Kirkistown Motor Race Meeting Forced To Abandon At Thirteenth Hour!

jagged

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That's a complete bollocks , to stop a race meeting in full flow being held outdoors and observing the guidelines.
Totally irrational, hard to have any faith in the decision makers.
 

MagicRat

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Ridiculous decision. Contact sports permitted to continue, spectators allowed to attend but no motor racing.

I can't think of another sport that has better social distancing for competitors, hard to beat a crash helmet and car.
 

Gambit

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Yes i agree Motorsport is more than possible to have social distancing in place and it is a stupid rule but unfortunately it is for ALL sports classed outside of "Elite" - you can hardly expect the executive to rule on each individual sporting matter, ffs they can barely organise a piss up in a brewery.

referencing what is deemed an "Elite" sport is pretty stupid in the blog article. - shows the stupidity and ignorance of whoever wrote it. Teams are 'professional' maybe not your Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea but are operating at same level as English Leagues lower tiers.....plus they also compete in Europe. All the competitors at kirkistown are clubman/amateur racing drivers.

"Let us be honest. While both Cliftonville F.C. and Glentoran F.C. are great teams in a Northern Ireland context, they would not consistently do well in England, even in the lower leagues. Our racing drivers from Kirkistown regularly race in England, where they are feared those they compete against."

3 Irish league clubs got over £2million between them from competing and winning in European competition albeit early rounds...they are still competing in professional competition, players are on full time contracts and get paid to play. They have also had to meet numerous guidelines in order to allow to continue and more so allow spectators

Grotbags actually tried to stop spectators attending football on the friday night when supporters where already in the ground...another 13th hour issue but the clubs continued with the game on health & safety as it was deemed causing more risk stopping people from entering and in turn congregating outside.

the fact you got a letter on saturday morning would make me think someone reported you on the day
 

FM155

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Football carries a much greater risk of infection due to close proximity and contact between people not wearing masks.
A simple comparison of the risks would show that if motorsport is deemed too risky to run then all forms of football should be shut down too.

I know the decisions are driven by ignorance on behalf of the 90odd % that have no interest or knowledge of motorsport but it's their friggin job to make balanced decisions based on facts not ignorance. Who in the 500MRCI or ANICC have they been liaising with on these decisions? I'm willing to bet nobody.
 

Graham

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I also think it is safe to say that, should some of our drivers be given paid drives, sponsorship deals, or sports funds from the government, they would be winning European championships. Without doubt.
 

Gambit

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Football carries a much greater risk of infection due to close proximity and contact between people not wearing masks.

id be pretty certain you havent been to a local premiership game to determine what contact is possible. you'll find everyone gets temp checked on the way into the ground, must wear masks until you are at your determined spot - which is marked etc

all other football in all leagues throughout NI have been prohibited except for the top league for the exact reasons you state.
I also think it is safe to say that, should some of our drivers be given paid drives, sponsorship deals, or sports funds from the government, they would be winning European championships. Without doubt.

would probably be the same if government funded Irish League football and all who play in it - but they don't.
 
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FM155

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Yep, I have zero interest in football and have never been to a match. Ever.
I know that the local teams have some money coming from sponsorship and via the league etc but local football is much better funded and supported than local motorsport.

What I'm saying is that you cannot get away from the fact that football carries more risk of being a super spreader event (and that includes GAA also) than any form of motorsport that only has one person in the car.
 

quattro Rick

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That is not a valid argument. You need to take into account everyone within the circuit that is competitors plus also those involved in the running of it. Yes all can be achieved but it's more than just the one person in a car.

I think the bottom line is, football encourages much closer proximity than many other sports for both participants and spectators.

The circuit is huge, you're not jammed into a seat right next to anyone else. You're not nearby anyone for extended periods over 15 minutes which even with seating at 2m distances you're sat there for 90+ minutes. Football is NOT necessary.
 

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Each and every person within the circuit was required to wear appropriate PPE at all times, with face masks being mandatory for everyone. The event had at least one Motorsport UK trained and approved Covid Officer. There was a limit on how many (or how few as the case was) people drivers could bring as 'crew'. There was no spectators allowed, and there hasn't been all season.

