North West 200 reviewing revised insurance quote for May event but organisers warn time is running out

The sport’s governing body, the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre), has been provided with a reduced insurance quote for road racing and short circuit events in 2023, which clubs are now assessing.

On Thursday, a statement issued by Coleraine and District Motor Club, organisers of the North West 200, said a ‘final decision’ was needed soon, with time running out ahead of the May showpiece.

It read: “The MCUI UC has received a new insurance quotation for its 2023 events which the Coleraine and District Motor Club and the other organising clubs are now considering.

“We are very conscious that time is now short with regard to the organisation of this year’s fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200.

“With less than eight weeks until race week, there is a pressing need for a final decision to be made as soon as possible for everyone involved in the event.”

The latest insurance quote for road races and short circuit events is understood to be £315,000, down from around £410,000.

On the scale of charges, the NW200 is being asked to contribute £140,000, with the cost for the Cookstown 100 and Armoy set at £30,000.

The Ulster Grand Prix, which the organisers plan to run as a two-day national meeting at Dundrod, is being asked for £40,000.

Insurance for a one-day short circuit meeting – with six planned in total – is £3,750 per event, rising to £5,500 for two-day meetings, of which four could potentially take place this year.

In February, the MCUI UC announced that all road races, short circuit and trials events scheduled in Northern Ireland had been cancelled.

Motocross events, run by a separate organisation – the Motorcycle Racing Association (MRA) – were not affected and will go ahead as planned.

However, a crowdfunding campaign organised by the governing body was set up soon after the announcement with a target of £300,000.

This was seen as a last-ditch attempt to raise enough money to offset soaring public liability premiums, with insurance for all Northern Ireland motorcycle events in 2023 – excluding motocross – rising from £170,000 to approximately £410,000.

The campaign has generated approximately £91,000 as of Thursday morning (March 9).

National road races were facing an insurance bill of £53,280 in 2023 – compared to £16,850 last year – while the North West 200’s contribution to the overall bill rose from £30,800 to more than £97,000.

Short circuit meetings were also hit hard by the hike, with insurance payments for one-day events rising from £2,450 in 2022 to £7,750 this year, while clubs running two-day meetings were being asked to stump up £11,980 compared to £3,790 in 2022.

Along with the NW200, other road races considering the new insurance quote include the Cookstown 100, Armoy and Ulster Grand Prix.

The Tandragee 100 has been cancelled, with the North Armagh Club citing the increased cost of insurance and a lack of ‘commitment for necessary resurfacing [work] to be carried out’.

In the Republic of Ireland, the outlook for national road racing this year appears bleak as a result of the insurance crisis.