Tricky times ahead for road racing

Issues raised by senior coroner John Leckey have called into question the feasibility of racing high-powered motorcycles on minor public roads.

Coroner Leckey said the issue of safety at a road race event was “a huge burden for the amateur enthusiast to carry”.

He went on: “We have reached a situation where we have these totally professional, highly-financed teams and they are operating in an environment that is set up by enthusiasts and amateurs without any, it seems to me, professional guidance.”

It was also revealed last week that week that 720,000 of a 1 million government grant to improve safety at motorsport events in Northern Ireland went unspent, increasing the pressure on bodies such as the Motorcycle Union of Ireland Ulster Centre.

The MCUI is currently preparing proposals on how it intends to improve safety at events and Steve Freeburn, MCUI secretary, believes that there is a future for road racing.

“We have got to deliver. We are in a serious situation, there is no doubt about it, but we are not getting the vibes that the door is closing (on the sport)," he said.

“We are doing everything that we can. We have had to work hard to get the Roads Inspection Committee up and running again, quite simply because there is such a level of responsibility on these people. It has been difficult to get the right people and people who are willing to do it.

“I wouldn’t be as pessimistic as to say the future was bleak, but I do honestly think we are in a situation where we have to be very progressive about the public’s safety and the safety of children at events.

“The DCAL office had a brief meeting with 2&4 Wheels [the umbrella organisation representing governing bodies of motorsport in NI] and the MCUI Ulster Centre a few days after the (Donnan) inquest. They were quite clear that we needed to provide responses to guard against a clampdown or ban on road racing.”

Ulster's motorsport fraternity was assured that money is still available to improve safety after Stormont Sports Minister Nelson McCausland revealed almost three quarters of a 1m Government grant to improve motorsport safety had been returned to source.

Mr McCausland said the failure to use the 722,000 provided to the governing bodies this financial year was “unacceptable and intolerable”.

The Government made the funds available to enhance safety precautions at track and courses across the region after a series of fatal road collisions.

However, Sport NI confirmed they are investing 250m in health and safety improvements in motorsport in the current financial year.

“The remainder of the planned investment (up to 2m) will be delivered as early as possible within the next financial year,” said a spokesman.

Mr McCausland had noted that Senior Coroner John Leckey had called for safety improvements to try to avoid more loss of life.

He said: “I have a letter from coroner John Leckey that makes very serious reading.

“He says that safety is an important issue and we agree with that, but safety is the responsibility of the governing body, but when three quarters of a million, or almost three quarters of a million, remains unspent we need to have answers.

“That’s a situation that is intolerable, one that I would not be prepared to tolerate to continue and I’m sure that members of the public would not be very appreciative or tolerant of that either.”