A new race circuit being built within 90 miles of the Isle of Man is set to host a round of the World Superbike championship next year, 2019.
The £30million Lake Torrent Circuit is currently under construction at Coalisland, County Tyrone, only 40 minutes away from Belfast.
Developer, Manna Developments, and the Dorna WSBK Organisation last week confirmed the signing of a three-year agreement to host the WorldSBK Races at the venue, west of Lough Neagh.
The new development is the brainchild of motor-racing enthusiast David Henderson and is set to regenerate the Mid-Ulster area through new jobs in the business, leisure and engineering sectors - as well as boosting tourism in County Tyrone and across Northern Ireland as a whole.
It will transform 163 acres of former clay pits into a world-class racing circuit and its creation will see WorldSBK visit Northern Ireland for the first time in its 31-year history.
Currently in the early development stages, work is now under way on the Lake Torrent Circuit which will be 2.2 miles in length, featuring 12 corners with a width of 12 to 15 metres and elevations of plus and minus 30 metres. It is estimated to create 700 jobs in the 18-month construction phase, with longer term plans to build a further 90 retail and business units around the circuit.
It is envisaged that up to 30,000 spectators will converge on Coalisland for the first WorldSBK racing event in Northern Ireland.
Castletown resident and reigning WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea, who hails from Larne in Northern Ireland, is understandably thrilled about the agreement: ’I’m so excited about this news because motorcycling in Northern Ireland has a huge heritage, right through from Joey Dunlop to myself and Eugene Laverty.
’I’m very curious to see how the track is going to look, but I’m sure it will be very well attended because the fans over there love their bikes.
’I am looking forward to getting the chance to go there in 2019, and it’s an incredible way to nurture young talent. I can’t wait to be involved and to fly the flag for Northern Ireland in this new adventure, and it would be nice to create a circuit that many people talk about as the best in the world.’
In the late 1970s when the TT lost its world championship status, there were various plans to build a proper short-circuit in the island.
Jurby was mooted, as was Port-e-Chee Meadow, amazingly, while Geoff Duke was keen to develop a shorter road course in the Round Table area. Another, more recent suggestion, was to devise a circuit on land in the Creg-ny-Baa/Clypse area, but none ever came to fruition.
l The official launch of the 2018 TT will take place on Wednesday, March 21 at the Villa Marina. Tickets, £5, available from the Villa Marina box office at www.villagaiety.com