The Irish Road Race Community
moved to the challenging 5.3 miles Tandragee Circuit
for the Dalzell’s of Markethill, Tandragee 100.
In another display of expert road racing Ireland’s
best and a host of visitors took the challenge and produced
another high-speed spectacle for the huge crowd that
had gathered between the hedges.
First to take to the roads was the Around-A-Pound Irish
Championship Support Race and as expected it was JD
Suzuki mounted Wayne Kirwan who stole the show in the
Senior Category and led from start to finish to take
the win by over five seconds. All the excitement was
behind the flying Drogheda man as Andrew Brady, Stephen
McKnight, Craig Gibson, David Mulligan, Niall Scollan
and Wayne Kennedy had a battle royal for the remaining
podium places. With Brady eventually taking runner-up
spot and a new lap record along the way, just ahead
of Mulligan and McKnight. Scollan was the next rider
across the line, followed closely by Gibson and further
back Kennedy as he dropped of the pace in the latter
stages. Kevin Fitzpatrick, Michael Fitzpatrick and Olly
O’Connor had their own battle and finished in
that order to complete the top ten. In the Junior Category
there was drama at the start when machine problems forced
pre-race favourite Michael Dunlop to retire leaving
John Raeside, Stephen O’Brien, Chris Woods and
Stuart Garton to race for the honours. During the six
laps, Leo Fitzgerald and Stuart Garton also had their
say, with Garton setting a new lap record on the final
circuit to claim top step, closely followed by O’Brien
and Raeside, Woods was next along a few seconds back,
with Fitzgerald and RJ Woolsey completing the top of
the leader board.
The Tayto Junior Open Race ended up being decided on
aggregate when the first start was red flagged as the
leaders started their fifth lap. In this first run it
was Raymond Porter who was first to show, followed by
JMF Team Racing’s Adrian Archibald, John Burrows,
Martin Finnegan and Cameron Donald. On lap two Donald
took over at the front with Porter, Archibald and Finnegan
right in his wheel tracks with Burrows dropping off
in to the clutches of Bruce Anstey, Davy Morgan and
Ken Doherty. Next time around Donald had stretched the
lead and Finnegan was now second with these two breaking
clear of Archibald and Porter. As the leader headed
out on to his fifth lap Anstey and Burrows retired and
the race was stopped with Donald around four seconds
ahead of Finnegan, with Archibald, Porter and Morgan
next along. After a short delay while the incident was
cleared up, from the restart it was positions as they
had finished the first part with Donald leading Finnegan,
Archibald, Porter and Morgan. On the final circuit Finnegan
set a new outright lap record to win on the road, but
it was not enough to overhaul a “rapped”
Donald who took the overall win from Finnegan. Archibald
ran out of petrol to leave Porter in third and the DMRR
Honda Racing rider Morgan with another good finish in
fourth. Doherty was well back in fifth followed by Adrian
McFarland and Paul Cranston next along a minute behind
the leaders and a few seconds ahead off Darran Lindsay,
Kenneth McCrea and Liam Quinn. In the concurrently run
Pole Position Irish 250cc Championship Race, Darran
Lindsay took over forty seconds out of his nearest challenger
to take a comfortable win on Roy Hanna’s Honda.
Trevor Keys was next home, with Paul Lennon next a long
way back and just ahead of Cathal Whelan who eventually
saw off the attentions of Maurice Walker, with Des Butler
completing the top six.
The Tandragee Supporters Club 1000cc Classic Race produced
a race long duel between Mark Morgan on his Norton and
Robert McCrum on his Weslake, with Morgan taking the
flag just over half a second ahead of comeback man McCrum.
Freddie Stewart was third in the class and eleventh
overall over two minutes back on the race winner. In
the City Autos 500cc Classic Race Anthony Ambler was
the winner and thirteenth overall with Ian Wilson second
and Andrew Gill third. Isle of Man visitor was third
overall and the winner of the C.S. Plumbing 350cc Classic
Race with Bill Wark runner-up in this class and Adrian
Elwood third and fifth overall. The Dempster Honda of
Yarno Holland took first place in the Dillon Engineering
250cc Classic Race and that gave him a very creditable
eighth overall. English visitor Tom Jackson was the
next 250cc machine across the line followed by Alex
McVicker.
