Vehicle Transport to Bishopscourt Circuit
Bishopscourt is a former RAF airfield that the motorsport folk of Northern Ireland have turned into one of the island's busiest venues, and it sits just outside Downpatrick, a couple of miles off the A24 that runs south out of Belfast. If you are racing or tracking a car or a bike there from the southwest of England, you are not doing a simple motorway run. You are going up through England, across the border into Scotland, onto a ferry at Cairnryan, and then down the County Down side to the circuit gates. That is a long haul before you have turned a wheel. The circuit itself is flat and fast, all runways and link roads joined into a layout that rewards a committed right foot rather than finesse through elevation. What it lacks in hills it makes up for in open, flowing straights, which is exactly why it suits big-power track-day cars and the drift days it runs. The 500 MRCI put on motorcycle meetings through the season, so the paddock fills with race bikes one weekend and slide cars the next. There are also sprint and speed events, which tend to run early and catch people out with tight paddock times. Because it is Northern Ireland, the practical side of getting a vehicle there is different from any mainland circuit. Ferries book up in the summer, and the crossing adds hours most people do not budget for. Our job is to take that whole piece off your hands. We collect the car or bike from your door in Devon, carry it across on a ferry, and leave it in the paddock before scrutineering. We do the same in reverse when the weekend is over and the car has a cracked sump and a dead battery.
Non-road-legal race cars
Most of what races at Bishopscourt has no MOT, no tax and no working lights, so driving it up the M5, M6 and across the Irish Sea is not an option. We run race cars on a covered trailer or transporter from your door in Devon to the paddock gates, so slicks, aero and low ride height never touch a public road. The car arrives exactly as it last left the garage.
Race bikes and the 500 MRCI
The 500 MRCI run motorcycle meetings at Bishopscourt all through the season, and race bikes need different kit to a car. Stands, spare wheels, tyre warmers and fuel all have to travel too. We tie bikes down on proper chocks and ratchet straps, not rope, and we know the paddock layout well enough to drop you next to power for warmers.
Drift and slide cars
Bishopscourt runs regular drift days and drift practice, and drift cars are usually the least road-friendly vehicles on the pad. Chopped arches, welded diffs and no wipers. We are used to winching low cars up a loading ramp and carrying them fully fuelled and ready, so you can turn up, sign on and get sideways without a morning of faff.
Multi-car team moves
If you are taking a truck full of cars, or two or three of you are sharing one transporter, we can move the lot in a single run rather than making you book separate trailers. One collection, one ferry crossing, one drop-off in the paddock. We coordinate with your driver's schedule so the cars are there when the transporter arrives and unloaded before briefing.
Paddock-to-paddock from Devon
We are based in Exeter, which matters when the destination is County Down. We know the ferry routes, the A77 up to Cairnryan and the A24 down past Ballynahinch, so the car does not sit in a layby overnight. We pick up in Devon, load, and deliver to the Bishopscourt paddock ready for scrutineering, then collect you after the chequered flag.
Non-runners and recovery
A blown engine or a bent corner at the end of a Bishopscourt weekend is normal, and it is when transport gets hard. We collect non-runners with a winch, not a tow rope, and we do not need the car to roll or start. If a meeting ends badly we can still get the car home to Devon, even if it is on three wheels and a prayer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get a race car from Devon to Bishopscourt, given the Irish Sea is in the way?
We drive the transporter up through England into Scotland and catch the ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast, then head south on the A24 to Downpatrick and the circuit. The crossing adds several hours, so we build that into the quote and the schedule rather than springing it on you later. In summer the ferries fill up, so we book the sailing as soon as you confirm the meeting date. Your car stays on the trailer the whole crossing.
Can you move a car that is not road legal?
That is most of what we carry. Race cars, track cars, drift cars and race bikes rarely have MOT, tax, lights or insurance for public roads, so we load them onto a trailer or transporter and move them fully covered. We do not need the car to run, start, or even roll straight. Slicks, low ride height and aggressive aero all sit safely on the trailer, out of the weather and off the tarmac.
Do you move race bikes to Bishopscourt as well as cars?
Yes, and the 500 MRCI meetings there mean we carry a lot of them. Bikes go on chocks and are strapped down at the wheels and the bars, with stands, warmers and spares boxed separately so nothing rattles loose on the crossing. We know the paddock well enough to drop you somewhere with power for tyre warmers, which saves you wheeling a bike half a mile on a cold morning.
How far ahead should I book transport for a Bishopscourt race meeting?
The ferry is the constraint, not the miles. Summer sailings between Cairnryan and Belfast book up weeks in advance, especially around bank holidays and the bigger drift and bike meetings. We would want a couple of weeks' notice as a minimum, and more if you want a specific sailing. We can sometimes slot a single car onto an existing run at shorter notice, so it is worth asking even if you have left it late.
What happens if my car breaks during the meeting and I need it brought back to Devon?
We recover non-runners all the time. Tell us what happened and where the car is in the paddock, and we will get it loaded with a winch whether it starts or not. The return leg is on the same ferry route, so the timing works the same in reverse. You do not need to be there for the collection if you have to fly home or head off early.
Can you collect from the paddock and take my car straight home, or do I have to meet you at the gate?
Paddock collection is standard for us. We come to where the car is parked, load it, and go. You only need to be there if you are handing over keys, spares or anything else that travels with the car. If you want to leave before we arrive, we can arrange a drop-off point for keys and paperwork, so you are not hanging around the circuit until we turn up.