Speedway Racing Back In Ireland After 50Years!
Updated : Mar 19, 2009
World Championship International Speedway returns to Dublin for the first time since the 1950’s. Organisers of the Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show have lined up top riders from Australia, Poland, and the UK to compete against guest Irish riders and visitors will be thrilled by the unique excitement of this global sport.
International Speedway racing consists of four riders competing on a tight oval track on bikes that can accelerate from zero to 60mph in 3 seconds, reach speeds of 100mph and all of this without brakes to slow them down. Fuelled by methanol, the bikes weigh just 185 pounds have a power-to-weight ratio similar to that of a Formula One car.
Ruth Lemass, organiser of the Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show, stated “ I am very excited about speedway coming back to Ireland. It is incredibly popular in many European states with some of the leading competitors achieving superstar status in their own countries. In its heyday in Ireland our top riders would find themselves in the same boat. Races in Shelbourne Park and Chapiolizord would see massive crowds gather to greet their heroes and politicians would queue up to be photographed shaking their hands.
As a added feature of the daily demo races Belfast based vintage bike racer Neil Roberts will take his classic speedway bike out onto the track with one of its modern rivals. Decked out in his vintage gear from the era it will be a reminder of times when speedway was a very popular sport with some of the top Irish Racers not only competing for Ireland internationally but also riding professionally on the world circuit.
John Gunning, Speedway event coordinator, “When you see speedway for the first time it amazes you how the riders manage to stay on their bikes at all. The speeds they travel at, the necessary side sliding just to stay on the small oval track and simply the skill involved is truly worth seeing. As a follower of the sport over the years it is great that we will see speedway racing in Ireland again. Having some of the sports the top riders demonstrate their skills is a privilege that I for one do not want to miss.â€
Organisers hope that by bringing back Speeedway after so long that there will be a renewed interest in the sport and that the speedway might no longer be confined to the history books in Ireland but could find itself back as a regular feature on the international circuit.
Ruth Lemass added “The demo races at The Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show are intended to offer our visitors some top class entertainment and thrills. However we sincerely hope that the races can be seen as a major future opportunity both to our motorcycle industry and Ireland as a whole. We feel the time is right to bring back Speedway Grand Prix and World Champion events to our island on a regular basis. In an effort to act as a catalyst for this eventuality we have brought together championship racers from England, Poland and now Australia to demonstrate International Speedway at its best.â€
Some of the Irish professionals form the 1950’s have been invited to return and will witness the first races since their golden era throughout the weekend.
For spectacular displays of truly amazing motorbikes and spectacular features with entertainment for all the family, visit The Carole Nash Irish Motorbike & Scooter Show
VeryHappyPig Loves Motorbikes! I’m A Hells Angel Piggy! And There A Rare Breed!
