Oliver’s Mount road racing circuit in Scarborough will celebrate 80 years with a special Gold Cup meeting this coming weekend – promising three days of closely contended action, plus a series of parades from riders past and present
Practice and qualifying will be taken care of on Friday, September 4, with spectators then treated to two full days of racing across the weekend – with riders competing including TT front-runners Dean Harrison , Peter Hickman , Mike Browne, Shaun Anderson and Rob Hodson, plus short circuit and North West 200 contenders Storm Stacey , and Richard Cooper .
“Racing started at Oliver’s Mount in September 1946,” Managing Director, Andy Hayes told MCN. “I asked the council if I could mark it with a special three-day event, which I’m pleased to say they granted.
“The riders really love it. They get all day Friday to get a lot of practice and qualifying sessions in and really kind of get into the groove, and that means it’s better for the spectators – with the majority coming on Saturday and Sunday,” he continued.
Also in attendance for the parades will be TT winners John McGuinness and Steve Plater, plus North West 200 and British Superbike star Glenn Irwin.
Also making a return will be former Gold Cup winner Ivan Lintin, who took to the top spot in 2014 after seeing off McGuinness and Lee Johnston – with former world champion and TT winner, Ben Birchall also lining up in the sidecars.
Past racers Mick Grant, and Eddie Roberts will also make an appearance – having both been i nstrumental in saving undulating the 2.43-mile circuit prior to the Covid-19 pandemic alongside Hayes.
“I think it’s come at a really good time for us because unfortunately the 75 th anniversary never went ahead because we actually got shut down by the council. That was kind of the peak of things going horribly wrong,” Hayes added.
“The fact that we ran very little in 2021 and 2022 meant that financially we were in a very precarious position through to about 2023-24.
“Since then we’ve just tried to build up a bit of a financial safety net, but now I feel – certainly as this year’s gone on – that we’ve got momentum now, and we can start getting Oliver’s Mount back to where it used to be and where it should be.”
Organisers say they are expecting crowds to be around double the size of previous events this year, with under 16s going free and adult tickets available online from £30.
“We always have live music lined up on the Friday night anyway, but we’re also going to put on a chat show on Friday night,” Hayes continued. “All of the riders will be available through the weekend to chat to fans as well.”
A second chat show will also run on the Saturday evening, with the first night likely to centre around current riders, and the second showing expected to feature past racers, likely hosted by Steve Parrish .
After years of struggles, it’s wonderful to see Oliver’s Mount in a position to put on an event like this to celebrate such a huge milestone. Let’s hope the extra big names bring bigger crowds, and plenty of support ahead of the 2027 season.
Dan is a fully-trained journalist, with a Gold Standard Level 3 Diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. He has a passion for motorcycles of all capacities, but feels at home aboard a sportsbike. He's been working for MCN in print and digital for the best part of 10 years, with regular contributions to RiDE Magazine on the side.
News Editor, trackday fan, lover of…