The author of this piece (@V8 aka Donal O'Neill) done very well with it, as it carried in two main daily papers that I know of. Without any reference to football, it wouldn't have carried anywhere mainstream, at all. Thus, he achieved the goal of getting people talking about motorsport. A sport that receives next to **** all help, when compared to field sports be it at grassroots level or 'elite'.

To the best of my knowledge, the big football clubs in NI (aside from the national squad) are classed as Semi-Professional with many of their players having day jobs to enable them to pay the bills.

That makes them not too dissimilar to those drivers who race at the top level on this Island, GB and indeed some who venture into Europe for selected events where trophies regularly return home in the race shuttle. Kirkistown was the breeding ground for many world class drivers, Eddie Irvine, Colin & James Turkington, Wayne Boyd, Kris Meeke, Dan Harper and Charlie Eastwood, all on 4-wheels. Not forgetting that Lewis Hamilton, when being groomed by Mercedes from a young age at karting raced at Nutts Corner, with every chance he could well have raced at Kirkistown.

Then there are those on 2-wheels, too many to list, that spent years honing their skills at Ireland's fastest racing circuit, Kirkistown.

The piece by Sammy Hammill, is worth a read too - Kirkistown Motor Race Meeting Forced To Abandon At Thirteenth Hour!

The term 'elite' is looser than a hookers chastity belt, to add my last tuppence.
 
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Gambit

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The circuit is huge, you're not jammed into a seat right next to anyone else. You're not nearby anyone for extended periods over 15 minutes which even with seating at 2m distances you're sat there for 90+ minutes. Football is NOT necessary.
yeah and as said previous i'm in full agreement with motorsport being totally safe but the long n short is the government decided anything outside elite sports was prohibited for more than 15 people. Football, Rugby & GAA being the elite class

Each and every person within the circuit was required to wear appropriate PPE at all times, with face masks being mandatory for everyone. The event had at least one Motorsport UK trained and approved Covid Officer. There was a limit on how many (or how few as the case was) people drivers could bring as 'crew'. There was no spectators allowed, and there hasn't been all season.

The author of this piece (@V8 aka Donal O'Neill) done very well with it, as it carried in two main daily papers that I know of. Without any reference to football, it wouldn't have carried anywhere mainstream, at all. Thus, he achieved the goal of getting people talking about motorsport. A sport that receives next to **** all help, when compared to field sports be it at grassroots level or 'elite'.

To the best of my knowledge, the big football clubs in NI (aside from the national squad) are classed as Semi-Professional with many of their players having day jobs to enable them to pay the bills.

That makes them not too dissimilar to those drivers who race at the top level on this Island, GB and indeed some who venture into Europe for selected events where trophies regularly return home in the race shuttle. Kirkistown was the breeding ground for many world class drivers, Eddie Irvine, Colin & James Turkington, Wayne Boyd, Kris Meeke, Dan Harper and Charlie Eastwood, all on 4-wheels. Not forgetting that Lewis Hamilton, when being groomed by Mercedes from a young age at karting raced at Nutts Corner, with every chance he could well have raced at Kirkistown.

Then there are those on 2-wheels, too many to list, that spent years honing their skills at Ireland's fastest racing circuit, Kirkistown.

The piece by Sammy Hammill, is worth a read too - Kirkistown Motor Race Meeting Forced To Abandon At Thirteenth Hour!

The term 'elite' is looser than a hookers chastity belt, to add my last tuppence.

If it was all about achieving publicity then dead on. my point was about one paragraph in the statement in it which ive explained, so yeah it got my attention also.

Comparing a driver competing in europe might be comparable to a player but its not comparable to a club.....and dare i say it, its probably more to do with the revenue generating aspect of it all for all 3 sports but on the other hand they also have more money/manpower to plough into regulations to make it safe

You could ask who decided they would go against regulations published on Wed and proceed with an event on Saturday that then required direct intervention from a minister to bring it to a halt mid event? still think someone reported them - same ones who complain about the noise levels
that just links back to here if you can attach the other link (y)
 

KrisSRT

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There's a few teams who train professionally/full time. Larne, crusaders and linfield are the ones I know who have full time set ups.
 

