Northern Irish fans of World Superbike should rejoice at the news that the premier production motorcycle championship is coming to a track near them, as WorldSBK is set to compete at the Lake Torrent Circuit for the 2019 season.
The news comes today in a joint press release from Dorna (the media rights holder to WorldSBK) and Manna Developments (the circuit developer), where a three-year contract was announced today.
There is one caveat of course, and that is the fact that there isn’t a Lake Torrent Circuit…at least not yet, as Manna has yet to break ground on the construction of the track, which is destined to live just 40 minutes outside of Belfast.
Once finished the Lake Torrent Circuit will have 12 corners over its 2.4-mile length (3.6km), while the elevation change is said to be +/- 100 feet (30m). As you can see from the photo of above, the name isn’t just a coincidence, as the circuit will sit next to a man-made lake.
“Having finally identified the perfect location and achieved planning permission last year, today sees the completion of that dream and is a day that will only be topped when we see up to 30,000 spectators converge in Coalisland for the first WorldSBK racing event in Northern Ireland,” said David Henderson of Manna Developments.
Of course, there are some doubts as to whether the track will be completed in time for the 2019 World Superbike season (if at all), but if it does reach the finish line, WorldSBK should be well-positioned to capitalize on the bevy of British riders within its ranks, not to mention their legion of fans.
Keep an eye on this space, and your fingers crossed that this doesn’t become another Circuit of Wales type of construction project.
Source: WorldSBK
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