RISING FROM THE ASHES

Last year, Scarborough’s Oliver’s Mount, the only road race circuit in England, lay silent. Since 1946 bikes had raced around this undulating and daunting track, but at the end of 2017, after a number of serious incidents, the track was closed. No longer would excited commentary boom across the hillside; no longer would the paddock rumble with the sound of race engines; and no longer would local pubs fill with knowledgeable enthusiasts regaling stories of days gone by. Race fans feared the worst – Oliver’s Mount, it seemed, was on the brink and like so many once-great tracks in Europe, heading for the history books.

However, a few brave men chose to take on the impossible and try to resurrect Oliver’s Mount. Multiple TT winner Mick Grant and former Manx GP winner and GP rider Eddie Roberts took the helm; they couldn’t let the track they loved so deeply fall into ruin without a fight.

Many thought trying to re-introduce