| Motorcycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) History |
|
|
 | |
 |
Ulster Road Race Championships returns in 2009 |
|
 The Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) Limited is pleased to announce the revival of the Ulster Centre Road Race Championships for 2009. The championships were last awarded in 1988.
The 2009 championships will be held over the five National Road Races in the Ulster Centre:
1. Cookstown 100 Road Race – 24th/25th April
2. Tandragee 100 Road Race – 1st/2nd May
3. Bush Road Race – 19th/20th June
4. Mid Antrim 150 Road Race 31st July/1st August
5. Armoy Road Race – 7th/8th August
Commenting on the return of the championships at the Ulster Centre Awards Night, at La Mon Hotel on 2nd January, Ivan Davidson, Convenor and Press Officer for the Ulster Centre Tarmac Committee said,
“The Ulster championships have been revived in response to feedback from a number of riders who suggested to us that with the current ‘credit crunch’ it is likely that a number of riders will find it difficult to travel to all the rounds of the Irish Championship series in 2009.
Also with the introduction of the Armoy race in 2009, the Tarmac Committee now consider an Ulster Centre Championship to be viable again with five road race events, one less than when we last held the championship in 1988. The championships will also generate increased interest for the enthusiastic Ulster road race supporters. We hope to attract sponsorship for the championships in future years”.
The detailed rules of the championships, including the classes, are currently being developed by the Tarmac Committee and will be published by the end of February. They are expected to be broadly aligned to the rules of the Irish Road Race championship.
The five national road races in the Ulster Centre will also be counting rounds of the MCUI Irish Road Race Championship for 2009.
|
|
|
Road Racing Competitors Upgraded |
|
| The following competitors have been upgraded to National status:
201-400 Support Class
Alistair Haworth, Andy Farrell, Coyles Wright, Damien Howard, Darwin Young, Jules Croft, Myles Byrne, Paul McGuire, Wayne Boylan
401-750 Support Class
Alan O'Dwyer, Alistair Haworth, Andy Farrell, Damien Howard, Darwin Young, Gary Robinson, Jules Croft, Michael Gillan, Michael Russell, Myles Byrne, Paul McGuire.
|
|
|
Tandragee 100 Entry and Regulations |
|
| Entry Form for Tandragee 100 can be downloaded here. The Supplementary Regulations can be downloaded here.
Please return entries to Mrs Florence Burns, 25 Old Clare Road, Tandragee BT62 2EX. Telephone / Fax 02838 841985.
|
|
|
Bush Road Races Entry and Regulations |
|
| Entry Form for Bush Road Races can be downloaded here. The Supplementary Regulations can be downloaded here.
Please return entries to Mrs Roberta McKeown12 Woodland Drive Cookstown BT80 8PL Tel/Fax: (028) 8676 3868.
|
|
|
Cookstown 100 Entry and Supplementary Regs |
|
| Entry Form for Cookstown 100 can be downloaded here. The Supplementary Regulations can be downloaded here.
Please return entries to Mr Norman Crooks, 227 Orritor Road, Cookstown, BT80 9ND. Tel/Fax: 028 8676 4168.
|
|
|
Mid Antrim Motor Club (Motor Cycle Club Section) to withdraw all Speed Events |
|
The Ulster Centre notes with regret today’s (11th December, 2007) announcement by the Mid Antrim Club that it will not promote any speed events in the 2008 season. This follows on from the meeting between the Management Committee of the MCUI (UC) Ltd and representatives of the Mid Antrim Club on 29th November 2007. At this meeting there had been a very positive discussion on the issues raised by the Mid Antrim Club in their statement to the MCUI (UC) Ltd Annual General Meeting on 10th November 2007. At the end of the Management Committee meeting, the Mid Antrim delegation advised that they would further consider the matter at their next committee meeting on 11th December 2007, reach a decision and advise the Ulster Centre accordingly. This position was confirmed by their club delegate at the Ulster Centre council meeting on 3rd December. On this date, I also advised both the club and the Ulster Centre council that BBC NI Sport had reconsidered their earlier decision not to cover the Mid Antrim 150 in 2008 and would now televise the event if it went ahead. This decision was made solely by BBC Sport and not the Ulster Centre as was the earlier decision not to cover the event. At approximately 4.00 pm today, 11th December 2007, I received a phone call from Stephen Watson, BBC NI Sport seeking confirmation from me that the Mid Antrim club had decided not to promote the Mid Antrim 150 in 2008. Stephen informed me that he had been advised by a Mid Antrim committee member that this was the position but had been unable to contact the Mid Antrim Club Chairman, Norman Gordon, to confirm it. I explained to Stephen that I had not been advised of the decision and understood the club were to decide on the matter tonight, 11th December, but undertook to try to contact Norman to clarify the matter. I spoke with Norman at approximately 5.00 pm and Norman confirmed the club’s decision. He also advised that the club had to change their committee meeting to last night (Monday, 10th November) as he had another urgent business meeting tonight. Norman confirmed that he had just spoken with Stephen Watson on the phone to clarify the position. The Ulster Centre is concerned at the ongoing speculation in the Press and on Radio and TV that a dispute between the Mid Antrim Club and the Ulster Centre over Health and Safety issues is the reason behind the club’s decision; with the clear inference that the Ulster Centre was dissatisfied with the Safety Standards at the 2007 Mid Antrim 150. This is not the case, however, in an effort to secure the continuance of the race, the Ulster Centre has declined to comment publicly on the matter until now. Media speculation