Four Irish road races confirmed for 2025 but no Ulster Grand Prix for sixth successive year

The sport’s governing body in Northern Ireland, the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre), has finalised its calendar for next season, which also includes nine rounds of the Ulster Superbike Championship and four Irish road races, with the Tandragee 100 in Armagh making a welcome return in June after last taking place in 2022.

However, the Ulster Grand Prix is absent from the fixture list for a sixth successive year.

The legendary race was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 when the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out almost every Irish road race.

Following the 2019 meeting, it transpired that the UGP was in debt to the tune of almost £300,000.

The Dundrod Club entered into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors in 2021, enabling a portion of the debts owed to be paid back over a fixed period of time.

A number of riders, including Peter Hickman – who won a record seven races in 2019 and re-established Dundrod as the fastest road race in the world with a 136mph lap – were left out of pocket.

As part of a venture to save the Ulster Grand Prix and bolster the future of the North West 200, the Revival Racing Motorcycle Club, which has Portadown road racing great Phillip McCallen among its directors, aimed to secure funding from the Northern Ireland Executive to take over the Ulster GP and bring Irish road racing’s two biggest races under one umbrella.

However, a proposed £800,000 financial package fell at the final hurdle in 2022 after Tourism NI did not support the funding.

The Revival Club explored further opportunities to run the UGP while the Dundrod Club expressed a desire to bring the event back as a two-day meeting this year, but without success.

Next year, the Cookstown 100 will be the curtain-raiser to the Irish road racing season, taking place from April 25-26 followed a few weeks later by the North West 200, which runs from May 7-10 on the famous Portstewart-Coleraine-Portrush ‘Triangle’ course.

The Tandragee 100 is scheduled to take place a few weeks after the Isle of Man TT from June 27-28, with the Armoy ‘Race of Legends’ in Co Antrim running in its traditional slot on the final weekend of July from 24-26.

The opening round of the Ulster Superbike Championship gets underway at Bishopscourt in Co Down with the Temple Club’s meeting on April 5 and concludes with the prestigious Sunflower Trophy event, also at Bishopscourt, from October 24-25.

2025 Irish road races and Ulster Superbike Championship

April 5 – USBK, Bishopscourt

April 18-19 – USBK, Bishopscourt

April 21 – USBK, Kirkistown

April 25-25 – Cookstown 100

May 7-10 – North West 200

June 7 – USBK, Kirkistown

June 21 – USBK, Kirkistown

June 27-29 – Tandragee 100

July 18-19 – USBK, Bishopscourt

July 24-26 – Armoy ‘Race of Legends’

August 2-3 – USBK, Bishopscourt

September 6 – USBK, Kirkistown

September 27 – USBK, Bishopscourt

October 24-25 – USBK, Bishopscourt