2017 Road Race Dates

The Tandragee 100 will host the first of eight Irish National road races scheduled in 2017.
Race winner Dan Kneen (7, Mar-Train Yamaha) gets the jump ahead of William Dunlop (6, MSS Kawasaki) and Derek Sheils (82, Burrows Suzuki) at the start of the Open race at the Tandragee 100 in April.Race winner Dan Kneen (7, Mar-Train Yamaha) gets the jump ahead of William Dunlop (6, MSS Kawasaki) and Derek Sheils (82, Burrows Suzuki) at the start of the Open race at the Tandragee 100 in April.
Race winner Dan Kneen (7, Mar-Train Yamaha) gets the jump ahead of William Dunlop (6, MSS Kawasaki) and Derek Sheils (82, Burrows Suzuki) at the start of the Open race at the Tandragee 100 in April.

This year, the Mid Antrim 150 lifted the curtain on the new season, taking over the honour from the Cookstown 100, which had traditionally been the first event on the calendar for many years.

However, the Mid Antrim Club confirmed last month that their troubled meeting would not take place next year after inclement weather and poor attendance figures had a detrimental impact on takings at the race, which was held on the first weekend in April.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The North Armagh Club’s Tandragee 100 event will take place on Saturday, April 22 and will be followed a week later by the Cookstown 100 at the Orritor course in Co Tyrone on Saturday, April 29.

Both races precede the North West 200, which takes its usual billing as the first of the big three major international road races, running from May 9-13.

All roads then lead to the Isle of Man TT in June, when the two-week festival of racing around the notorious Mountain Course commences with a week of practice from Saturday, May 27.

A busy summer period includes four races in quick session in the Republic of Ireland, with Kells on June 18 followed by the Loughshinny Club’s popular Skerries meeting, which goes ahead on Saturday, July 1.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The ‘Race of the South’ at Walderstown takes place a week later on Sunday, July 9, with the Southern 100 at Billown on the Isle of Man getting underway on Monday, July 10 and culminating in the Solo Championship feature race on Thursday, July 13.

Faugheen in Co Tipperary is next up on July 23 before the action switches north of the border for the ‘Race of Legends’ at Armoy.

The ‘World’s Fastest Road Race’ then takes centre stage with the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod, which has a lot to live up to following a sensational meeting in August, when Ian Hutchinson dominated with a four-timer and set a new 134mph world lap record.

Killalane didn’t go ahead in September after the organisers became embroiled in a spat with the sport’s governing body in the south, Motorcycling Ireland, but the Loughshinny Club says it is all systems go in 2017, with the Co Dublin race pencilled in for Sunday, September 10 – the last race on the Irish roads calendar.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix will take place from August 19 to September 1, while the Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, takes place from April 22-23, clashing with Tandragee.

Other Scarborough dates include the Cock ’o the North (June 24-25) and the Barry Sheene Festival (July 22-23), plus the showpiece Gold Cup meeting from September 23-24.

ROAD RACE DATES 2017

April 22-23 – Spring Cup, Scarborough

April 21-22 – Tandragee 100

April 28-29 – Cookstown 100

May 9-13 – North West 200

May 27-June 9 – Isle of Man TT

June 17-18 – Kells

June 24-25 – Cock ’o the North, Scarborough

June 30-July 1 – Skerries 100

July 8-9 – Walderstown

July 10-13 – Southern 100

July 22-23 – Faugheen 50

July 28-29 – Armoy

August 9-12 – Ulster Grand Prix

August 19-September 1 – Classic TT & Manx Grand Prix

September 9-10 – Killalane

September 23-24 – Gold Cup, Scarborough

Related topics: