2025 Road Racing Calendar

In fact, it started in our heads much earlier, I always had the possibility in mind for when the family grew up! I’ve always had a soft spot for this kind of machines.

When Emma was born, we thought about buying the sidecar when she would be around 2-3 years old. Before then, the muscles in the neck aren’t strong enough to support the weight of a motorbike helmet.

At the end of 2019/beginning of 2020, Juan, who is in charge of internet searches, started looking for sidecars in Ireland (North and South). There is a lot more second-hand market in France, but they don’t suit us because here the sidecar has to be on the left-hand side. We had previously contacted Dutch manufacturer EZS, who offered sidecars for both left and right sides, but we had to rule out the option of buying a sidecar new, as it wasn’t in our budget!

Juan found one, from EZS/Watsonian, but mounted on a Harley. And Harley is not my cup of tea… So he kept on looking… And a few months later, this sidecar was still for sale, but the bike had been sold separately. This was our chance! Juan contacted the seller and within 2 days the deal was done (we couldn’t travel because of restrictions so we couldn’t go and see it beforehand) and a few days later the sidecar arrived…

From then on, we had to be patient, very patient. Because life had other priorities and we had to wait for things to improve before going ahead with the project.

So finally, in September 2022, Juan found on the internet THE bike that matched what we wanted to attach to the sidecar: an XJR 1300. He called the seller, we drove to South Dublin and closed the deal. The bike was insured and the 5 of us were on our way home (Juan, the bike, Emma, me and the car). In the pouring rain the whole way.

So we now had in the garage:

-a sidecar on a pallet

-a motorbike

-some spare parts (a tyre, a rear-view mirror, a footrest…)

We contacted Watsonian in the UK, as we thought the side had originally come from them. They could attach the side to our bike.

So I looked for and found a transport company who would take the side on a pallet and the bike from our house to Watsonian, in a van. Of course, we had to go through a customs agent, thanks to Brexit…

The sidecar and bike were kept warm until all the components were ready for assembly, including the fork, as a modified one was made for better manoeuvrability.

Finally, it was ready, and I had to find a transport company for the return journey, a car carrier this time, as it was too wide for a van!

Here it comes, along with the rain… (rain that was to last all summer, by the way!).

Our long-awaited sidecar is back. A superb professional job!

But it’s not over yet! We had to finish the customs paperwork, then get the new logbook for the motorbike, which was now a motorbike + sidecar.

Well, that took us the whole of July and half of August (and a number of emails!).

When we got back from our holidays (with the car…), we were pleasantly surprised to find the new vehicle logbook in the letterbox!

All we had to do was pay the insurance, which took us a good week longer, as our insurer here since 2015 takes a week to open the emails. So after switching insurers, we were ready on Saturday morning for our first test drive.

The first attempt was of about 1.6km, and we gave up… waiting for some training and recommendations gathered online before persevering.

We’d been told that riding a sidecar was different from riding a motorbike… and that it was better to take a training course, but there isn’t one in Ireland. So we looked online for official advice.

So you need to know that:

1- the sidecar is unstable: it’s normal for it to move

2- When you brake, the sidecar moves to the right: this is normal.

3- When you accelerate, the sidecar moves to the left: this is normal.

Armed with this basic but extremely useful information, Juan decided to do his self-training alone on the bike and with nobody in the sidecar, for our own safety LOL.

He started by going back and forth through the village, which has 2 bends and a nice straight stretch and a big car park to turn around. After a number of passes and a neighbour coming out of her house with her fist in the air (the exhaust was not original, so it made a lot of noise… we’ve since changed it for the original one, which is much quieter for the neighbours, the rider and the sidecar passengers)… he decided to continue on his way out of the village. We followed him in the car. First on a small road with no traffic and a dead end. Back on the road leading into the village. To get out of the village we had no choice, there were bends, one or two of them quite sharp, and to the left! So we set off on a short loop that includes a faster road (limited to 100km/h). To understand how it works and gain a bit of confidence.

For a week, Juan took the sidecar on longer and longer trips to get used to how it handles. When he gained confidence, the two of us got into the sidecar, and the 3 of us set off on a little sidecar tour! After a few short spins, we finally tried THE spin. All the way to Cork, to meet up with some biker friends and have them try out the sidecar as a passenger. Then off to Innishannon, just for some ice cream and a playground!

The second, slightly longer outing was to Lismore. A beautiful spin. The road wasn’t in very good condition at times, and the sidecar moved around quite a bit! Emma was happy, Juan was getting used to the driving (and there’s even a left hairpin bend, ideal for practising!). And in Lismore there’s also a playground!

We also took advantage of a few dry mornings to go for short spins with just the two of us (Juan practising his skills and me in the sidecar).

Taking advantage of the last few days of sunshine, we made another trip to meet up with friends in Courtmacsherry. On the way back, we stopped off at the brand-new playground in Bandon!

We also stopped off at a shopping centre car park, and I got to grips with the sidecar for the first time: accelerate, slow down, turn left, then right. Well, at low speeds and with no obstacles on the sides, everything was fine!

I picked it up again one morning in the village. I have trouble knowing where the sidecar wheel is, and I’m a bit scared on narrow roads (no white centre line to know where to position yourself) when a vehicle is coming the other way (especially a lorry or tractor). I went through the village several times to practise accelerating, braking, slowing down and turning. Without worrying about the neighbours’ ears this time!

Another morning, I drove (with Juan in the sidecar) to the next village and back.

On a Sunday morning that happened to be sunny, we improvised an outing to the service station where the bikers meet, then continued on to the Bandon playground, of course! On the way back we stopped in Blarney for a snack, then took the lovely back roads home (after stopping at a biker friend’s place on the way back).

