Exclusive: All motorcycle races in Northern Ireland set to be cancelled for 2020

On Friday, Motorcycling Ireland – the governing body of road racing in the Republic of Ireland – said it was ‘alarmed’ that plans remained in place to run races such as the Cookstown 100 in September.

The Irish national road race was postponed in April but the organising club this week reiterated its commitment to running the event from September 11-12 with restrictions in place, including limiting the number of spectators in attendance.

However, that decision is now set to be taken out of the Cookstown club’s hands, with the MCUI (Ulster Centre) understood to be in favour of cancelling all Irish road races and short circuit meetings this year as a result of the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

Motorcycling Ireland’s Sean Bissett said proposals to try and run the Cookstown 100 cast the sport in a bad light.

In a statement, he said: “Motorcycling Ireland announced on March 19th that all its 2020 events are cancelled for the foreseeable future to ease the pressure on the Health and Medical Services in these difficult circumstances.

“We are alarmed and annoyed to read that some individual organising clubs within the MCUI (Ulster Centre) are still intending to promote events in this current climate. They do not have the authority or support of the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland to promote these events in 2020.

“We also feel that they are bringing our sport unnecessarily into the public spotlight when the governments of Ireland are still trying to keep this epidemic under control.

“We have accepted that as for 2020 our motorcycling sport will not be adding any pressure on the various health and public departments throughout Ireland and would hope the Ulster Centre follows that lead as we look forward to joint planning for our return in 2021.”

On Saturday, MCUI chairman John McClure said a statement would be issued in due course.