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The Skerries 100, is without doubt one of Irelands
most famous motorcycle road race. Skerries, a
small fishing town, situated just north of Dublin,
has been associated with road racing since 1930,
when the Leinster 100, which became a '200' in
1931, was run on a 13 mile circuit which linked
the villages of Skerries, Lusk and Rush.
The Leinster races continued until 1935 and
during that time some of the greatest names in
racing took part; the legendary Stanley Woods,
Jimmy Guthrie and Walter Rusk to name but a few.
These men were then, the equivalent of Doohan,
Biaggi and Criville today. From 1935 there was
no racing at Skerries for ten years, as the Leinster
races moved to the Taillight course, but when
war-time difficulties prevented the Dublin and
Districts annual 100 mile road race from running
at Phoenix Park, the Skerries 100 was born.
The first race took place on July 6th 1946, around
a 7.1-mile course with the start/finish on Skerries
Main Street! Harry Turner from Belfast won the
inaugural Skerries 100 and since then all of Irelands
top road racers have raced at Skerries. In the
fifties such names as Tommy Robb, Ralph Rensen
and Sammy Miller took part.
The sixties stars such as Ralph Bryans, Cecil
Crawford and Brian Steenson all raced successfully
at Skerries and in the seventies the battles were
between Tom Herron, Joey Dunlop, Conor McGinn
and Ray McCullough. Of the eighties racers, like
Eddie Laycock, Phillip McCallen, Steve Cull and
Robert Dunlop and the most popular of all, Bangor's
Sam McClements, who rode at Skerries for an amazing
21 Years. The present 2.93-mile circuit may seem
small in comparison to the 7.1-mile Skerries track,
but it is no less demanding, with a record lap
speed of 105.95mph set last year by a certain
Mr WJ Dunlop MBE, OBE.
In 1987 the future of the Skerries meeting looked
bleak, as the organising Dublin and District Club
withdrew from the event, leaving the (at the time)
relatively new locally based Loughshinny Club
to take over. The Loughshinny Club has done a
marvellous job ever since, raising finance for
the event plus the massive insurance cover in
very difficult circumstances. The Skerries now
regularly attracts around 30,000 spectators each
year, with it's mix of good weather (usually!),
fantastic racing and 'carnival' atmosphere. Historically
held on the same weekend as the British Grand
Prix, The Skerries 100 crowd, wouldn't even consider
a trip to Donnington for the Grand Prix. The Skerries
100 takes place in a completley different world
to the Donnington event.
A world where time is just a statistic but pure
road racing is a way of life. I wouldn't swap
sitting on the hedge at Duke's, waving my programme
at Joey as he brushes past my feet, with watching
some Japanese or Italian Bloke, whose name I can't
pronounce, 200 meters away from the track for
all the tea in China. But that's just my choice.
The Killalane Road Races first took place in
1984, and were the first races organized by the
Loughshinny Motorcycle Supporters Club. The Kiilalane
Road Races have taken over from the Carrowdore
as the last road race of the Irish season, which
means that exciting racing is ensured as the competitors
battle it out for a result which could net them
a championship win. In it's short history, some
of the top names have ridden a Killalane including
Joey and Robert Dunlop, Mark Farmer, Steve Cull,
Sam McClements, Phillip McCallen, Dave Leach,
James Courtney and Owen McNally.
The Course is almost side by side with the Skerries
100 circuit and actually uses about 100 meters
of the same road. 2.3miles long, the Margaretstown
track is even narrower than the Skerries circuit
in places, and at one section you will find a
tree in the middle of the road! The Killalane
Road Races is an emerging event, which is catching
the Skerries 100 up in the amount of spectators
it attracts. If you fancy some brilliant Pure
Road Racing to end your motorcycle season, why
not try the Killalane, which takes place this
year on in early September.
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