As motorcycles become more powerful, circuit racing is safer than roads

The races concerned and amounts promised are NW200 Races £124,000, Armoy Road Races £55,000, Ulster Grand Prix (amount not stated) but probably about £90,000.

I fail to understand how these proposed safety measures can provide assurance of greater safety to both riders and spectators in such dangerous public road circuits.

Measures have already been introduced over the past years to increase safety but unfortunately deaths and serious injuries continue to occur on these public roads.

Racing motorcycles are becoming much more powerful and speeds keep on increasing to over 200mph on parts of these circuits which include such dangerous obstacles as walls, pillars, trees, bridges, roundabouts and tight bends. Surely these race organisers must seriously consider changing from public roads to safer open circuit racing tracks like Kirkiston Aldergrove (NI) or Oulton Park, Brands Hatch (England) which have no history of deaths or serious injuries – or even consider constructing such tracks in Northern Ireland.

Dr John Glenn, Supporter of Safer Open Circuit racing tracks