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A
three race ‘Mondello Masters’ championship is set to boost the Irish domestic
motorcycle racing scene with a €25,000 prize fund and a strong promotional
package. The series, which will run in conjunction with the Kidare circuit's
three Irish Superbike events, aims to attract the top Irish racers who currently
race abroad back to Mondello along with some of their fellow
UK
competitors.
Mondello Park has for
many years contributed to the prize fund for the ‘Birrane Cup’, run for national
riders at clubman events, but for 2008 this competition will be dropped and the
prize money absorbed into the much larger fund available for the Mondello
Masters. All three events on the schedule have been arranged so as not to clash
with British Superbike Championship races and thereby facilitate the growing
number of Irish riders competing in that series and its support
races.
The
opening event takes place on April 12th & 13th with a top prize of €3,000 on
offer to the winner, €1,250 to the runner-up and €750 to the final podium place.
The second event runs on May 10th & 11th, one week before the North West
200, and it is hoped that this along with a doubling of the prize fund to
€6,000, €2,500 and €1,500 for the event, will entice some UK competitors to stop
off on their way North.
The
final event on October 4th and 5th reverts to the €5,000 prize fund, but with
the addition of a further €5,000 on offer to anyone who can win all three rounds
of the series or €2,000 for taking two wins. These prize funds are in addition
to those available for the Irish Superbike Championship races, from which the
winner could also pocket up to €1,000 per event.
The
Mondello Masters will only be open to Superbike and Supersport competitors, with
the top twenty four riders on each day being invited to compete. The schedule
for all three events will be organised so that the master’s race is the final
race of the day for these riders, making it easier for them to fit it in with
their ISB championship commitments.
Mondello Park Managing Director John Morris was delighted
to be able to announce the new series saying; “The ISB Championship has
certainly struggled in recent years with many Irish competitors going straight
to the UK or
choosing to race on the roads. This triangular championship offers these
competitors a real opportunity to pocket serious prize money from only three
visits to Mondello. A quality entry should provide a great show and hopefully
this will return significant spectator numbers at these
events”.
This
new initiative has come about due to the co-operation of the MCUI Short Circuit
committee and the organising clubs who will run the events. The three race
meetings will be promoted by Mondello and if the inaugural series is a success
the levels of investment and promotion may be expanded in future
years.
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