The memory of Richard Britton will be at the forefront of road racing’s return to Fermanagh this weekend. Almost 13 years on from the tragic accident that claimed his life at the Ballybunion Road Races in 2005, the final race of the Enniskillen meeting will bear his name and local race fans will get to see his iconic bikes back on the track, as his son Loris will lead a memorial lap in his father’s honour before the competitive action gets underway.
Loris, who is carving out a racing career of his own, believes his father would have been thrilled to see the sport he loved return to his home county. 
“My dad was trying to get road racing back here,” he revealed. 
“In his last year in 2005 it was the first year of the short circuit race at St Angelo. It was the clubman’s championship and he couldn’t race in it as he was an international racer, but he was heavily involved in getting that running and he was hoping to get road racing running eventually.”
And Loris reckons his father would have loved the Arney Circuit that will host the event. 
“It will be a challenge and I think he would have liked it a lot,” he said. 
“Everyone says it really dangerous looking, and what road race isn’t, but it’s different and it’s exciting. It’s a three mile circuit in a triangle shape almost like a mini North West. It has fast bits and it’s going to be really technical in places.”
A display of Richard’s bikes will be on show in the paddock during the day, and spectators around the circuit will get to see the bikes in action when friends and family of Richard take the bikes on a lap of the three mile circuit.

Loris admits that he will not be covering the circuit at the same speed his father would have. 
“We will take our time and it will be an appreciative lap to thank the people for coming,” he said. 
“I know the circuit like the back of my hand as I’ve been learning it for this lap I’m doing, but I won’t be doing it that fast. I’ll maybe go fast on the straight and not so fast on the corners. I’m on my dad’s bike so I would dare to ever drop it!”
Loris believes that this weekend’s race is the start of something special, with road racing in Fermanagh set to become an established part of the annual calendar in years to come. 
“I have no doubt that it will get bigger and bigger,” he said. “There is a lot of the bigger names not doing it this year because there are no championship points and it’s a new circuit, but next year it will be a round of the championship and it will probably attract some big names then. Racing has been really popular down this end of the country for years and years and the community have been really behind it in the local area. Everyone who lives around the track have been so cooperative and helpful so it has been going really well. It’s great to see everyone supporting it.”