We arrived pretty knackered, BUT it was the FIRST TIME in over 6 years that we’d had a ‘motorbike day’: in other words, we got on the bike, met up with other bikers and rode for miles with no predetermined destination, just to enjoy the spin. Well, now we’re adding a playground destination, and we’re lucky enough to have plenty of them!

Here we are, the sidecar was originally intended to enable us to resume our motorcycling outings. And that’s it! And here we are!

Another outing while the sun lasts to go again to Lismore and The Vee with 2 friends:

And a couple of Autumn short spins:

(Yes, Emma is able to read in the sidecar!)

We’ve still got quite a bit of miles to go to get comfortable on the bike. We’ll also be practising emergency situations in a closed car park. I need to keep practising on the road, so that I can use it too (just with Emma in the sidecar, Juan won’t fit with her). So if I drive, we’ll have to get the second bike too! For the moment, Emma prefers me to go with her in the sidecar. We all need to get used to it!

This is the first stage of our 3-wheelings dream, and we are looking forward to the next stages to come!

W’s!

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Road Races

Our 2022 Season: road racing and more…

Posted on 28/02/2023 at 11:31 pm by Maricel / 0

This post was originally written in November 2022. For lack of time I couldn’t prepare it and publish it before now. When I was writing it, I certainly couldn’t imagine that 3 months later we would be in that incredible situation on the Island of Ireland with all racing cancelled in the North and the same uncertainty in the South, because of crazy insurance premiums. Problems still to be solved.

I really hope from the bottom of my heart that we WILL have some racing in Ireland this year 2023. Fingers crossed and hoping to be able to go around the paddocks, have a chat with some riders and organisers, and watch the best racing in the world.

This year it is our 10th wedding anniversary, so also the anniversary of our honeymoon trip, which went through Armoy, our first road race, in 2013. Hope to be able to celebrate it there, watching the most thrilling racing in the world.

Our season started in March, when it was still cold and rainy, with the “Stephen Davison” show organised by the CMRVC in support of the Munster 100 Road Race. The show was brilliant as usual, with a great number of great riders including Peter Hickman, Jack Kennedy and Brian McCormack.

The following day was the “Cork Motorcycle Show“, which was a great success considering the circumstances. It was so good to be back into the Motorcycling world again and meet with other people sharing the same passion. We had great chats with Stephen Davison, Wallace and Gillian from RRI, Roger from FBOS, between others.

The racing season started for us in Tandragee. We had never been in Tandragee before, so this year we thought it was a good opportunity to discover it. And what better place than a road race to celebrate my birthday! As Emma was at school and Juan was working on the Friday, we left quite late and drove straight to county Armagh. We stayed at a B&B owned by a very friendly lady who made us feel at home straight away.

The Friday had been a nice sunny day, a good day for the Practice sessions after such a long winter. On the Saturday morning we woke up to the sound of the rain drops on the windows… not a good start. We had our breakfast and went to the track. We had a go around the paddock, it didn’t stop raining for a minute. We had our rain gear on, and the big umbrella. When they announced the first race, we went to the field just outside the paddock. The Classic bikes were starting. After some wait and several warmup laps, it finally got under way.

We realised that we had forgotten to take something to sit on, we used to have 2 folding chairs, but we didn’t think about it. So, Emma started to be tired, Juan took her on his shoulders, and then he got tired. After the race we went back to the paddock. We saw the first start of the second race, but after a while and some more wait, and a great chat with Andy Farrell, we decided to pack up and leave it for another day. Unfortunately for the organisers, rain did not stop in the whole day, and they had to cancel shortly after we left.

For us it was just good to be back in a road racing paddock, after such a long time, so we were happy despite the rain and all.

On the Sunday we had booked tickets for Armagh Observatory, not motorbikes related, but certainly a fantastic day out for the kids. We spent there a good few hours and only left because we were very hungry and needed some proper food. Emma loved it and we did too! Hopefully we will be able to go back to Tandragee in 2023, hopefully weather will be ok, and we will also go back to the Observatory! On our way down we stopped at Decathlon in Dublin and bought 3 folding chairs, so now we’re ready for the next race!

On the 10th of April, West Cork Motorcycle Club was holding their annual Drag race. At last Juan had been able to register and on the Saturday we all went down to Halfway for the scrutiny. All was good for his bike, unfortunately he had seen at the last minute that helmets must be max 5 years old, and despite having hardly used his, it was just over 5 years old. So that was it for his racing. On the Sunday we went to watch the racing for a short while (Emma was cold), only as spectators. We’ll try again next year!

Then it was a long wait until our next road race. On Saturday June 18th, we were leaving home not too early, dropped our suitcase at the B&B we had booked for the night; the same as last time we had been in Kells, years ago!, and we went to the track.

This time we were better prepared with our folding chairs. The practice was well under way when we arrived, we were at the same corner as the first time we went to Kells. The practice sessions finished quite soon after we had arrived, so we went to the paddock to have a walk around. Once again it was nice to see many familiar faces; we had a chat with Yvonne Montgomery, and after a while we went back to the B&B, had dinner, and went for a short walk to the lake shore, a beautiful place!

On Sunday morning we headed to the track early enough to be able to walk a little bit around the track looking for a good spot. But we finally went back to where we had been the previous day, and took a seat there, close to the village with possibility to buy food and drinks, and a safe place to watch.

The racing started early enough, it was a little bit chillier than the day before (and we were sitting in the shadow of a tree), but we could watch some good racing and take “a few pictures”.

Unfortunately racing came to an abrupt end after an incident further up the road. The rider, a very young man, Jack Oliver, unfortunately lost his life in the accident.

After a while, racing was cancelled, and everybody headed away. This was very sad, nothing was official yet, but we knew what had happened and the journey back home was a sad one. Rest in Peace Jack.

Over the summer, there was a full calendar of road races at sight. We tried to go to Skerries before leaving for our holidays but the prices of the hotels and B&Bs, if any room left, were just mental! So we had to forget about it for this year. For most of the summer we were visiting the family, so we missed the Irish road racing season.

On our way back to Ireland from France, we stopped in Le Mans, for an event called “The Big Car Show”. We booked one day visit on the Saturday and spent the whole day watching nice cars on display, walking around the different stands and what Emma liked most, the stunter Florian Bugs who was brilliant! Maybe she liked even more the Carrousel, as each session just never ended: 15 minutes going round and round and round (and we had bought 5 tickets!!!).

Then we were back home and back to the “routine”, so we didn’t want to miss West Cork MCC TwoHigs Hillclimb on the 18th of September. We left home not too late for a change, and we arrived in Clonakilty around 11am. We put our chairs not at the best spot, but not too far away from the start and watched bikes pass by. We were there for a couple of hours, had a chat with Stephen Davison, and finally headed back home after a while. This was brilliant as always.

But the season did not finish with the Hillclimb! We decided to give a go to the Dunlop Masters Superbike Championship in Mondello. We had thought of going earlier in the year but could not make it. So finally on the 25th of September, we headed to Mondello and arrived around 11am. We went to the grandstand that overlooks the first corner and you can also see other parts of the track. We took seat there and started watching racing and more racing. We were thrilled. We are quite close to the action unlike bigger tracks we used to go in the past, and the atmosphere is very similar to road racing – well, many riders are the same ones, so similar paddock and teams!

It was also our first time watching sidecar racing (well, we did see some in Czech Republic but most sidecars were quite old, although not less impressive!), we were hooked! I just loved them, and Emma too!

After a few hours watching racing, we went for a walk around the paddock and before the last Supersport race, as it was already 4pm and we had to drive back home, we reluctantly decided leave. Emma wanted “to watch more racing”. We will definitely be back to Mondello, we had a great day there, great facilities and great racing with great atmosphere!

Our next and last outing of the season won’t be for racing, but we will hopefully be at the Annual CorkToy Run on December the 4th.

And fingers crossed for a full 2023 season!

Road Races

2023 Road Racing Calendar

Posted on 13/12/2022 at 9:46 pm by Maricel / 0

UPDATE 21/04/2023: THE ONLY RACES CONFIRMED IN IRELAND ARE COOKSTOWN 100, NORTHWEST 200 AND ARMOY.

As usual, if you plan to travel to any race, we recommend to check for the latest updates on the Club official websites or Facebook pages.

IRELAND (NORTHERN and REPUBLIC) & ISLE OF MAN (chronological order)

*21-22 April 2023: Cookstown 100 (Cookstown- co. Tyrone- Northern Ireland)

https://cookstown100.org

CANCELLED *28-29 April 2023: Tandragee 100 (Tandragee- co. Armagh- Northern Ireland)

http://www.tandragee100.co.uk

*9-13 May 2023: Northwest 200 (Coleraine-Portrush-Portstewart- co. Antrim- Northern Ireland)

http://www.northwest200.org

*29th May to June 10th 2023: Isle of Man TT (Isle of Man)

http://www.iomtt.com/

PENDING INSURANCE *24-25 June 2023: Kells Road Race (Crossakiel- co. Meath- Republic of Ireland)

http://www.kellsroadraces.com

PENDING INSURANCE *01-02 July 2023: Skerries 100 (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland):

http://www.loughshinnymotorcycleclub.com

PENDING INSURANCE *08-09 July 2023: Walderstown “Race of the South” (co. Westmeath – Republic of Ireland)

http://www.foremcrc.com/

*10-13 July 2023: Southern 100 – (Isle of Man)

www.southern100.com

PENDING INSURANCE *15-16 July 2023: Faugheen 50 Road Race (co. Tipperary – Republic of Ireland)

http://faugheen50.net/

PENDING INSURANCE *22-23 July 2023: Munster 100 (Glanmire- co. Cork – Republic of Ireland)

https://cmrvc.ie/munster-100/munster-100-news

*28-29 July 2023: Armoy Road Races (Armoy – co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.amrrc.com/

PENDING INSURANCE *05-06 August 2023: Athea Road Races (Athea – co. Limerick -Republic of Ireland)

South West Road Racing Athea Facebook

PENDING OF CONFIRMATION *18-19 August 2023: International Ulster GP, Dundrod (co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

Pending of confirmation (Dundrod Club)

*20-28 August 2023: Manx Grand Prix (Isle of Man)

https://www.manxgrandprix.org/

OLIVER’S MOUNT RACING – SCARBOROUGH – UK

*Spring Cup – 15-16 April 2023

*Cock O’ The North – 01-02 July 2023

*Barry Sheene Classic – 22-23 July 2023

*HillClimb – 19-20 August 2023

*Gold Cup – 23-24 September 2023

https://www.oliversmount.com/events

IRRC 2023

http://www.irrc.eu/

06-07 May: Hengelo (NL)

02-04 June: Schleiz (DE)

01-02 July: Imatra (FIN)

22-23 July: Chimay (BE)

12-13 August: Hořice (CZ)

16-17 September: Frohburg (DE)

CZECH REPUBLIC

*300 Curves of Gustav Havel: 20-21 May 2023

NEW ZEALAND

*BURT MUNRO CHALLENGE : 08-12 February 2023

Invercargill Street Race: 12 February 2023

Burt Munro Challenge

*GREYMOUTH MOTORCYCLE STREET RACE: 2023 Date to be confirmed

https://www.greymouthstreetrace.co.nz

MACAU GRAND PRIX

Dates to be confirmed

https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/en/

Road Racing Circuits Guide HERE

Road Races

Road Racing Calendar 2022

Posted on 19/02/2022 at 10:48 pm by Maricel / 0

After 2 years of almost no road racing (Chapeau to Cookstown for holding both 2020 and 2021 meetings, and Armoy for holding 2021 meeting in such difficult circumstances!), here is the 2022 Road Racing Calendar. 🙂

If you are thinking in attending any, please always check first on the Clubs webpages or facebook before booking anything.

