I sincerely hope that the plan to return road racing to Oliver’s Mount can be delivered. Sadly I suspect that now the intention has been publicly announced, the NIMBYs and environmentalists will be marshalling their resources to prevent it. I also hope that Mick Grant can keep a tight reign on finances and ensure financial backing promises are fulfilled. Good luck boys. Andy
I was at the last meeting and saw the crash which stopped the day, it was as if a bomb had gone off. I think any future races will unfortunately have to remove the viewing areas even further from the outside of corners.
Why will they? Scarborough loves Oliver's Mount and a lot of the businesses in the town benefit from the increased footfall. Bike racing is a proud part of the history of the place, and the folks I've talked to were heartbroken at the potential loss of the circuit. Racing happens on a very limited number of weekends over the course of the year and the rest of the time the course is open to the public and everyone from bimbling bikes to dog walkers get out and enjoy it (and the lovely cafe). It's a beautiful spot. I'm unreservedly happy that it's come back and that the Auto66 lot have been shunted out. Granty is a very determined man indeed and if he says it's happening, it's happening.
I'm not belittling the upset at the last meeting, it wasn't a good do... however: Accidents happen in racing... the ongoing sanitisation of life is a sad thing. If people choose to stand close to the outside of a corner and don't take a good look at the sport they're observing, the projectiles concerned and the safety provisions in place (a wooden fence in that case) then they're not really upholding their end of the bargain. Thrill-seekers who understand and accept the risks and want to accept those shouldn't change their minds when they get a bike or rider to the forehead. This idea that we need to be protected from ourselves at any cost riles me... you can't watch something as thrilling as road-racing and be ignorant of the risks. It must be the decision of all concerned to take reasonable precautions (safety gear, compliance with regs etc - which Auto66 had not done) but accept the inherent risks, including riders, organisers and spectators. There were and are plenty of safe places to watch, it's individual choice as to the risks taken, it doesn't take a degree in physics to know that if you're in the firing line on the outside of a bend then you're placing a lot of trust in the riders and their machines. As @Exige might say, do the math.
Great promotional picture in the Scarbourough News (Maybe I'm biased by the MV). It looks more like the Mediterranean than the North East coast of England!
Fingers crossed it will go ahead. I had a drive round the circuit last week and nothing had progressed but hopefully things will start moving now. Have a lap with Davy Bell on his ER6 mini twin.
