Father of Biker calls for organised skid pan for motorcyclists and cars instead of the N54. The father of  a young man who lost control of his motorbike on the same road that some people are engaging in ‘wheelies’ on motorbikes and ‘drifting’ in cars has appealed to the authorities on both sides of the border to come together and create a skid pan area where such activities can be undertaken in safety. Willie Parker who lost his son 20 year old son Ryan when his motorcycle left the same road last year has said that he feels this may be the only way to encourage those engaged in the dangerous manoeuvres  on the N54/A3 Concession road outside Clones to stop.

Willie, a former motorcyclist himself said this week that he wouldn’t want any family to go through the hurt and pain that his has since his son’s death. Willie said “ We  have formed a committee and have surveyed a lot of land in the South Fermanagh/West Cavan area which might be suitable for an arena which could be used by both bikes and cars. Policing is a major issue in the area as these activities take place right on the border and the PSNI are unable to patrol it for security reasons and the Gardai have no jurisdiction. However we as a group do not believe policing is the answer, we believe offering an alternative is.  We have even contacted a professional car stunt driver, who works as  a ‘drift driver’ at arena events,  on movies and TV shows across the world.  He has heard of the problems on the road when these guys close the road and ambulances cannot get through to Cavan Hospital. As a stunt man he drives a factory modified car especially made for drifting but most of these guys weld the differential so that the back wheels lock. Then of course there is the danger that some very ill person may not get through to Cavan Hospital.

The concession road nor any public road is not the place for stunts in cars or bikes, but there is no place on the island of Ireland for such people to learn how to do this safely. We need to provide such a place for them. If we did get this up and running we could run championships.  The European Drifting Championship was held recently in Scotland and it attracted huge numbers of visitors and competitors yet there is no place in Ireland for these enthusiasts to go.” Willie added that he had been in touch with the Leader programme and his group are hoping to gain some funding from them under the Rural Development Programme. The group have already started fundraising and have planned another event soon. He said’ People may say that these are not sports but having researched it they are. Professional bike and car stuntmen have all started at this level and we have been assured that if we get a track we can bring over scouts/agents who will look at the local talent and maybe sign up some of them.

So a track could have a lot of benefits: it could remove the danger on the road, could provide a safe environment for bikers and car drivers to practise, it will show both riders and drivers the safe way to enjoy their sports, it could attract tourists and could possibly create full time jobs for those booked by agents. All it will take is money and  by removing the problem off the public road and saving one single life the value  is priceless.” Willie also said that his group are currently putting together a schedule of meetings with statutory bodies such as Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan County Councils, the PSNI, the Gardai, and the Ministers for the Environment and the Road Safety Authorities on both sides of the border. He hopes that from these meetings he will be able to move the project on to its next stage as quickly as possible. “We need to move quickly on this and get as much funding as possible in place as soon as we can, get the land purchased and get the arena up and running. We have over fifty bikers who have expressed their support for this project and we are confident the car drivers will back us too. Now all we need is the main agencies and funding,” he said.