DRAG racing returns to the motorcycling calendar on Sunday with the Halfway Drag Race where Guinness World record holder Ted Brady from Inniscarra amongst the entries.

The event, promoted by the West Cork Motorcycle Club (WCMC), is part of Cork's rich motorcycle heritage.

‘This event represents everything that is good about motorcycle clubs and grassroots motorsport. It has been built through an enormous volunteer effort by club members, local supporters, riders and families, who are passionate about keeping this tradition alive,’ said Conor MacCarthy, a Drag Race committee member within the WCMC.

It's been a difficult few years with Covid-19 and an insurance crisis, MacCarthy explained.

‘One of the things we're particularly proud of is that the event will also support Blood Bikes South. The motorcycle community has always been very community-minded and we're delighted that we can use the event to help support the incredible volunteer work they do for hospitals and patients across the region.'

The road at Halfway, as most people will have noticed, has been resurfaced recently. Ted Brady is one of the favourites.

‘Motorcycles have a way of bringing people together. Some people come for the racing, some come for the bikes and some come simply for the atmosphere, but there's always a strong sense of community around events like this.'

Aside from the weekend, Brady is considering having a crack at beating his own record of the fastest motorcycle wheelie over one kilometre at 217.85 mph (350.595 km/h) in the near future.

On Sunday, he competes in Class G where opposition includes Kinsale's Stephen Tobin (Suzuki GSXR), a regular on the Mondello Masters Superbike Championship in recent seasons, and Rylane’s Kieran O’Driscoll (Suzuki GSXR). Elsewhere, Killeady's Jeff Quilter (Suzuki SV650) is amongst the entries in Class D and Lyre's Donal O'Donovan (Suzuki GSXR 750) competes in Class C. The action gets underway from 11am.