By On Monday, Road Racing News travelled to Scarborough to have a good old chat with Oliver’s Mount Racing Director, Andy Hayes.
Firstly, we asked whether next generation 600’s, will be taking to England’s only active real roads circuit in 2025.
“I’ve asked for probably two years now and it’s not something that the ACU are willing to let us have at this point in-time. I can’t say much more because I don’t fully understand the reasoning.”
Going onto discuss slight regulation changes per class for this year’s meetings, he said:
“Minor changes, the Twins class is going up to 800cc to allow the GSX-R 8 to enter, Singles are going up to 800cc, just in case anybody’s got an 800cc single, that they want to run alongside the Twins in the Supermono class.
Classic Superbikes for now, are staying the same as last year, unless the Manx Classic regs make a change to their years of Superbike, in which case we’ll try and follow suit.
Sidecars are staying as they are, but F2 Sidecars are only at the Cock O’The North and the Gold Cup, at the Barry Sheene instead of F2’s were looking instead of F2’s were looking for a good grid of classic Sidecars, only classic Sidecars not mixed.”
Our conversation then moved towards re-surfacing specific parts of North Yorkshire’s ‘Mini TT’:
“Re-surfacing is an annual job, about this time of year and we like to keep up with it every year, so that we don’t have an awful lot to do in one single year.
So, every year the process starts with Gary Thompson from the ACU, coming to do a circuit inspection in autumn, he tells us which bits he wants to see get done and then we sometimes tag more onto that as well and that’s the case this year.
Gary asked us to re-surface a couple of sections from Drurys down to Mountside but on top of that were also doing Farm Bends exit onto the main start finish straight, were doing a section of Sheene’s Rise up past the bridge and were doing a tiny little section just past the bridge at the Esses.
Because we’ve got the gravel were people park their cars, is encroaching onto the circuit, so were going to do that bit there, so that there’s no chance of gravel coming onto the circuit there.”
“And then there’s a bit of a ropey patch just as your approaching Drury’s from Memorial as well, so were doing that as well, so am pleased to say that we are going beyond what the ACU have asked for, just to try and keep the circuit in tip, top condition.
But mainly just to avoid the fact that one year if we don’t, we might get hit with a £60,000 re-surfacing bill, which we probably couldn’t cope with, so the idea is spend a bit every year and try and keep it to a reasonable level.”
Disclosing that primetime TV coverage could be returning to Scarborough, the former Manx GP racer now Oliver’s Mount custodian said:
“We’ve been in discussions with Greenlight TV about getting back onto mainstream TV. Before we approached any other sponsors, we wanted to know the outcome of those discussions and I’m pleased to say they all look very favourable.
So, whilst nothing is signed and sealed yet, I’m confident we can get back on ITV4 this year and obviously for any sponsors, that’s a big boost, so I think now is the time we need to be going out and putting that to sponsors, so hopefully we’ll get some new ones through the door.”
We next gained the latest on the proposed temporary road, new access route to Oliver’s Mount.
“The best route is to bring people straight from Musham Bank Roundabout on the A64, across the field up to the top of Jackson’s Lane.
The council have decided to lay a plastic track, temporary track across the field, that can cope with vehicles up to seven and a half tones.”
Jackson’s Lane, the adopted highway, main access route for countless years for Scarborough racing fans, is suffering from landslip. Post last year’s Gold Cup, organisers were told “we couldn’t use it anymore”.
Hence the move towards actively working towards a brand-new access route.
Additional maintenance changes in the off season at Scarborough, thanks to investment of around £60,000 pounds, attracting grants from North Yorkshire Council’s shared prosperity fund, include a new live timing system set up, replacing the septic tank up top the toilet block, a new toilet suction pump for ‘Trigger’ Bradshaw, making sure all toilets are well serviced.
As you will read throughout this article, Andy Hayes is determined to make sure Oliver’s Mount has a bright future, one prosperous and continuously improving.
Words by Stevie Rial
