Paddy Clarke (leading) in the colours of his Terra Footwear team in Belgium last year
By Brian Canty
Following some promising leads as regards a new team for 2013, Paddy Clarke has said he will be racing for his hometown club Castlebar CC in the season ahead.
Clarke, runner-up in last August’s Suir Valley Three Day, had been in touch with the UK-based Sigma Sport and Herbalife teams but that has amounted to nothing – primarily due to tighter rosters and tighter team budgets,
However, he remains upbeat and is logging the miles in advance of what he hopes will be his best ever season at home, having spent the last three years in Belgium.
“I got a few offers from club teams in the UK but there’s no point joining those teams, is there? I’m going to be racing here in Ireland. I wasn’t going to be getting any financial backing; no accommodation, no support at races, no travel expenses, nothing. It was either Castlebar or another Irish team. I know all the guys in Castlebar and they’d be all willing to die for me in races.”
Advertisement
Related News
On his frustrations at looking for a team he said: “It was pretty bad alright. I had one bit of a set-up organised that looked like it was going to go ahead but that fell through. But then a friend of mine got me in touch with Sigma Sport and they were saying they had me on a shortlist but then they took Ryan Mullen so obviously that door closed. There was no comparison there after the season he had so that was a shame.”
“I’m not very well known in the UK because I’ve been racing in Belgium for three years. I got some top 10’s in Belgium. They’re good results – maybe the equivalent of top 10’s in the Rás in some cases. It didn’t matter. So I was a bit disillusioned.”
“My plan this year is to put away some serious racing and training. I’m working part-time in a school and with a neighbour too so I’ll take advantage of any work that’s available and race here. That’s no bad thing.”
“I’m looking to get the best results I possibly can, like in Rás Mumhan; that’s one I really want to do well in but it’ll depend on other guys. You see so many people are out of work and a lot of people putting away massive miles but I reckon with the experience I have from Belgium, I reckon I could be in the top three in the country.”
“You’ve the likes of Buggle and them gone onto Continental, they’re no longer racing (in Ireland). Peter Hawkins another guy – I can’t see him coming back for domestic racing aside from the Rás. So I think I can definitely get up there this year.”
Topics
