IRELAND’S SHORT CIRCUIT SCENE
Ultra-competitive, fairing-slapping duels are the order of the day.
A recent enquiry asked whether Irish Classic Racing extended beyond the thrilling spectacle that is road racing and I’m delighted to report that Irish Circuit racing is very much alive and well and every bit as fiercelycontested as the action on the road circuits. Circuit racing is the breeding ground for so many of the top road racers, as well as being the perfect atmosphere for riders to hone their more aggressive skills. So far this year, we have had Classic rounds at Bishopscourt and Mondello Park, however some races have fallen foul of the infamous Irish weather with an April round at Kirkiston having to be cancelled before practices even got under way, due to the severity of howling gusts and low temperatures. Notwithstanding this the racing has been superb elsewhere with some of our familiar road racing heroes featuring on the podiums and some taking awesome wins amidst the sort of ultracompetitive, fairing-slapping duels that one could never see at a road race, as well as some first-timers taking the chequered flag, notably Gavan Duffy with a 250cc class win at Bishopscourt as well as Linton Irwin and Alastair Henry also first to the flag at Bishopscourt. Then Andy Kildea impressed with a fine pair of wins at Mondello Park in June. There are several Short Circuit rounds left to fight over on dates that, thankfully, won’t clash with any road racing fixtures. First up is August 18, at Bishopscourt, followed by Mondello Park on August 18/19. On September 1 we’ll be at Kirkistown with Bishopscourt again on September 16/ 17 and finally St Angelo on October 6. For fans of Real Road Racing, we will have a full feature covering the entire 2018 Irish Classic season, including Cookstown, Tandragee, the all new Enniskillen Races, Skerries, Walderstown, Faugheen, Armoy and finally Killilane, in the next issue of Classic Racer. So, if you haven’t already done so, make sure you reserve a copy right away.