No recession at Kells Road Races

THE deep, dark recession which has engulfed the country and dominated the news in recent months went into temporary hiding last weekend when the annual Kells and District Motor Cycle Racing Club meeting did its best to brighten up what has been a dreadfully gloomy summer - both economically and weather-wise. If there really is a recession - and it"s not just a case of talking ourselves into one - then the vast throng of enthusiasts who travelled from far and wide to view this annual extravaganza at scenic Crossakiel had no intention of allowing it get in the way of their enjoyment. Despite living within little more than an engine"s roar of Crossakiel, I had never shown the slightest inclination to make the short hop out the road to view a sport that I had always associated with crazy men who cared far more for their finely tuned engines than their own health and safety. Let"s face it, this is not a game for the faint hearted. It has claimed lives at other venues down the years, some of them high profile competitors like Joey Dunlop, who sustained fatal injuries while racing in Estonia in 2000, and his brother Robert who lost his life during practice for the North-West 200 in May this year. But, while allowing for the obvious dangers that charging around roads at such high speeds present, there is simply no denying the sheer thrill of it all as the riders battle it out with courage and bravery, with little more than a few centimetres of rubber separating them from possible disaster. They clearly know no fear. It makes for fabulous viewing and when watched up close, rather than on television, you get a far clearer picture of the skill levels required to manoeuvre these powerful machines around the course. The competitors are not unlike the Tony McCoys, Ruby Walshs or Paul Carberrys of the horse racing world who surely go into every race with that nagging feeling somewhere in the back of their minds that this could be the day when something goes wrong - very wrong. There were a couple of spills, but no serious incidents at the 14th annual Kells races, and something that came across very clearly was the level of organisation that obviously went into the event, both in the weeks leading up to the action and over the big weekend itself. It"s all down to man power (and woman power), with so many people carrying out specific tasks which go a long way towards promoting a safe and successful staging. The extent of that organisational effort is mind-boggling, but absolutely nothing is left to chance and that"s one of the reasons why the Kells event has become such an established and highly popular meeting on the calendar. It has come a long way since the first races over the Dulane circuit back in May of 1994. Then, there were six races and an accurate indication of the extent of the development of the meeting over the years is obvious from the fact that there were close to 20 this year, with the support of a large list of sponsors proving as important as ever. Of course, the races also contributed handsomely to the local economy over the weekend which got rolling on Friday evening with the annual Charity Classic Run in Kells. The presence of Michael Schumacher"s Formula One car at the Open Air Trade Fair on the Fair Green, Kells, generated a huge amount of interest, while the charitable theme was also in evidence on Saturday when the Kells to Kells Run in aid of Ireland Air Ambulance arrived after its journey from the Antrim town of the same name. Action over the Crossakiel circuit commenced the same afternoon with practice and a couple of races to whet the appetite, but the engines were really roaring on Sunday when a packed programme thrilled the huge gathering as riders like Michael Dunlop and Ryan Farquhar demonstrated their incredible skill and bravery. Viewing the action near the 'jumps" on the approach to the start/finish area was spectacular and how the riders manage to maintain contact with their machines while travelling at incredible speeds over such terrain is mind-boggling. It all made for a fascinating introduction to the sport for those who, like myself, hadn"t witnessed it before and the organisers could be justifiably happy with how the weekend went.'The weather has been fantastic,' enthused race secretary Aileen Ferguson. 'I"m delighted with the way things have gone over the weekend. The crowds seem to be massive which is great, especially after all the hard work that goes into organising an event like this each year.' Aileen and her team are already thinking about next year"s staging. 'We take a break in August, though we do help out at other races,' she said. 'We start planning for next year"s Kells Races in September. That gives an indication of the amount of work involved in it. But it"s just great when it all comes together on the day.'