Following a long period of discussion the Short Circuit Committee of Motorcycling Ireland (MCI) have taken the decision not to run any Irish Championship race meetings during 2018. The decision has not been taken lightly and is seen as the best way of securing the future of Short Circuit Motorcycle Racing under MCI’s jurisdiction.

Following consultation with MCI riders more than two years ago, the Short Circuit committee agreed to comply with riders requests by seeking to reduce the number and frequency of Irish Championship rounds. During 2016 and 2017, the MCI Short Circuit Committee tried, through the MCUI Commission, to restructure the Irish Championship so that there would be less rounds, a minimum of two weekends between rounds and no more than one event per month in either centre.

As the MCI Short Circuit committee was unable to reach any agreement with the MCUI Ulster Centre it has, with regret, decided not to apply for any rounds of the Irish Championship in 2018. MCUI rules state that for a series to be ratified as a National Championship there has to be an equal number of rounds in each centre, unless each centre agrees to the in-balance. With a maximum of three events in the Southern Centre and ten planned for the Ulster Centre, the gap was too big for an agreement to be reached. This means that there will be no Irish Championship in 2018.

The changes for 2018 will mean that Southern Centre events can be restructured to allow flexibility in the programme not achievable under Irish Championship regulations, leading to better value and service for competitors. A centralised, fully automated, on-line entry system will make event information and entries more readily available, while the championship will run over seven events, evenly spaced across the calendar. All events will now benefit from the promotional activities which are available through the Masters Superbike Championship.

The development of Short Circuit Racing on the Island of Ireland needs a co-ordinated approach which benefits both MCUI centres. The MCI Short Circuit Committee are committed to finding a workable championship structure which can achieve this. If in the future a fairer and more manageable calendar and championship format can be achieved the committee would be happy to return to scheduling Irish Championship events.