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Ballduff bike racer Anthony O’Carroll’s Isle of Man TT ambitions are back on track

Motorcycle racing gets the green light in Northern Ireland after resolution to insurance cover but events in the Republic of Ireland remain cancelled

Anthony O'Carroll

Sean MoriartyKerryman

Local motorcycle racer Anthony O’Carroll’s season is back on track following last week’s announcement by The Motorcycle Union of Ireland (Ulster Centre) that the governing body has secured insurance for Northern Irish events.

The sport faced an uncertain future after federations in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were unable to secure insurance, but thanks to the work of the Ulster Centre and a crowd-funding effort, insurance has now been secured for events in the North.

However, all motorcycle sports, including the Dunlop Masters National Championship in Mondello Park, remain cancelled.

For local road racer Anthony O’Carroll, the latest Ulster Centre news means his ambitions of contesting the Isle of Man TT are back on track.

This weekend he be on the island where race instructors will show him the full 37-mile course in a road car. He must do a minimum of 25 laps in the road car as the first part of his licencing criteria. He must then complete six race weekends in either Britain or Northern Ireland before the June event before he will be considered for a TT entry.

O’Carroll will contest a short circuit meeting in England in April. More importantly, he will now race in the Cookstown 100 road race In County Tyrone at the end of April – one of the many Northern Irish events now back on the calendar following the insurance reprieve.

“I will be on the Isle of Man from Thursday until Monday this week,” the Ballyduff man said. “I must do this training course before I will be even considered for a newcomers licence, then it is off to England to complete one of my six weekends. It's about ticking all the right boxes now and with Cookstown back on it will make that all the easier.”