Organisers of the VS Cycles Brighouse Circuit Racing event, which attracted top riders and large crowds, are very disappointed that the race – which would have been the town’s fourth – has been put on hold.

Michael Lever and Chris Vokes, who organise the event, said a lack of communication between the ruling bodies had led to the situation.

Problems have occurred after a rival town centre series was set up last year under the name Tour Series.

Races were held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings all around the country and included 10 professional teams taking part in 10 races. This year the series is being extended to 16 races covering every available Tuesday and Thursday from late May through to the end of July making it virtually impossible to find a suitable date for the Brighouse race.

All the professional teams have been contracted to ride in the Tour Series which means the country’s finest riders would be competing.

“This meant we could not find a date for the Brighouse race to go ahead,” said Mr Lever. “We wanted to keep it on a Tuesday because that is the most convenient night for traders in the town and it had become an established date on the calendar.”

He said while Brighouse was seen as a first-class circuit it did not provide the facilities needed by the Tour Series.

“The events are all televised and the circuit in Brighouse would not provide enough room for people to follow on motorbikes with TV cameras,” said Mr Lever. “We are very disappointed we cannot go ahead this year but we still want to see the race back in Brighouse in 2011.”

He said the race brought large crowds of spectators to Brighouse and had helped to raise the town’s profile through both radio and TV coverage.

Sponsors Dews Motor Group, of Brighouse and Halifax, were ready to sponsor this year’s event and the race also had the full support of Calderdale Council.

Group operations director at Dews Mr Craig Hamer said the company had been pleased to be associated with the successful event and was ready to sponsor this year’s race.

“It is an excellent event that has been good for Brighouse. We have sponsored it since the first year and seen it grow each year. It is disappointing it cannot go ahead this summer,” said Mr Hamer. “We would hope if a future date can be fixed to sponsor the event again.”

The Brighouse race was part of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Race and even though last year’s race went ahead in torrential rain it attracted a field of around 56 top riders, plus younger competitors and a crowd of over 1,500.

“British Cycling has been unable to advise us of what the position is with themselves and Tour Series and we are very upset with the whole situation,” said Mr Lever. “But we hope to resolve it for the future.”