North West 200 organisers “have not given up the fight” amid mass cancellations
North West 200 organizers “have not given up the fight” to stage the event in 2023 despite all road races in Northern Ireland being canceled due to insurance costs.
The Motorcycle Union of Ireland said in a statement Thursday night that the cost of running road races in Northern Ireland has become prohibitive as the price of public liability insurance has tripled.
After an emergency meeting, the governing body announced that all road racing and short-distance competitions in Northern Ireland had been canceled for 2023.
A statement by Motorcycling Ireland on the matter pointed the finger at the impact of Brexit, which has contributed to the problem.
The North West 200 is Northern Ireland’s largest outdoor sporting event and has been running for almost 100 years, with the race contributing over £15m to the local economy.
Prior to Thursday’s announcement, the future of the North West 200 after the 2022 edition was uncertain as more funding was sought from Tourism NI to keep the event going.
Despite all of this, organizers say they are moving forward with their plans to host the 2023 North West 200 from May 7-13.
“The crisis currently facing fonaCAB and Nicholl Oils North West 200 and the rest of motorcycling in Ireland is due to a huge increase in insurance costs for 2023,” the statement said.
“The organizers of the North West 200, the Coleraine and the District Motor Club, have worked tirelessly to alleviate the pressure created by these additional costs.
“The club was confident that it could handle the initial fee increase, but with other events unable to do so, the transfer of additional fees to the North West 200 resulted in an unsustainable financial burden.
“Yesterday the sport’s governing body, the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland (UC), announced the cancellation of all motorcycle sporting events in Northern Ireland this year.
“But the organizers of the NW200 have not given up the fight.
“We cannot afford to lose an event that has been going on for over 90 years and plays such an important role in the north coast region’s economy.
“We have been overwhelmed by the messages and offers of support we have received today and while we understand the MCUI (UC) decision, the Coleraine and District Motor Club will continue their efforts to host the North West 200 on May 7th 13th.
“Plans were already in place to welcome new participants to the event during an introductory day next Tuesday 14th February.
“Both this event and the start of the Meet the Stars race scheduled for February 15 will go ahead as planned and we will continue to update everyone on our progress.”
It is not yet clear how the organizers will absorb the swollen insurance costs.