New Clerk of Course confirmed for Armoy Roads races after Bill Kennedy hands over reins following 11 years in role

Munnis is a former president of the club and fills the void after Kennedy announced in September that he was stepping down from the role to focus on other aspects of the organisation of the national meeting, including rider recruitment and sponsorship.

The ‘Race of Legends’ meeting is again set to take place in its traditional last weekend of July slot next summer from Friday, July 28 to Saturday, July 29, subject to ratification of the dates by the sport’s governing body.

Munnis, who is also chairman of the Armoy Club, paid tribute to Kennedy for his efforts and thanked the event’s loyal sponsors for their continued support.

“I am really looking forward to the year ahead as we begin the preparations for Armoy Road Races 2023,” he said.

“Pulling together all the arrangements and logistics for such an event is quite an undertaking and only possible with the help of the brilliant and committed team of AMRRC members and volunteers.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to especially thank Bill for all his hard work over the past 14 years. The club has bestowed Bill an honorary membership and rest assured he’ll still be very much part of this year’s team’s efforts.

“Armoy Road Races have become an established fixture in the road racing calendar and to see it grow each year, well it’s just remarkable and we’re really proud of what everyone has achieved to date with the help of sponsors including our title sponsor, the Bayview Hotel, the many top quality road racers as well as the many fans,” he added.

“Believe it or not, we’ve started getting enquiries for next year’s races and from as far away as Australia, thus the confirmation of our plans to continue to run the races on the last Friday and Saturday in July.”

Kennedy remains a director of the club while Stanley Stewart – who sponsored Jamie Coward this year – has been appointed as a director and Gareth McAuley elected as Vice Chairman during the recent AGM.