Mel_45

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yeah and as said previous i'm in full agreement with motorsport being totally safe but the long n short is the government decided anything outside elite sports was prohibited for more than 15 people. Football, Rugby & GAA being the elite class

Not trying to start anything, but I always understood GAA was amateur status, or at least that's what numerous friends have always boasted?
 

Gambit

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Where are the articles published that refer specifically to Cliftonville or Glentoran or is it only in this blog post?

same question applies tho, what made them think they where outside regulations that banned all outdoor non-contact sports of more than 15? bar football, gaa & rugby elite
 

MagicRat

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According to Sport NI the following is the definition of an elite athlete:

As per current regulations: ““elite athlete” means an individual who—
(i) derives a living from competing in a sport,
(ii) plays in a professional league or competition,
(iii) is a senior representative nominated by a relevant sporting body,
(iv) is a member of the senior training squad for a relevant sporting body, or
(v) is aged 16 or above and on an elite development pathway.

Given the above I would question why Irish League football and GAA sports are allowed to continue. I admit to knowing little about GAA but as someone stated above I thought the participants were amateur.

In the Irish League some of the players are full time professionals, most are not and derive their living from full time employment, some are playing as amateurs. Most of the players in the Irish League fall outside category (i) and therefore the league shouldn't qualify for (ii). Yes they receive prize money and sponsorship money but so do the drivers who race at Kirkistown.

Anyone who thinks Irish League football is Elite needs their head examined. It's ranked by UEFA at 48 out of 55 in the Club Coefficeint rankings. In the same bracket as football in the likes of Gibraltar, Faroe islands, Andorra and San Marino.

It remains a ridiculous decision to allow contact sports to continue.
 

Gambit

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I think youre over thinking it....its classed as elite no matter what you think is/isnt

Taking rugby, football and GAA out of it....what gives motorsport the right to go against regulations that all other sports are adhering to?
 

Nicky

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I think youre over thinking it....its classed as elite no matter what you think is/isnt

Taking rugby, football and GAA out of it....what gives motorsport the right to go against regulations that all other sports are adhering to?

Horse events are still happening, as 1 took place at The Meadows on Saturday... Not elite or professional, and it definitely had large numbers of people at it.
 

FM155

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I think youre over thinking it....its classed as elite no matter what you think is/isnt

Taking rugby, football and GAA out of it....what gives motorsport the right to go against regulations that all other sports are adhering to?

Because, there is loads of clubman level motorsport in NI that is not allowed to compete and we have to take that on the chin.
My Targa car is sitting in the garage with the numbers from last year's Not the Boxing Day Rally in December still stuck to the doors. It's not going to be out again until next year (hopefully) and I'm ok with that.
However, Kirkistown is the only permanent motorsport facility where national level racing can take place. That makes it elite as far as motorsport in NI is concerned. I don't think that's an unreasonable conclusion to reach.
 

Gambit

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However, Kirkistown is the only permanent motorsport facility where national level racing can take place. That makes it elite as far as motorsport in NI is concerned. I don't think

If that's the case then it's up to whoever runs the operation to put that case forward to allow it to go ahead? Down Royal has an exemption to allow horse racing at the end of the month

I'm not debating what is/isnt elite it's pointless as its not determined by us. If theyd said gaa, rugby and football was also canned it wouldnt be an issue for me

There is probably a whole load of stuff that we dont know about that went on trying to allow Saturday to go ahead but the fact they got a direct email at 13th hour still points to someone reporting them
 

FM155

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I dont think they were given the opportunity to engage or it wouldn't have come as so much of a shock. I could be wrong of course but gauging by the reactions, it seems that way.
It's all academic now as the season is over and theres no amount of talk will bring it back.
However, football and rugby is cracking on with their new season.
 
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