Armoy Club rules out prospect of Saturday practice for Derek Sheils
Derek Sheils will not compete at this weekend's Armoy Road Races.
The Cookstown B.E. Racing team was holding out hope that an accommodation could be reached to allow Sheils to complete his mandatory five practice laps on Saturday, with the Dublin man unable to participate in Friday’s practice sessions due to his commitments as the best man at a close friend’s wedding.
However, a statement issued by Armoy Motorcycle Road Racing Club on Wednesday morning said: “It is with much regret that the Armoy Motorcycle Road Racing Club has confirmed that Derek Sheils will not be riding in the Armoy Road Races at the weekend.
“Derek cannot attend practice on Friday due to personal commitments and the Club cannot allow someone to carry out their statutory requirement of five practice laps on Saturday between races.
“Grid positions for Saturday’s races are placed on Friday night. Some of the races are already oversubscribed and there are only 27 spaces on the grid. There will be non-qualifying races run to cater for this. Some 20 entries were also returned post the closing date for entries.
“It would be extremely unfair to other riders to try and slot in one rider. The Club is a big fan of Derek Sheils but sadly practice laps cannot take place on the Saturday.”