On Track Off Road No.183

BLOG
when it comes to the crunch...
“What’s the difference between short circuit racers and road racers?”
It’s a question I’ve often been
asked and long wondered myself.
A couple of weekends ago
I got a rare opportunity to make
a direct comparison, albeit on
artificial turf, rather than asphalt,
in a charity soccer match between
the two sets of riders at
the Crusaders’ football ground
in Belfast. Football skills aside, if
the difference between the two
sets of riders was purely mental,
maybe this alternative sporting
challenge would provide a good
gauge.
The traditional ‘Road Racers’
versus ‘Circuit Racers’ match
is played annually in aid of the
Children’s Cancer Unit at the
Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast,
but this year it held extra significance
following the death of one
of the fixture’s regular players
William Dunlop, whose family
would share the proceeds.
When leading British Superbike
rider Glenn Irwin (star man for
the Circuit Racers) sent a tweet
out appealing for extra players,
I thought, “well, I have done a
couple of track days!” and dug
out my football boots. I figured
it would be a nice, friendly
kickabout – a sociable off-season
gathering and a good chance for
a catch-up with some of the riders
I will be working with in the
BSB paddock and Isle of Man TT
in 2019.
What I didn’t expect was a brutal
grudge match, a clash of racing
cultures and an agricultural
approach to the beautiful game
that had me limping all the way
back to George Best City Airport.
I should have known better, of
course. Every motorcycle racer I
have ever met boasts an almost
psychopathic determination to
win at absolutely everything they
do. When they come together,
the big question is: who wants to
win the most?
The warning signs were there
from as early as the pre-match
pleasantries. The two teams
formed a long line to great the
crowd and then crossed in single
file, each player shaking hands
with each one of his opponents.
I smiled and nodded with each
handshake, offering a “How’s it
going?” or a “Good luck” – and
was met unilaterally by the cold
stare of antipathetic abandon
that only a man prepared to
tackle the Tandragee 100 in iffy
conditions on a 250cc two-stroke
could muster.
The other thing that struck me
was the physical stature of the
Road Racers compared to my
teammates: much thicker set
than the Circuit Racers – still
athletic, but heavier, broader.
No need to lose those two extra
kilos of muscle when you need to
hold a Superbike steady for six
laps around the bumpy roads of
Enniskillen. No need for the diet
protein shakes that were present
in the Circuit Racers’ changing
room – worth a good 0.2 seconds
around the Silverstone National
Circuit - nor the moisturisers
or the hair gel (okay, I admit,
the moisturiser was mine) for the
cameras. Road racers aren’t in
the sport to look cool.