Motorcycle road racing future hangs by a thread

Motorcycle road racing future hangs by a thread

The future of motorcycle racing, particularly road racing, in Ireland is hanging by a thread this week.
 A crucial raffle, that closed on Wednesday and set to be drawn over the weekend, is the final hope to secure adequate insurance coverage for the 2025 season.
If the raffle fails to reach its target, Motorcycling Ireland may be forced to pass on significant cost increases to competitors, potentially making the sport prohibitively expensive for many.
 Local road racer Andrew Murphy expressed concern, stating that entry fees could skyrocket from €240 to €500 or €600, while license fees could reach €500.
“Most riders involved in motorcycling racing do not own big businesses,” he said.
“It won’t be feasible for many of us to race facing that kind of cost increases.”
After a year-long hiatus due to insurance issues in 2023, Motorcycling Ireland has worked to revive motorcycle sport in the Republic of Ireland this season.
This effort has involved committing to a staggering €600,000 insurance premium, which cannot be fully absorbed by competitors without making the sport financially inaccessible.
Short circuit racing eventually went ahead at Mondello Park but there was no road racing in the Republic of Ireland this season.
The closed road branch of the sport traditionally attracts more paying spectators and generates enough profit to fund insurance for other disciplines.
To mitigate the impact of these rising costs and the loss of spectator money in 2024, Motorcycling Ireland launched the fundraising raffle.
Without the necessary funds, Motorcycling Ireland may be unable to afford similar insurance premiums in the future.

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