Update 19/05/2022

IRELAND (NORTH & REPUBLIC) & ISLE OF MAN (chronological order)

*22-23 April 2022: Cookstown 100 (Cookstown- co. Tyrone- Northern Ireland)

https://cookstown100.org

*29-30 April 2022: Tandragee 100 (Tandragee- co. Armagh- Northern Ireland)

http://www.tandragee100.co.uk

*10-14 May 2022: Northwest 200 (Coleraine-Portrush-Portstewart- co. Antrim- Northern Ireland)

http://www.northwest200.org

*28 May to 11 June 2022: Isle of Man TT (Isle of Man)

http://www.iomtt.com/

*18-19 June 2022: Kells Road Race (Crossakiel- co. Meath- Republic of Ireland)

http://www.kellsroadraces.com

*02-03 July 2022: Skerries 100 (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland):

http://www.loughshinnymotorcycleclub.com

*09-10 July 2022: Walderstown “Race of the South” (co. Westmeath – Republic of Ireland)

http://www.foremcrc.com/

*11-14 July 2022: Southern 100 – (Isle of Man)

www.southern100.com

*16-17 July 2022: Faugheen 50 Road Race (co. Tipperary – Republic of Ireland)

http://faugheen50.net/

*29-30 July 2022: Armoy Road Races (Armoy – co. Antrim –Northern Ireland)

http://www.amrrc.com/

*13-14 August 2022: Munster 100 (Glanmire- co. Cork – Republic of Ireland)

https://cmrvc.ie/munster-100/munster-100-news

CANCELLED 🙁 *16-20 August 2022: International Ulster GP, Dundrod (co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.ulstergrandprix.net/

*21-29 August 2022: Manx Grand Prix (Isle of Man)

https://www.manxgrandprix.org/

*9-10 September 2022: Mid-Antrim 150 (Clough – co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

https://midantrim150.co.uk

IRRC 2022

http://www.irrc.eu/

30 April – 01 May: Hengelo (NL)

01-03 July: Imatra (FI)

23-24 July: Chimay (BE)

13-14 August: Hořice (CZ)

17-18 September: Frohburg (DE)

Road Racing Circuits Guide HERE

Road Races

2021 Road Racing Calendar

Posted on 17/12/2020 at 10:18 pm by Maricel / 0

Here is the 2021 Road Racing Calendar.

After a very poor year in road races (and other entertainments…) here is the provisional 2021 Road Racing Calendar.

Unfortunately, the Isle of Man TT is cancelled for another year 🙁 .

Some races, as the Cookstown 100 (the only one on the Island of Ireland in 2020) will be run with limited number of spectators with pre-booking. So this year more than ever it is very important to follow the updates on each Club website or Facebook page.

UPDATE 05/02/2021 (changes and cancellations)

IRELAND (NORTH & REPUBLIC) & ISLE OF MAN (chronological order)

CANCELLED- *30th April – 1st May 2021: Tandragee 100 (Tandragee- co. Armagh- Northern Ireland)

http://www.tandragee100.co.uk

CANCELLED- *11th-15th May 2021: Northwest 200 (Coleraine-Portrush-Porststewart- co. Antrim- Northern Ireland)

http://www.northwest200.org

CANCELLED- *19th-20th June 2021: Kells Road Race (Crossakiel- co. Meath- Republic of Ireland)

http://www.kellsroadraces.com

CANCELLED- *26th-27th June 2021: Munster 100 Road Race (Glanmire – co. Cork – Republic of Ireland)

https://cmrvc.ie/munster-100/munster-100-news

*03rd-04th July 2021: Skerries 100 (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland):

https://www.skerriesroadraces.com/

CANCELLED- *10th-11th July 2021: Walderstown “Race of the South” (co. Westmeath – Republic of Ireland)

http://www.foremcrc.com/

*12th-15th July 2021: Southern 100 – (Isle of Man)

www.southern100.com

CANCELLED- *17th-18th July 2021: Faugheen 50 Road Race (co. Tipperary – Republic of Ireland)

http://faugheen50.net/

*30th-31st July 2021: Armoy Road Races (Armoy – co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.amrrc.com/

CANCELLED- *07th-08th August 2021: East Coast Racing Festival (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland)

https://eastcoastmcc.com/

*21st August – 03rd September 2021: Manx Grand Prix (Isle of Man)

https://www.manxgrandprix.org/

*10th-11th September 2021: Cookstown 100 (Cookstown- co. Tyrone- Northern Ireland)

https://www.cookstown100.org/

At the moment there are no official dates for the Ulster GP for 2021. https://ulstergrandprix.net/

SCARBOROUGH 2021- Oliver’s Mount (UK)

oliversmount.com

https://www.243racing.co.uk/

08th-09th May: Spring Cup

19th-20th June: Barry Sheene Classic Festival

31st July – 01st August: Oliver’s Mount Festival

11th-12th September: Gold Cup

IRRC 2021- Provisional

http://www.irrc.eu/

02nd-04th July: Imatra (FI)

23rd-25th July: Chimay (BE)

14th-15th August: Hořice (CZ)

04th-05th September: Hengelo (NL)

18th-19th September: Frohburg (DE)

CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA

MMČR/PČR Calendar

http://www.autoklub.cz/

15/16 May 2021 – Staré město (MMČR, PČR, side)

