It looks like the 2023 Ulster Grand Prix won’t push through for yet another year. One of the world’s oldest races is still not getting the green light for the 2023 season. There were plans to resurrect the race, but the lack of funding is keeping it from pushing through.
Earlier this year, the Ulster GP was officially canceled due to a lack of funding, even after the organizers were talking about plans for a 2022 return. The 2022 season was supposed to be the Grand Prix’s 100th-year anniversary, and even then the Ulster GP did not push through. The cancelation called the event’s future into question then, and much more so now.
The plans for the Grand Prix’s revival in 2023 have been put aside by the Revival Racing Motorcycle Club due to a lack of funding. It’s a repeat of last year where even the centennial of the Ulster GP couldn’t be a good enough reason for it to push through.
Other roadblocks that were cited included the financial debts of around £300,000 GBP (or about 346,000 USD given today’s exchange rate) faced by the Dundrod Club and District Motorcycle Club back in 2019, with a winding-up order from the U.K. Government issued in 2020.
It was also reported that Peter Hickman and other racers weren’t paid for their wins and that they would consider a return to the GP if they were paid what they were owed. No confirmation or guarantees were unearthed since then.
"Unfortunately, due to the shortness of available time to develop the plan with all vested parties such as the MCUI (UC), sponsors, local and central government, we cannot ascertain how much funding is available to run a successful event, therefore the risk in running the UGP is simply far too great for us to consider,” said Revival Racing Motorcycle Club in a statement.
"As this situation is unlikely to change in time to allow us to progress for 2023, we have therefore reluctantly withdrawn our UGP date application with the MCUI (UC)."