has suggested that the Ulster Centre Stewards at the Mid Antrim reported that there were insufficient litter bins and water taps. This is untrue, the Stewards Report on the event was fully satisfactory and copies can be made available, if required, to substantiate this. The two Ulster Centre Stewards found all aspects of the Organisation and the Course and Public Safety at the event in order and concluded “An excellent day’s racing. The club has been rewarded for all their hard work and efforts they all made to making the 61st Mid Antrim 150 such a success”. The two Ulster Centre Safety Officers at the event also stated in their report that all items detailed on the Ulster Centre Safety Committee Checklist were OK, however, in relation to the provision of Facilities for Rubbish Collection/Disposal and Availability of Drinking Water they remarked: “Facilities for Rubbish Collection/Disposal - OK - (Old Oil Drums)” “Availability of Drinking Water - OK - (1 Point)” At the Stewards Meeting when the Safety Officers presented their findings, the club officials clarified that there were in fact 2 Water Taps and the drums being used were not oil drums but drums that had previously contained food products. This was accepted by the Safety Officers and as far as they were concerned the matter was closed. The overall conclusion of the Ulster Centre Safety Officers in their report was that it was a “Well organised event”. It is also fact that when the Ulster Centre Safety Officers presented their report to the Ulster Centre Safety Committee on 14th August they suggested that “the Club Safety Officer needs to liaise with the MCUI Safety Officer and take a more active role during practice and race days”. However, this has been a recurring theme in a number of our Safety Officer reports this year and is an issue we have now addressed by further clarifying the role and duties of the Centre Safety Officer and Club Safety Officer. These revised roles were approved without dissent at the Ulster Centre council meeting on 3rd December. Hopefully the above comments make it clear that the Ulster Centre was totally satisfied with the Mid Antrim Club’s promotion of the 2007 Mid Antrim 150. Further the Ulster Centre also had total confidence in the club’s ability to promote the event to the same high standards in 2008 had they chosen to do so. In their statement to the MCUI (UC) Ltd. Annual General Meeting on 10th November 2007, the Mid Antrim Club also made reference to the Task Force Recommendations. These were drawn up in December 2000 by the Ulster Centre and Southern Centre in conjunction with representatives from the Sports Councils in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to safeguard the future of road racing. The recommendations were adopted by the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland in 2001 and have since applied to both the Ulster Centre and Motor Cycling Ireland (the Southern Centre). The Ulster Centre wishes to make it clear that since the Task Force Recommendations were introduced both Centres have had the opportunity to seek to have them rescinded or amended as is the case with all other MCUI rules. However, to date no amendments have been tabled. To establish if there was any significant concern amongst Ulster Centre Road Race promoters on the regulations, the Management Committee of the MCUI (UC) Ltd held a meeting with the Road Race promoters last night to fully review the regulations. While the Mid Antrim Club were not present, the review only identified the need for a few minor amendments in the light of experience over the past six years. These will now be taken forward and negotiated with Motor Cycling Ireland and, subject to their agreement, will be implemented in 2008. Finally it is the Ulster Centre’s hope that the Mid Antrim club will revert to promoting speed events in 2009 and beyond. However, we fully respect the clubs decision in relation to its 2008 events. Alan Drysdale
Secretary and General Press Officer
|
|
|
MCUI Road Race Commission - Support Riders Upgraded for |
|
| James Cooney; Derek Costello; William Cowden; Declan Duffy; Garry Ferguson; Craig Gibson; Ivan Linton; David Lumsden; Edward Manly; James McCann; Sean McConnell; Stephen McKnight; Peter Newell; Gary Robinson; Derek Sheils; Michael Sweeney; Mark Young.
|
|
|
BELFAST TELEGRAPH ULSTER GRAND PRIX 2007 |
|
|
The Dundrod & District Motorcycle Club, supported by Lisburn City Council, has released details of the race sponsors for the forthcoming Belfast Telegraph Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week in August. Sponsors include McKinstry Skip Hire, Lisburn City Council and the Ulster Grand Prix Supporters Club.
This year’s Bike Week will take place from Sunday 12th to Saturday 18th August 2007 around the traditional circuit at Dundrod, outside Lisburn. Now in its 85th year, Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week also incorporates the Dundrod 150.
As an added incentive to the Ulster Grand Prix prize fund, the Dundrod Club announced that the winner of the Darran Lindsay 'Man of the Meeting' Trophy would also pocket £1,000, thanks to Darran's former sponsor Noel Johnston. Darran was tragically killed during a practice session at Killalane road races in September last year.
|
|
|
Mid-Antrim 150 Entry Form and Regulations |
|
Entry Form and Supplementary Regulations for Mid-Antrim Motor Club Motorcycle Section Mid-Antrim 150 meeting on 3rd/4th August can be downloaded here.
Adrian Archibald in action at last year's Mid-Antrim 150.
Photo courtesy Alan Armstrong.
|
|
|
Bush Road Races Entry Form & Supplementary Regulations |
|
Entry Form and Supplementary Regulations for Dungannon & District Motorcycle Club Bush Road Races meeting on 22nd/23rd June can be downloaded here.
Raymond Porter was Man of Meeting at the first Bush Road races last year.
Photo courtesy Sam Wilson.
|
|
| |