22/23 May 2021 – Hořice CZ (300 curves of Gustav Havel) (MMČR)

12/13 June 2021 – Jičín (MMČR, JPHZM, side, Jawa 50)

18/20 June 2021 – Hričov SK (MMČR, PČR, side)

09/11 July 2021 – Slovakia Ring SK (circuit) (MMČR, PČR)

31 July/01 August 2021 – Nepomuk (JPHZM)

14/15 August 2021 – Hořice (IRRC, PČR, side)

27/29 August 2021 – Trenčín (MMČR, PČR, side)

11/12 September 2021 – Branná (JPHZM)

08/10 October 2021 – Most – Gerhard Itnner Memorial (circuit) (MMČR, PČR)

see Eva-moto’s web

CAMS Calendar

http://www.motocams.cz/prirodni-okruhy/kalendar-zavodu/

09-11 April 2021 – Jarní cena Brna (circuit)

05/06 June 2021 – Kopčany (Kopčanský Motookruh)

18/21 June 2021 – Trenčín

04/05 September 2021 – Dymokury

NEW ZEALAND

North: New Zealand’s Largest Motorcycle Series

https://cemeterycircuit.co.nz/

*26th December 2020: Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui (road race)

South:

*14th February 2021: Burt Munro Challenge: Honda Invercargill Street Race

https://www.burtmunrochallenge.co.nz/home

MACAU

Pending: Macau Grand Prix (Macau, China)

https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/en/

Road Racing Circuits Guide HERE

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Road Races

2020 Road Racing Calendar

Posted on 23/12/2019 at 12:27 am by Maricel / 0

Here is the 2020 Road Racing Calendar 🙂

If you are thinking in attending any, please always check first on the Clubs webpages or facebook before booking anything.

IRELAND (NORTH & REPUBLIC) & ISLE OF MAN (chronological order)

*24-25 April 2020: Cookstown 100 (Cookstown- co. Tyrone- Northern Ireland)

https://www.cookstown100.org/

*1-2 May 2020: Tandragee 100 (Tandragee- co. Armagh- Northern Ireland)

http://www.tandragee100.co.uk

*12-16 May 2020: Northwest 200 (Coleraine-Portrush-Porststewart- co. Antrim- Northern Ireland)

http://www.northwest200.org

*30 May to 12 June 2020: Isle of Man TT (Isle of Man)

http://www.iomtt.com/

*20-21 June 2020: Kells Road Race (Crossakiel- co. Meath- Republic of Ireland)

http://www.kellsroadraces.com

*27-28 June 2020: Munster 100 Road Race (Glanmire – co. Cork – Republic of Ireland)

https://cmrvc.ie/munster-100/munster-100-news

*04-05 July 2020: Skerries 100 (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland):

https://www.skerriesroadraces.com/

*6-9 July 2020: Southern 100 – (Isle of Man)

www.southern100.com

*11-12 July 2020: Walderstown “Race of the South” (co. Westmeath – Republic of Ireland)

http://www.foremcrc.com/

*18-19 July 2020: Faugheen 50 Road Race (co. Tipperary – Republic of Ireland)

http://faugheen50.net/

*24-25 July 2020: Armoy Road Races (Armoy – co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.amrrc.com/

*8-9 August 2020: East Coast Racing Festival (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland)

https://eastcoastmcc.com/

*22 August- 04 September 2020: Manx Grand Prix (Isle of Man)

https://www.manxgrandprix.org/

Unfortunately, there has been no date confirmed by the Club organising the Ulster GP, due to financial issues on the 2019 event. https://ulstergrandprix.net/ This is a huge loss on the 2020 calendar, and we hope they will bounce back and be there again next year.

There will be no road race in Enniskillen either unfortunately. https://enniskillenroadraces.co.uk/

SCARBOROUGH 2020- Oliver’s Mount (UK)

oliversmount.com

https://www.243racing.co.uk/

18-19 April: Spring Cup

20-21 June: Northern Festival

25-26 July: Barry Sheen Classics

12-13 September: Gold Cup

IRRC 2020

http://www.irrc.eu/

9-10 May: Hengelo (NL)

03-05 July: Imatra (FI)

24-26 July: Chimay (BE)

15-16 August: Hořice (CZ)

19-20 September: Frohburg (DE)

CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA

MMČR/PČR Calendar

http://www.autoklub.cz/

23/24 May 2020 – Hořice CZ (125 SP, 125 GP/Moto3, 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, Supersport 600 cc, Superbike, +Supersport 300)

13/14 June 2020 – Jičín CZ (125SP / JPHZM, SIDE, JAWA 50)

19/21 June 2020 – Trenčín SK (125 SP, 125 GP/Moto3, 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, Supersport 600 cc, Superbike, +Supersport 300, Klasik A/B, SIDE, JPHZM)

04/05 July 2020 – Radvanice CZ (125 SP, 125 GP/Moto3, 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, Supersport 600 cc, +Supersport 300, Klasik A/B, SIDE)

18/19 July 2020 -Staré město CZ (125 SP, 125 GP/Moto3, 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, Supersport 600 cc, Superbike, +Supersport 300, Klasik A/B, SIDE)

25/286 July 2020 – Nepomuk CZ (JPHZM)

17/18 August 2020 – Hořice CZ (IRRC, Klasik A/B, SIDE)

12/13 September 2020 – Branná CZ (JPHZM)

13/15 September 2020 – Slovakiaring SK (125 SP, 125 GP/Moto3, 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, Supersport 600 cc, Superbike, +Supersport 300, Klasik A/B)

Klasik A are races for Classic bikes from 1945 to 1972

Klasik B are races for Classic bikes from 1973 to 1978

JPHZM = jízda pravidelnosti historických závodních motocyklů = regularity racing of classic motorcycles.

