Ulster Grand Prix bosses have revised the race schedule for next year and the Dundrod 150 national races will be scrapped and replaced with Supersport, Ultralightweight/Lightweight, Supertwins and the first of three Superbike races.

All Superbike, Superstock and Supersport races will be open to international licence holders only. The Ultralightweight/Lightweight and Supertwins races will all be open to both national and international licence holders.

The Superpole session, which was introduced in 2016 as a qualifier for the top 10 superbike competitors, will be replaced with a 15 minute warm up session on Saturday morning for all Supersport, Superstock and Superbike machines.

Practice sessions for all classes will be held as normal on Wednesday 8th August and the morning of Thursday 9th August. The first 15 minutes of all practice sessions on Wednesday will be untimed.

“I’ve reviewed how the event runs and taken on board many different views over the past couple of years before making any changes,” said clerk of the course Noel Johnston.

“Ultimately these decisions have been made with both safety and practicality in mind and we must keep pushing the bar on both fronts as Bike Week continues to grow.

“I know there will be riders who are disappointed that two of the national races are going but we see this as the best way to keep progressing the event, and please be assured that the decision wasn’t taken lightly.

“The untimed practice sessions on Wednesday and the 15 minute warm up session on the Saturday morning instead of Superpole have been included to enhance safety precautions, allowing everyone time to get used to the track, and the conditions on that particular day.”