Facebook Post :
*Christmas Vouchers Now Available *
The Cookstown club will hold their KDM Cookstown 100 event on the 22nd & 23rd of April 2022.
The club will celebrate it’s centenary year in 2022, making it the oldest active road race in Ireland & with only a few races not being held throughout all these years through no fault of organisers, this undoubtedly makes the Cookstown club the most successful Club activity still promoting the sport on the island..
(A full listing of events will follow to celebrate this unique milestone in due coarse)..
For our 2022 event, again we will be running this event as a ‘closed event to the general public’ for various reasons and online packages needs to be pre booked for those who wish to attend in 2022, as per our previous few events held.
We are once again opening our booking system for our christmas vouchers for those who wish to give those close an extra gift this christmas.
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Spectator Vouchers/ Packages are £25 for weekend package which includes wristband, program, packaging & postage.
2022 Ulster Grand Prix to Go Ahead :
Things have taken a positive turn for the Ulster Grand Prix today.
It has become public knowledge that Mervyn White (former North West 200 Event Director) will take the helm of the struggling Ulster Grand Prix.
The event last ran in 2019 and it was disclosed that the Club and Event had been crippled by huge debt.
Then came Covid and the Ulster Grand Prix was cancelled in 2020, like every other event. (except for Cookstown who through some great planning managed to run a September 2019 event). Covid cancellations maybe even saved a bit of face for the UGP as it was now able to be declared as cancelled due to the pandemic. Covid also managed to ruin the 2021 race season, save the Cookstown 100, along side Armoy who were both lucky enough to get events on the Calendar.
So, as almost in a strange and positive twist of fate the UGP wouldn’t have ran in 2020 or 2020 anyway and that pause has given time for plans to be made and measures to be put in place to attempt to save the historic event and club.
On another positive note, the 2022 Ulster Grand Prix will also mark the event’s Centenary.
2022 Tandragee 100 Dates :
The 60th Anniversary of the Tandragee 100 was delayed (like everything else) due to Covid but 2022 will see the event back on the Northern Irish Road Racing Calendar.
The Club confirmed the dates for the event on a recent Facebook Post.
60th Anniversary Tandragee 100 :
Our 2022 date for the Around A Pound Tandragee 100 will be the 29th & 30th April 2022.
More details to follow.
Early Details for 2022 Cookstown 100 have been released and 2022 celebrates the event’s 100th year!
The Cookstown Club released the following via a Facebook Post on their Official Page.
Cookstown Club can confirm that our 2022 date for our centenary event shall be held on 22nd & 23rd of April 2022.
With the Cookstown Club the oldest active promoting road race club in Ireland and 2nd oldest behind the IOM TT Races, 2022 will mark a historic milestone for Irish Road Racing.
A full list of events to mark the occasion will follow in due coarse.
As per last year, the 2022 event will be ran as a ‘CLOSED EVENT to the general public’ with online booking available in the coming months ahead.
We shall be also opening our christmas voucher scheme at the end of this month for those who wish to surprise your closest ones with an extra christmas present this year.
A christmas voucher scheme will also be available for to those who may wish to surprise competitors with partial or full vouchers towards their entry fees.
These vouchers will be available with a few price options.
More details will follow before the end of the month.
Only 5 and a half months to KDM Cookstown 100 centenary celebrations..
Not much rest this year..
Isle of Wight Road Races : 20th – 23rd April 2022 :
Bringing international motorcycle road racing to the Isle of Wight :
With the Diamond Road Races having been reportedly scrapped it seems that the event has just taken a different, more toned down direction, and the plan does indeed seem to be to bring a road racing event to the Isle of Wight in 2022. Good luck to the organisers and we will post more news and developments as they come.
James Kaye has a vision to bring international motorcycle racing to closed public roads on the Isle of Wight.
Changes to UK law in 2008 made it possible for public highways to be closed to allow motor racing events to take place. Most people know that the Isle of Man has hosted the world-famous TT Races for more than 100 years. There’s no reason why this could not succeed on the Isle of Wight.
“We’ve built important relationships within the world of motorcycle racing and we are starting the process of building new relationships with the residents, business and organisations that will be affected by the event, commented James.
“I firmly believe that the benefits to the Island will far outweigh any temporary inconvenience. My organising team is determined to place the Isle of Wight on to the international motor sport map.”
Diamond Races Scrapped :
Manx Radio Motorsport have posted that the Isle of Wight Diamond Road Races have been scrapped.
Further details were posted on the Manx Radio website :
“The proposed Diamond races which were due to take place in the Isle of Wight have been scrapped.
They were expected to run annually each October but a journalist on the Island claims the organisers have now decided against operating the Isle of Man TT-style event.
A separate road race is still scheduled for April next year with proposals currently at the public consultation stage.
Isle of Wight Radio Journalist, Iona Stewart-Richardson, says she’s been told the Diamond races were dropped because of safety concerns”
2022 Steam Packet Tickets to go on Sale :
The Isle of Man Steam Packet has announced today that the remainder of available tickets for the 2022 TT Races will go on sale tomorrow morning at 08:30am.
Don’t hang about on this one, with no TT Festival on the Island since 2019 this one promises to be even more popular than usual – and usually it is a sell out!
The following is extracted from the Official email announcements for your information.