Some of the very earliest memories I have are of summer Saturdays sitting in a hedge somewhere in the country watching road races with my father and mother. I love the sport and have had many many happy days at races down through the years.
Since the tragic loss of another fine rider in Darren Lindsay I have been thinking about the future of road racing as we know it.
This is not intended as a knee-jerk reaction to Darrens death, but hopefully a serious discussion on where the sport goes in the years to come.
I would not like to see road racing stopped, but given the speed of modern bikes are circuits like Cookstown or Tandragee fit for these bikes in the modern era? Already gone are the Temple 100 and the Carrowdore 100, so are there others which should go the same way?
Should just the two "flagship" events, the NW200 and the UGP remain?
Of course there will always be young up and coming riders who will wish to race the roads, the young Dunlops spring to mind, but I really can't bear the thought of losing more talented young men on what are now becoming seen as micky mouse circuits in terms of road surface, width and safety.
Other young lads like the Lavertys, Rea and Nutt seem to be doing well across the water in the BSB series and probably have their eyes on WSB or maybe even Moto GP. There is no doubt that the talent exists in Ireland, but is it being wasted on the roads?
I suppose it is unlikely we will ever have a world class circuit anywhere in Ireland which would bring the premier race series to our shores, so how does bike racing in this country move on?
What do you think? I don't have any answers, but am interested in what other racing fans think about the future of the sport we all love.
Since the tragic loss of another fine rider in Darren Lindsay I have been thinking about the future of road racing as we know it.
This is not intended as a knee-jerk reaction to Darrens death, but hopefully a serious discussion on where the sport goes in the years to come.
I would not like to see road racing stopped, but given the speed of modern bikes are circuits like Cookstown or Tandragee fit for these bikes in the modern era? Already gone are the Temple 100 and the Carrowdore 100, so are there others which should go the same way?
Should just the two "flagship" events, the NW200 and the UGP remain?
Of course there will always be young up and coming riders who will wish to race the roads, the young Dunlops spring to mind, but I really can't bear the thought of losing more talented young men on what are now becoming seen as micky mouse circuits in terms of road surface, width and safety.
Other young lads like the Lavertys, Rea and Nutt seem to be doing well across the water in the BSB series and probably have their eyes on WSB or maybe even Moto GP. There is no doubt that the talent exists in Ireland, but is it being wasted on the roads?
I suppose it is unlikely we will ever have a world class circuit anywhere in Ireland which would bring the premier race series to our shores, so how does bike racing in this country move on?
What do you think? I don't have any answers, but am interested in what other racing fans think about the future of the sport we all love.