The secretary at Aintree Motorcycle Racing Club hopes the club can go against the perception that motorsport is only for the rich, but admits the hobby takes commitment.
Jamie O’Brien took over Aintree as Club Secretary following eight years of the club struggling to make a profit, but ahead of next season things are looking bright.
And the former club-level motorbike champion hopes youngsters will see the sport a realistic option.
O’Brien said: “We’re one of the very few clubs where the club is run by riders whereas normally it’s run by a slightly older generation who are stuck in their own ways.
“You’ve got to look after the 75% of the field, not just the winners holding the trophy at the weekend. We’ve got to cater for everybody.’’
Accessibility is the reason most sports are so successful. Got a football, you can play anywhere. Looking for a round of golf, you’re looking at around £10 for 100 balls on the driving range.
Want to test your limits physically with a game of rugby, parks and fields are everywhere you look across Merseyside. But what if you wanted to test a new motorbike you’ve just got for Christmas?
Gen Z is having exactly that problem. Where do you go to test your new engine or to try those new tyres?
A field? No, that’s illegal. On the road? You’d have to be at least 21 and by then it’s not really a sport you’ve grown up on. Seel Street also isn’t the ideal place to be drifting at 100 miles per hour.
Despite these limitations, Aintree’s Motorcycle Racing Club is one of the few places aspiring riders can go and it’s thriving because of that, as the track celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
Seventeen-time club champion O’Brien said: “I’m just a normal lad from a council house in Liverpool. I took over Aintree as Secretary around two years ago and it’s the first time in 10 years that it’s made money. If that’s not an achievement, then I don’t know what is.’’
The Belgium TT winner felt that there is a distinct difference between Aintree and many clubs across Merseyside and thinks this is the reason the club is managing to balance the books.
O’Brien’s background in motor racing has been decorated by a multitude of medals. Winning 17 club-championships across events such as Aintree, Cheshire and Scarborough, he has also won international races in Germany and finishing first in the Belgium CT.
The 44-year-old, despite a remarkable career, chooses to volunteer at the club as Secretary and has found pleasure in silencing outside critics.
He said: “I’ve had a kick out of it this year as a few people have doubted the club saying that it’s not going to survive when you’re working at a loss.
“So, we formed a committee, and we’ve come out with profit for the first time despite some things going wrong.’’
Seventy years ago Aintree’s track hosted their first ever British Grand Prix race and held five of the events over the course of seven years. Half of this track is still used today by the Motorcycle Club, adding another challenge to a sport that is financially difficult to sustain.
The layout at Aintree certainly doesn’t come cheap for O’Brien and his committee to finance.
He said: “We’ve got to pay £10,000 for the circuit hire, then when you crash into the bail, that’s another £1200. The ambulance is £6,000 and the trophies cost £700. Our layout costs around £22,000.’’
The challenging costs of running the club means that for aspiring riders, it could be a sport that punches a hole in their wallet.
The Liverpudlian said: “The AC license course is £200. This isn’t to show you how to ride but it’s to make sure you’re safe when you go out onto the track.
“You then pay £100 a year annually to keep your race license. Typical entrance fees can range from £80 to £155, and the average race day is a further £200.
“Then you’ve got the cost of running your motorbike and tyre repair. It’s not a cheap hobby.’’
O’Brien would love to help younger riders with these fees but feels that the cost of keeping the Circuit running and unexpected issues puts the brake pedal down on financial support.
He said: “We had an issue when the sweepers came around, and the tarmac was lifted. We had to cancel our race meeting which cost us £15,000 so how do you get that back?
“Of course, we’d love to make it cheaper for riders but how do you do that? We’ve got fees to pay for ourselves.’’
Riders don’t just keep Motorcycling clubs going though, spectators have to turn up and support the club. But interest seems to be low at this period in time.
O’Brien said: “There are not enough people that know about the club. Our main advertising is Facebook, so we can definitely do more, but we need support with it.
“Nobody is buying newspapers these days, nobody is buying the motorbike magazines, so I really don’t think the interest is there anymore. Everything has become more difficult financially.’
“We need the sponsorship and to sell programmes. It’s only £10 to get in and watch and £2 for a programme. I mean where could you go now for a day out with only a tenner,’’ he said.
But is risk and danger a factor in Gen Z not getting involved?
The 44-year-old said: “Parents say bikes are dangerous so there’s no positivity surrounding the sport. Where do you see bike racing on your social media nowadays?’’
O’Brien has suffered his fair share of injuries throughout his career but wants to encourage the youth of today that it’s not all doom and gloom.
He said: “We all know the risks, but the buzz takes over. I’ve broke my pelvis, my collar bone, my shoulder and suffered a few concussions. But when you get inside that helmet, the adrenaline you get is the best drug you can have.’’
Aintree is persistently looking to get new young people on the circuit as O’Brien feels that the sports demographic has changed tremendously over the years.
“When I started racing the average age was 20, now it’s probably 40,” he said.
“But we have a young lad from Northern Ireland, and he broke a race record at 15-years old so I’m trying my best to get the younger generation involved.”
