THE Armoy Motorcycle Road Racing Club (AMRRC) has announced an agreement with King of the Roads that will see this year’s Armoy Road Races broadcast live to road racing fans around the world.
Returning to the County Antrim village on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th July, the event is expected to attract thousands of spectators while showcasing one of Ireland’s most iconic road races to an international audience through a dedicated live stream.
Established in 2009, the Armoy Road Races, currently in its 17th year, has grown exponentially in popularity. According to George Huey, the AMRRC Treasurer, the event is firmly established as one of the country’s most anticipated road races, prompting demand from fans watching around the world.
“We’re delighted to partner with King of the Roads this year so that Armoy fans can tune into all the action from wherever they are in the world,” George said. “Last year, we had fans watching from as far away as Manhattan in New York, which makes us exceptionally proud to know that Armoy is well and truly on the global map.”
Friday’s racing will be streamed for free on the Armoy Road Races and King of the Roads Facebook pages, with Saturday’s coverage available for £14.99 / $20.99 / €19.99 via the kingoftheroads.tv app.
This agreement comes at an important time for road racing, with organisers facing significant increases in the cost of staging events.
“Like many other race meetings, we’ve seen the cost of running the Armoy Road Races increase by almost 50% since 2019, largely due to rises in insurance, the hire of infrastructure and amenities like toilets as well as transportation and medical costs,” George continued.
“We’ve also invested approximately £23,000 in improvements around the course this year, including extending our paddock area, enhancing the experience for spectators, competitors and their teams. It is quite challenging to host an event of Armoy’s scale, both financially and physically, but we manage it every year. You also must remember that our members are all volunteers who work tirelessly each year, purely for the love of the sport.
“With the July holidays and the races being held slightly earlier this year, which means that some people are either travelling or on holidays during the Armoy Road Races. Partnering with King of the Roads means fans will still be able to experience all the racing live, regardless of where they are in the world.
“As a Club, we’re committed to continuously investing in the event to ensure that Armoy remains one of the key fixtures in the road racing calendar and that fans and competitors have the best experience possible.”
AMRRC Chairman, Gareth McAuley added: “The countdown is well and truly on and excitement is building throughout the village. We’re expecting another great turnout, exhilarating racing and a brilliant atmosphere over the weekend.
“Our supporters are extremely dedicated, travelling from all corners to enjoy the thrilling spectacle that is Armoy and now, thanks to our agreement with King of the Roads, we’ll be able to ensure that those who cannot physically join us next weekend, won’t miss out on any of the excitement.
“The Armoy Road Races is always a thrilling event and we’re expecting this year to be no different. The Club is busy putting the final touches to what we hope will be one of the biggest and best years yet at Armoy.”
BBC Northern Ireland and ITV4 will be showing television highlights of this year’s Armoy Road Races with the date yet to be announced.
The Armoy Road Races are supported in part by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, and culminates in the prestigious Bayview Hotel Race of Legends.
Programme packages are still on sale at the Armoy office and will include a vehicle parking pass and a limited-edition event lanyard, which enables spectators to enter specific vantage points around the circuit. Further information can be found at www.armoyroadraces.com or search for ‘AMRRC’ on Facebook.