More information on Eva-moto’s website

CAMS Calendar

http://www.motocams.cz/prirodni-okruhy/kalendar-zavodu/

10/12 April 2020 – Jarní cena Brna (circuit)

06/07 June 2020 – Kopčany (Kopčanský Motookruh)

19/21 June 2020 – Trenčín

05/06 September 2020 – Dymokury

Thanks to Eva Koňáková of http://eva-moto.com for all the information about the racing on the Czech calendar.

NEW ZEALAND

North: New Zealand’s Largest Motorcycle Series

https://cemeterycircuit.co.nz/

*26 December 2020: Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui (road race)

South:

*9th February 2020: Burt Munro Challenge: Honda Invercargill Street Race

https://www.burtmunrochallenge.co.nz/home

*25th October 2020: Greymouth Street Race

http://www.greymouthstreetrace.com/

MACAU

19-22 November 2020: Macau Grand Prix (Macau, China)

https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/en/

Road Racing circuits guide HERE

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Ride outs, Trips

150.000 km

Posted on 25/09/2019 at 10:37 pm by Maricel / 0

In January 2010, my SV and myself celebrated 100.000km together, we had covered them in less tan 5 years.

Life is like a twisty and bumpy road, and the following year, we were leaving Barcelona to go (together) to live in Paris. Although Paris is “glamour” for most people, it’s not the best place to enjoy motorbikes as it’s ALL FLAT, you have to ride for 400km before you find some twisties. So that while living there, the yearly kilometres average went down quite a bit.

In spite of not using it every day, it was when living in Paris that we went furthest away with our bikes until now:

Ireland for our Honeymoon trip –which would change our lives- (click on the pics to access to the corresponding posts)

and the following year to Czech Republic,

and Austria..

We also had some opportunities to discover a little bit of France, mainly the East part:

Reims

and Les Vosges:

area that I didn’t know at all.

In 2015 we moved again, this time to Ireland. During the first year or so, we had good opportunities to keep knowing this beautiful country, with areas we didn’t know yet, including the one where we now live:

East Cork,

West Cork,

Gougane Barra,

Beara,

The Vee,

North Cork,

And also some longer holidays to visit co. Antrim

and Donegal.

From mid-2016, the kilometres then became almost nothing, with the birth of our daughter Emma. In 2015-2016 we did about 5000km, and since then, I’d say about 500 lol .

Anyway, what’s important is not quantity but quality, and even if we didn’t take the bike as much since the 100.000km, we have discovered more distant places with very different people.

So finally, on the first Saturday of September, coming back from having breakfast in Ballyhoura Mountains,

my SV and myself celebrated our 150.000km together.

Since 2010, apart from usual servicing and tyres changing, this is what we did:

-Before leaving Barcelona, we changed the clutch. It was not giving any problem, but it was “just in case” as we didn’t know when we would find a trustful mechanic again.

-On our way to Paris, I changed for the first time the battery. We changed it again in 2017, for lack of use of the bike and probably excess of humidity around.

-For our honeymoon trip we bought a Givi topbox and Givi rigid saddle bags with SV-MOTECH frame, very handy for long trips.

-I changed the rider seat as the padding had been damaged during the ferry trip. I also changed the screen as it had been scratched in 2005, during my stay in sweet Marseille…

-When we arrived in Ireland, I had to change the exhaust seal, as it had completely fallen apart.

-The only recurrent problem I had with the bike in 150.000km was that when it rained A LOT and for a long time, some water would get into the front cylinder sparkplug cavity, and after a while the bike would run on one cylinder and stop. When we arrived in Ireland we changed the sparkplug cap. In the following long trip we did to the North, we had some rain on the way back and I had no problem. Last month on our way back from the Munster 100, Juan rode my bike for 40km under heavy rain and the bike showed no issue.

So given that I don’t use the bike too often, and that when I use it I now try to avoid rainy days, I guess we won’t have the problems for many years now. Lol

-During our Holidays 2016, the bike was refusing to start every now and then. In Ballymoney they diagnosed a fault of the starter motor and told us how to start the bike when that happened as they didn’t have the spares for repairing. When we came back Juan bought the little parts inside the starter motor and repaired it. Working perfect since.

-We removed the heating grips that stopped working a while back, and we put back the original grips. If I’m going to use the bike to do max 500km per year, I don’t think I’ll take her out when it’s too cold outside anyway LOL.

After 150.000km I’ve still no intention of letting her go, I’m still very happy with her and no recent motorbike really attracts me. So even if I only use her for 500km per year, when I do go for a spin I really enjoy every single kilometre.

So now I suppose it will take us a few year to get to celebrate 200.000km, but the objective is just enjoying with her every single kilometre, on nice twisty roads, surrounded by beautiful landscapes and with the best company!

V’s

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Road Races

MUNSTER 100 2019

Posted on 05/09/2019 at 11:05 pm by Maricel / 0

6 years ago we went to our first road race, in Armoy, during our Honeymoon travel. There we bought the “Road Racing Ireland” for the first time. There was a short article on a road race in Cork being cancelled on the day due to heavy rain and track unsuitable for racing.

Who would have told us then that 2 years later we would be living in Cork, and that 5 years later a small group of people would pull together to revive the Munster 100 on the same Glanmire track.

We actually came on board of the organisation late, when a big part of the job of fundraising and looking for sponsors was well advanced, but tried to help as much as possible over the last few months.

This was a lovely experience to become part of this group of passionate and hardworking men, who put a lot of effort and time to get the Munster 100 back on track.

