Organisers of the cancelled Athea Road Races are pressing on with plans in the hope the event can run next year.
The August Bank Holiday weekend was supposed to mark the return of closed road motorcycle racing to the West Limerick village but like all motorcycle racing it has fallen victim to the insurance crisis that has rocked the sport to its core.
Last held in 2011, the Athea Road Races was poised to return to the road race calendar on August 5 and 6 thanks to the efforts of a new organising club, the SouthWest Motorcycle Road Race Club.
However, when Motor Cycling Ireland failed to get insurance for 2023 the event and many more were cancelled.
That has not stopped the SouthWest Motorcycle Road Race Club from getting ahead of itself in preparation for a 2024 return.
Only last week, Limerick County Council resurfaced the roads in the village that were due to be used for the race in just over a month’s time.
“They did a fine job of it,” said Mountcollins racer Andrew Murphy.
“There is new asphalt up through the middle of the village and talking to people there, they are going to do the back roads too. It is a disaster, everything is in place but no go.
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