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Location: SSE Arena, Belfast
Dates: 4, 5, 6 May 2018
More details and tickets: https://fastandfuriouslive.com
At the time of writing, there have been eight films in the Fast & Furious franchise and, cheesy as they sometimes are, they’re also a massive commercial success. Now it’s taking to the road in a rather different way by bringing a live show to audiences all around the world. Some of the actual cars from the films are used and many of the crazy stunts are to be recreated in front of a live audience. It promises to be a serious thrill. Irish fans will have to make their way to the SSE Arena in Belfast and booking online is advisable. Make sure you tick the box marked “Toy Shop Tour Upgrade” to get a glimpse behind the scenes. It’s not cheap, but well worth the price of entry.
2 – Championship Car Races
Location: Mondello Park, Co. Kildare
Dates: 14, 15 April 2018
More details and tickets: https://www.mondellopark.ie
The burgeoning Irish Championship Car Racing scene has its season opener at Mondello Park on April 14 and 15 on the National Track. There are ten different classes competing over the weekend, including the highly successful Fiesta Zetec and Fiesta ST championships. Along with packed grids of near-identical Fiestas going door handle to door handle, spectators can watch Formula Vee, BOSS Ireland, the Irish Strykers Championship, Irish Touring Car Championship, HRCA Historics, Future Classics, ASK Supercars and Ginetta Junior. Under 16s go free and adults pay either €12.50 a day or €20.00 for the weekend, which seems a bargain. It’s a little more if you pay at the gate.
3 – Cannonball Ireland
Location: Road trip around Ireland
Dates: 7, 8, 9 September 2018
More details and entry: http://cannonball.ie
Car enthusiasts and film buffs will know that the Cannonball Ireland event, now entering its tenth year, takes its name and inspiration from the crazy race across America in the early ‘70s that inspired a series of cult classic films. And while Cannonball Ireland is packed with interesting machinery and a bunch of people looking to have fun, it’s not a race, instead a three-day road trip weaving in and out of towns across Ireland. Neither is it all self-serving, as the entrants pay a substantial fee to take part and it benefits a worthy cause every year. And the organisers are quite picky, prioritising more interesting cars. For the general public, it’s free to spectate and go pore over the supercars when they’re stopped up, and it really is great fun.
4 – Irish Classic & Vintage Motor Show
Location: Terenure College, Dublin 6W
Date: 1 July, 2018
More details and tickets: http://www.irishjagclub.ie/terenure-car-show/
The annual Irish Classic & Vintage Motor Show is rightfully billed as the largest of its kind in Ireland and the 2018 event, taking place as usual in Terenure College, on July 1, will be the 27th edition. It’s a fabulous day out and the sun usually shines on it, making it feel like some kind of automotive tea party. One-marque car clubs attending will be Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ford, Triumph, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Porsche, Volkswagen, Mercedes, MG, BMW, Subaru, Rover, DKW, Saab, Fiat and Citroen. Also on display will be selected commercial and military vehicles, kit and custom cars and much more. The event this year will support the Help Emma Beat It Fund and there promises to be plenty to entertain the kids while you try not to drool on the gorgeous cars on display.
5 – Runway Club Live
Location: Weston Airport, Dublin
Date: 14 April 2018
More details and tickets: https://runwayclub.ie/
The first Runway Club event took place at Weston Airport in Dublin in 2017 and it was a hit so it’s back and bigger for this year. Owners of high-performance (and road legal) cars pay €225 to enter, allowing them unlimited access to the runway for professionally timed rolling one-kilometre and half-mile drag races in three different power categories. Meanwhile, spectators (adults €29.50, under-12s €12.50) get access to a viewing grandstand to see all the action. As well as the ‘normal’ drivers, there will be choreographed drifting and plenty more to see. It’ll even be possible to pay for a high-speed passenger ride, benefitting the event organiser’s chosen charity in full.