So the racing week-end of our first road race in Cork was lived in a completely different way. From inside and mostly in the paddock. And with very few pictures. But seeing how much time and work has to be put in to get everything needed, the track put together, signage around and close to the track, protections all around, paddock organised, work on entries, passes, lists of stuffs to be done, finding people to do a million of small or big tasks before, during and after the event…

Comes Friday before racing. Paddock is still very quiet, podium is being finished with all sponsors.

Many people working around the track from early morning until late that night. It’s early evening now, paddock is now filling up. I’m there but only baby sitting while Juan is doing his little bit with signage.

For the night we had booked a “VIP” place to stay on the track, very handy with a little girl.

Saturday morning I started “working” while Juan is baby-sitting. I’ve been given a task in the scrutiny tent handing over to the riders or their assistant/mechanics/helper/friend the document that will be signed by the scrutineers. A couple of “moments of panic” lol. Hope I didn’t do too bad.

When I’m finished with my task I get back to my baby-sitting role and Juan is helping at one of the gates.

Practice starts with a slight delay. It’s raining most of the day, practice is untimed.

We are under a tent most of the day, where the merchandising is being sold.

Emma was so nice all day. She had a few “laps” on the carrousel just in front of us, a lovely man taking care of it. And when the rain gave us a break we walked a little around the paddock. One of the riders is selling very nice tracks maps carved in wood to help financing his racing: 108 Art . Giving us ideas for home decoration. 🙂

Practice ended, and they could run the first 2 races, “non championship.” When I heard through the speakers that the first race of the Munster 100 was on, I felt a little emotional to be honest…

After the racing was over, we regrouped for preparing the big day, then Juan, myself and Emma went for some food in Glanmire and we headed back to the B&B for the night.

An early wake on race day for me, back to the scrutiny tent, this time a little more prepared, but also with a slight moment of panic. Lol.

A particular mention there to marshals and other people who came to help over the week-end from other Clubs from different points of Ireland. This IS what makes us so proud of the road racing community, and gets it to move forward. A big “family” in which people always pull together in difficult moments and help each other when needed.

After the job was done, the races order was announced.

and given the forecast, the idea was to get as much racing as possible between 10am and 2pm, as by 3pm there was a huge storm announced…

So I went back to my baby-sitting tasks while Juan was going on duty at one gate.

I tried to get Emma to see some racing as she had enjoyed it so much in Faugheen 2 weeks earlier. It was the Open race, and we went to the gate next to the start/finish. They are very fast there.

So we saw them pass by twice, but she got upset 🙁 . So we had to turn back and to the paddock again.

So for us the rest of the day was spent between the merchandising tent (there were a few showers), the carousel, walking around the paddock, playing with other kids, chatting with the neighbours (the West Cork MCC, Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and Road Racing Ireland).

I couldn’t see any racing, just listening to the comments (which were great by the way!). But racing went smoothly all day. The Grand Final was advanced from programme and after a first start was stopped because of rain (typical!). It was restarted a little later and went perfect!

Just around 2.30pm the racing was over!!!

The podium ceremony started shortly after as weather conditions were starting to deteriorate. I was able to stay at the podium taking pics for the first time of the week-end, while Juan had to pack up with a wrecked Emma.

: Anthony Lillis- Junior Support non championship 3rd

: Vinny Brennan-Junior Support non championship 2nd

: John Ella-Junior Support non championship Winner

: Dermot Cleary, Tommy Henry, John Ella – Senior Support Non Championship

: Thomas Maxwell- 3rd Open

: Micko Sweeney- 2nd Open

: Open- Micko, Derek Sheils, Thomas Maxwell

: Open- Micko, Derek Sheils, Thomas Maxwell

: Micko Sweeney & Derek Sheils- Open

: John O’Donovan- 3rd Senior Support Championship

: Tommy Henry- 2nd Senior Support Championship

: Dermot Cleary- Winner Senior Support Championship

: Philip Shaw- 3rd Classics 250

: Richard Ford- 2nd Classics 250

: Brian Mateer- Winner Classics 250

: Classics 250

: Sean Leonard – 125

: Brian Loughlin- 3rd Junior Support Champ.

: Brian Loughlin, David Howard, RJ Woolsey- Junior Support Championship

: Brian Loughlin, David Howard, RJ Woolsey- Junior Support Championship

: Paul Fallon- 3rd 600cc

: Stephen Casey- 2nd 600cc

: Micko Sweeney- Winner 600cc

: Ian Thompson- 3rd Classics 350

: Ed Manly- Winner Classics 350

: Barry Davidson, Ed Manly – Classics 350

: Anthony Lillys- 3rd Junior Support Championship

: John Ella -2nd Junior Support Championship

: Vinny Brennan- Winner Junior Support Champ.

: Vinny Brennan- 3rd Supertwin

: Darryl Tweed- 2nd Supertwin

: Darryl Tweed, Micko Sweeney- Supertwin

: Micko Sweeney- Winner Supertwin

: Supertwin

: Billy Lyle- 3rd Classics 500

: Andy Kildea- 2nd Classics 500

: Barry Davidson- Winner Classics 500

: Classics 500

: Classics 1000- Richard Ford, Ian Thompson, Philip Shaw

: Classics 1000- Richard Ford, Ian Thompson, Philip Shaw

: Main Sponsor: Keohane City Mix

: Stephen Casey- Best Southern rider

: Stephen Casey- Best Southern rider

: Micko Sweeney- Man of the Meeting

: Fastest Lap – Derek Sheils

: Derek Sheils & Micko Sweeney

: Micko Sweeney- 2nd Carole Nash GRAND FINAL

: Derek Sheils- Winner Carole Nash Grand Final

: Ray Casey- 3rd Carole Nash Grand Final

: Derek Sheils

: Carole Nash Grand Final

I joined them back to the B&B to load the car shortly after, and after a while we were on the way back home under pouring rain. Juan on my bike in front got soaked, mainly his waterproof jacket…

But we were SO HAPPY that the rain had waited until racing was over.

