Letter: The future of road racing in Northern Ireland really comes down to the fans themselves and their willingness to pay to keep it alive

I am a lifelong road racing fan and have always bought the race programmes and paid my way in to any race where entry fee was required.

But David Burnside (‘Motorcycling body has created needless uncertainty around the future of road racing in Northern Ireland,’ February 15, see link below) doesn’t seem to appreciate that true fans like us stand beside thousands of people attending the likes of the UGP and the NW200 who refuse to pay a penny towards their day’s racing. Indeed these same people would have the cheek to ask to see the programme you are holding rather than buy their own. And because of the difficulties in policing entry on all the different approaches to these road circuits it is impossible to get everyone to pay their way in.

If everyone attending these races even bought a programme the clubs would not be in this position. It really all comes down to the road race fans themselves and their willingness to keep our wonderful sport alive.

Bill Beattie, By email

David Burnside: Motorcycling body has created needless uncertainty around the future of road racing in Northern Ireland