An MCI Directors meeting was held on Thursday 18th May 2023.
The affordability of insurance was discussed as part of the agenda. On the agenda was the financial viability of a recent quote. It was determined that this quote was not viable.
There will officially be no insurance cover for 2023.
An EGM will be held in 21 days.
Since the making of this announcement the Irish clubs have now all confirmed that their respective events have been cancelled for 2023.
The 2023 Blackford Pre-TT Classic Road Races will run from Friday 26th May – Sunday 28th May 2023 with racing happening on all three dates.
Note though, that this year will see no Monday racing session for this event.
The Pre-TT Classic Road Races came into being in 1988 at the request of the then TT organisers, the then Auto Cycle Union, Classics having first appeared on the Billown course twelve months earlier at the popular Southern ‘100’ Road Races.’ The first TT Classic Races were held on the 31st May1988, the meeting consisting of four races, 250cc/350c; 500cc; Unlimited and Sidecars and attracted 115 entries in all.
Honour of being the first race winner went to Graham Godward of Royston in Hertfordshire, riding a 350cc Aermacchi, whilst the 250cc category was dominated by ‘local’ classic man Mike Cain from Onchan on his 250cc Suzuki. Dave Pither, Seeley Matchless took the 500cc race from Richard Swallow on Syd Lawton’s Aermacchi with Alan Dugdale third. Riding a BSA Metisse, Stroud’s Robert Price finished first in the Unlimited race, whilst the controversial MV Agusta sidecar outfit of Mark Kay and Richard Battisson took the chequered flag in the final race of the day. The Classics had arrived at Billown!
Thirty plus years on, the Blackford’s Pre-TT Classic Road Races is rated as one of the most popular and ‘must do’ events in the annual Classic calendar attracting well over 250 entries for its nine-race event.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
TBNI.Blog have compiled the most useful and popular of our posts in relation to the Isle of Man TT Races in order to bring you a basic 2023 Isle of Man TT Visitor’s Guide, to give you an idea and some knowledge of the course, the races and their preplanned times and some of the other racing events on the Island over the period of the TT Festival.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
NW200 Statement over FHO Racing Withdrawal from 2023 Event :
FHO Racing 2023 Livery
As reported here, FHO Racing have withdrawn all entries from the 2023 NW200 Road Races following being disqualified from the Superbike Race on Thursday evening over an issue with the wheels on the BMW Racing M 1000 RR Superstock machine.
In the interests of fairness and completeness it is also important to cover the replying statement from the North West 200.
STATEMENT FROM THE ORGANISERS OF THE fonaCAB AND NICHOLL OILS NORTH WEST 200 :
The technical regulations of the Motorcycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre), under which the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 is run, state that carbon wheels are not permitted for use at any MCUI road race event.
Those regulations, which are implemented by the MCUI Stewards of the Meeting, were approved by the sport’s governing body in January 2023 and published on the North West 200’s website at that stage.
The FHO Racing BMW team were informed by the MCUI’s Stewards after qualifying on Thursday afternoon that their riders, Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes, would be excluded from the Briggs Equipment Superstock race as their machines were fitted with carbon wheels.
The NW200 organisers were informed of the Steward’s decision, which is final and binding upon the event, at 21.30pm on Thursday night during the final Steward’s meeting.
No such action had been discussed with the NW200 organisers prior to this time despite the machines having been scrutineered on both Tuesday and Thursday morning.
We deeply regret the FHO Racing BMW team’s decision to withdraw from the event tonight as a result of this action, a sentiment we know will be shared by all NW200 race fans.
Peter Hickman was interviewed during the BBC coverage on Saturday’s event and made the point, ‘Just copy the TT’s Regulations.’ On this, I have to agree. Disqualifying a stock bike for running with stock wheels is just a nonsense. It’s a shame that that is how the event ended for FHO.
Hopefully FHO Racing return to the event and hopefully the MCUI take a look at the current regulations and either modernise them or bring them into line with the those of the TT.
FHO Racing have issued a statement regarding their withdrawal from the 2023 North West 200 Road Races.
Hopefully the NW200 issues a statement explaining this decision, as it simply makes no sense that the ‘stock’ bike isn’t ‘stock’ enough.
This is a huge loss to the NW200 event and TBNI.Blog would like to wish every success for this exceptional example of a motorsports team in the future.
11/05/2023 :
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team are withdrawing from the 2023 fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 due to no confidence in the application of the Superstock technical regulations.
The Superstock class technical regulations mandate the machines must fully comply with conditions regarding the wheels, where Superstock machines must remain with the originally homologated wheels from the manufacturer, which from BMW are carbon. It then goes on to prohibit carbon material, however aftermarket wheels are also not allowed and no mandated alternative specification is prescribed.
The FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR machines passed scrutineering on Tuesday (9 May) and were allowed to take part in all qualifying sessions before being informed they were not allowed to race moments before the Briggs Equipment Superstock race this evening.
Having taking this issue out with the fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 organisers, there is no confidence that the FHO Racing riders could take part in a race with the obvious dangers, and risks that road racing prevents and then the performance protested or disqualified on a technicality that is not adequately explained.
The FHO Racing team have checked the 2023 technical regulations against those of 2022 and the regulations remain the same, where the team raced the carbon homologated wheels in both Superstock races, as well as the event in 2019.
The effort commitment and logistics required to compete in the North West 200 are significant and this lack of confidence in the organisation renders the team’s participation in this year’s event impossible.
The FHO Racing team would like to sincerely apologise to all its sponsors and fans, and the team are now looking forward to getting back out on the roads in a few weeks time at the Isle of Man TT Races.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
The South West Road Racing Club have announced that due to the continuing issues with motorcycle event insurance in Ireland the 2023 Road Races have been cancelled.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
This follows on from the cancellation of the Munster 100 Road Races and again the issue of insurance has caused the loss of another Irish event. The Club remains positive for the event’s return in 2024.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
The cancellation of the 2023 Munster 100 Road Races has been confirmed by a Facebook Post.
This is the first of the Irish meetings to confirm that their event will not take place. Citing the lack of insurance cover for motorcycle events in Ireland the Club hopes for a return to racing in 2024.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
The Loughshinny Motorcycle Club have announced via a Facebook statement that the 2023 Skerries 100 has been postponed from 1st and 2nd July 2023, and is now scheduled to take place on 9th and 10th September 2023.
Statement :
Loughshinny Motorcycle Supporters Club Committee have taken the difficult decision to reschedule the Country Crest Skerries 100 Road Races 2023 that were due to take place on 1st and 2nd July. The new proposed date is September 9th & 10th (subject to MCI securing the relevant insurance)
This is due to Motorcycling Ireland, the governing body of motorcycle sport in the Republic of Ireland being unable to secure a suitable insurance quote/cover for any form of competitive motorcycling in the South of Ireland, this year to date. Protracted negotiations are still ongoing with various insurance companies.
The club has had to make this difficult decision due to the limited time now available to organise such a major sporting event.
The Country Crest Skerries 100 2023 will take place on September 9th & 10th (subject to MCI securing the relevant insurance)
We thank you for your continued support and will keep you updated if there are any changes to this situation.
The TBNI Road Racing Calendar will be updated as soon as new information comes to light so make sure you are subscribed to that : https://tbni.blog/road-racing-calendar/
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