This was such a great reward for the people who put so much effort and time in getting the MUNSTER 100 back on the calendar.

I have very few pictures of what I feel I can now call “my local road race”, but I really don’t mind as it was such a lovely experience to live it from inside, and give something back to the sport we love, even if it was not much.

Hope we’ll be able to help a little more next year.

ROLL ON MUNSTER 100 2020!!!

Results of the Munster 100 here.

Many more pics (not mine!) HERE.

And don’t forget to keep updated through the MUNSTER 100 Facebook PAGE or GROUP !

Enjoy!

Road Races

2019 Road Racing Calendar

Posted on 31/12/2018 at 10:29 pm by Maricel / 0

Here is the 2019 Road Racing Calendar (confirmed dates). 🙂 – Update 01/04/2019 with Scarborough

If you are thinking in attending any, please always check first on the Clubs webpages or facebook before booking anything.

IRELAND (NORTH & REPUBLIC) & ISLE OF MAN (chronological order)

*26-27 April 2019: Cookstown 100 (Cookstown- co. Tyrone- Northern Ireland)

https://www.cookstown100.org/

*3-4 May 2019: Tandragee 100 (Tandragee- co. Armagh- Northern Ireland)

http://www.tandragee100.co.uk

*14-18 May 2019: Northwest 200 (Coleraine-Portrush-Porststewart- co. Antrim- Northern Ireland)

http://www.northwest200.org

*25 May to 7 June 2019: Isle of Man TT (Isle of Man)

http://www.iomtt.com/

*15-16 June 2019: Kells Road Race (Crossakiel- co. Meath- Republic of Ireland)

http://www.kellsroadraces.com

*28-29 June 2019: Enniskillen Road Race (Enniskillen- co. Fermanagh – Northern Ireland)

https://enniskillenroadraces.co.uk/

*06-07 July 2019: Skerries 100 (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland):

https://www.skerriesroadraces.com/

*8-11 July 2019: Southern 100 – (Ile de Man)

www.southern100.com

*13-14 July 2019: Walderstown “Race of the South” (co. Westmeath – Republic of Ireland)

http://www.foremcrc.com/

*20-21 July 2019: Faugheen 50 Road Race (co. Tipperary – Republic of Ireland)

http://faugheen50.net/

*26-27 July 2019: Armoy Road Races (Armoy – co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.amrrc.com/

*3-4 August 2019: Munster 100 Road Race (Glanmire – co. Cork – Republic of Ireland)

Munster 100 Motorcycle Road Racing Cork

*8-10 August 2019: International Ulster GP, Dundrod (co. Antrim – Northern Ireland)

http://www.ulstergrandprix.net/

*16-30 August 2019: Manx Grand Prix (Isle of Man)

https://www.manxgrandprix.org/

*7-8 September 2019: East Coast Racing Festival (Skerries- co. Dublin – Republic of Ireland)

https://eastcoastmcc.com/

OLIVERS MOUNT RACING- SCARBOROUGH – ENGLAND

27-28 July: Barry Sheene Classic

28-29 September: Gold Cup

http://www.243racing.co.uk/

IRRC 2019

http://www.irrc.eu/

11-12 May: Hengelo (NL)

14-16 June: Imatra (FI)

13-14 July: Terlicko (CZ)

26-28 July: Chimay (BE)

17-18 August: Hořice (CZ)

21-22 September: Frohburg (DE)

CZECH REPUBLIC & SLOVAKIA

MMCR Calendar- Upgraded to International championship for 2019

http://www.autoklub.cz/

04/05 May 2019 -Staré město (Klasik, PO, SIDE)

18/19 May 2019 – Hořice (PO)

08/09 June 2019 – Jičín (JPHZM, PO – only 125 SP, 50 ccm)

29/30 June 2019 – Radvanice (PO, Klasik, SIDE)

13/14 July 2019 – Těrlicko (IRRC, PO)

27/28 July 2019 – Nepomuk (JPHZM)

17/18 August 2019 – Hořice (IRRC, Klasik, SIDE)

07/08 September 2019 – Branná (JPHZM)

13/15 September 2019 – Hradec Králové (PO, Klasik)

PO = přírodní okruhy = “natural circuits” = races for modern classes like 125 SP, 125 GP + Moto3 + 250 Open, Supertwin, Supermono, 600 cc and +600 cc

PO is also for “speed classic” – normal races for classic bikes.

JPHZM = jízda pravidelnosti historických závodních motocyklů = regularity racing of historical motorcycles.

CAMS Calendar

http://www.motocams.cz/prirodni-okruhy/

12/14 April 2019 – Jarní cena Brna (circuit)

01/02 June 2019 – Kopčany (Kopčanský Motookruh)

05/07 July 2019 – Piešťany (Piešťanský motocyklový klub)

31 August/01st September 2019 – Dymokury

Thanks to Eva Koňáková from http://eva-moto.com for all the information about the road races on the Czech calendar.

OTHERS

14-17 November 2019: Macau Grand Prix (Macau, China)

https://www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo/en/

NEW ZEALAND

North: New Zealand’s Largest Motorcycle Series

https://cemeterycircuit.co.nz/

*7-8 December 2019: Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park Lake Taupo (circuit)

*14-15 December 2019: Manfeild, Manawatu (circuit)

*26 December 2019: Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui (road race)

South:

*27th October 2019: Greymouth Street Race

http://www.greymouthstreetrace.com/

*9th February 2020: Burt Munro Challenge: Honda Invercargill Street Race

https://www.burtmunrochallenge.co.nz/home

Road Racing circuits guide HERE

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