Roads: Scarborough bosses confirm Spring Cup cancellation

The organisers of the Spring Cup, set to be held at Scarborough’s Oliver’s Mount next weekend, have confirmed the event’s cancellation.

The popular races were thrown into jeopardy as the ACU announced it would be unable to offer a circuit licence to the event after agreed safety improvements to the course had not been carried out in time.

MCN understands that the Auto 66 Club, which runs the event, tried to seek a last-minute solution to the issues with the ACU in recent days before yesterday confirming the event would be cancelled.

The club claims the main issue surrounds the number of recticel bales (a kind of foam barrier) they would have had to purchase to comply with the requirements of the ACU – claiming the cost would amount to £90,000.

New fences have been put up, road signs moved, course markers purchased, additional marshal’s posts built and additional harris-style fencing has also been installed in order to improve the safety of the course.

Organisers of the Ulster Grand Prix have since offered the Auto 66 club the required recticel, but the offer came ‘too late’ to save the event with the permit and insurance not possible without a course licence needing to be place already.

“Peter Hillaby has worked tirelessly trying to obtain the required amount of recticel that would need to be added at key areas of the track,” read a statement from the club.

“Sourcing recticel to hire has proven very difficult and the club simply could not afford to purchase the amount of recticel needed.

“This week, we have continued to appeal to both the ACU and Scarborough council to give us more time to find a solution, one which we now feel we have with the kind gesture of the Ulster GP organisers offering us the required recticel; but it has just come too late to save this event with the permit and insurance needing to be in place already.

“We are truly sorry to the race fans, riders, teams and media who have planned to attend our Spring Cup event. Postponing an event is something we do not take lightly, and we have fought as hard as we possibly could to get the Spring Cup Road Race event the permit it needs, but unfortunately it now has to be cancelled with a new date to be announced soon.

“In the coming days we will be issuing another statement detailing the future plans for the Spring Cup event.

“Thank you all for your messages of support. Oliver’s Mount is England’s only road race circuit. The history that has been created at this unique venue means we will not be ending the journey in this way.

“This is not the end, but the start of a new, safer Oliver’s Mount road race venue.”