The Fingal Motor Club have revived the Race of the Year title for the first time since 1994 for their two day, end of season showpiece at Mondello Park this weekend. For fifteen years the event was the most prestigious event on the Irish motorcycling calendar but the title was not awarded for the last five seasons. But with Mondello having undergone an extensive re-development this season and with entries for all events on the up, the Fingal club have decided to revive the classic event.
A massive £11,000 prize fund has been put in place and all of the country’s top short circuit racers will be present to battle it out for one of the biggest prizes in short circuit racing. Previous winners include such famous names as Joey Dunlop (3 wins), Jeremy McWilliams, Eddie Laycock (2 wins) and Alan Irwin who won the race three years in a row.
The last man to take the Race of the Year spoils was Rodney McCurdy and he is the only previous winner in this year's starting line up. McCurdy will be joined by his PJ O'Kane team mate Richard Britton who was recently crowned as 2001 Regal 600 champion. Also on the grid will be European Championship contender Marty Nutt who has returned home to take in Kirkistown’s Sunflower and Mondello’s Race of the Year events. Last weekend Nutt won four races at the Sunflower meeting and will bring his winning 600cc and 1000cc bikes to Mondello to try and repeat the feat.
250cc specialist Hilton Hincks dominated the 250cc class at Kirkistown and also got among the more powerful machinery in the unlimited Sunflower race. Hincks has made a habit of beating more powerful opposition at Mondello this season and hopes the Mondello circuit will be more favourable to his 250cc racer than Kirkistown and he will be able to take the fight to Nutt, Britton and McCurdy. Others likely to have a say in the outcome of the big race are 600cc racer Ryan Rainey, Skerries 250cc race winner Davy Morgan and local ace James Halligan on his 1000cc Suzuki.
There is a full programme of practice and racing on Saturday with practice from 9:00am and racing from 12:00am onwards. Sunday’s programme will be all racing from 9:30am, with each class having two races alongside the featured Race of the Year. Also on the programme will be two Celtic Match races, one each day, featuring riders from Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man.
Filed by Shane Murray
