Some 2,500 bales of hay have been placed at strategic locations along a 3.3-mile circuit in the west Limerick village of Athea. This weekend Mr J.J. Kelly and the Athea Motorcycle Racing Club will be hosting for the first time what it is hoped will be an annual event of motorcycle road racing.
The event, which is hosted by the newly-formed club in conjunction with the Motorcycle Union of Ireland (MUI), is the first round of the Southern Centre of Ireland Championship. It will be followed by a further five rounds at locations in Dublin, Meath and Louth later in the year.
Mr Kelly, a lifelong enthusiast of motorcycle racing, said he had been searching for the past nine years for a suitable circuit in the west until a brother- in-law pointed out the suitability of Athea.
The staging of the €25,000 event has been welcomed by the local community as giving the area a much-needed economic boost after it lost an annual Fleadh Cheoil event. With support from the county council, the road surface has been prepared for the racing, which is expected to have bikes reaching speeds of up to 100 m.p.h.
The event will attract big names in the sport such as Robert Dunlop, a brother of the late Joey Dunlop, and Mark Curtin. Accommodation has been booked out in the region, and shuttle buses are being run from the nearby towns of Listowel and Abbeyfeale. One farmer donated 600 bales to the event, and Meskell Motorcycle dealers of Limerick is sponsoring the cost of an air ambulance.
"We could not believe the support we got. We have got a commitment from major sponsors over the next five years," Mr Kelly said.
Today practice events will be held, and tomorrow there will be nine races in different motorcycle classes including a 250cc Grand Prix class.
Mr Damien Tolan, licence registrar senior with the MUI, said the staging of the event in Co Limerick was a welcome development. "We are promoting the sport in the south of Ireland. It is in our interest that more road racing is held," he said.