The Traynors Non-Championship 750cc Support Race saw
Wayne Kirwan again take victory by an increased margin
and a new lap record along the way, bettering Andrew
Brady’s earlier mark in the Championship Race.
It was David Mulligan who chased him all the way, but
with no joy so had to settle for second. Kevin Fitzpatrick
moved up the order to third followed by Brady, Wayne
Kennedy and Michael Fitzpatrick. Michael Dunlop was
a starter this time out in the Lube Care Non-Championship
400cc Support Race and did not disappoint romping to
victory with a new lap record and sixth place overall.
The KZ Yamaha mounted youngster was over a minute ahead
of race one winner Stuart Garton , Paul Newton, Stephen
O’Brien, Cliffy Hamilton and John Raeside.
The Trevor Warde Groupage Services 600cc Supersport
Race was not even a lap old when the red flags came
out to bring it to a swift halt. An incident involving
Yarno Holland, Andrew Neill and Kenneth McCrea, resulted
in a long delay, which saw the weather close in and
wet roads before the restart. After a sighting lap at
least nine riders including Adrian Archibald and Martin
Finnegan rode through up in to the paddock and out of
the race. In the changing conditions it was to turn
out a two horse race with TAS Suzuki runner Bruce Anstey
battling it out with the JD R6 Yamaha of Raymond Porter.
For six laps they were inseparable with Anstey taking
the victory by half a second from Porter. Darran Lindsay
had a lonely ride to a safe third place. Davy Morgan
was the early fourth place runner, but a wrong tyre
choice saw him fall back in to the clutches of Cameron
Donald who eventually claimed fourth ahead of John Burrows
and Morgan. Geoff Downey finished seventh, with Victor
Gilmore, James Redpath and Hawk Kawasaki debutant Carl
Rennie completing the top ten.
The People Direct 125cc GP Race and concurrently run
Street Sweep 250cc GP Race were set in the most difficult,
changeable conditions of the day. In the 125GP Class,
Darran Lindsay stormed in to an early lead, leaving
the chasing pack in his wake led by Mark Curtin, Michael
Dunlop, Robert Dunlop and David Lemon. As the race progressed
R.Dunlop began to move through the field and with a
lap to go had Lindsay whose tyres were shot in his sights.
At the final corner R.Dunlop made his move and took
the lead for the first time as Lindsay could only look
on and settle for second (Note: Tandragee is the only
National Road Race were Darran Lindsay has not won the
125cc Race). M.Dunlop completed the podium in third,
with Nigel Moore coming through to fourth, Adrian Coleman
in fifth and Lemon on his rebuilt JDR Honda dropping
back to finish sixth. The 250GP Class was an even closer
finish with only 0.052 of a second between first and
second and third only 0.7 of second back. It was a three-way
duel throughout with Davy Morgan, John Burrows and Andrew
Courtney never more than a couple of bike lengths apart
for the entire race distance. All three led at some
stage and going into Bells for the last time it was
Burrows from Morgan and Courtney with a few slower riders
in and around. Morgan got it nailed first and won the
drive up the hill to beat Burrows to the chequered flag,
with Courtney just behind in third. Trevor Keys came
home fourth, with Victor Gilmore fifth and Brian Mateer
sixth.
The feature Dalzells’s of Markethill Tandragee
100 Open Race was to be held on dry roads with the outright
lap record being blitzed along the way. Martin Finnegan
was the early leader followed by Raymond Porter, John
Burrows, Adrian Archibald, Cameron Donald and Davy Morgan.
By mid distance Finnegan still led, but Donlad had moved
through the field to second from Porter, Archibald,
Burrows and Morgan who was all over the HM Sports Motorhomes
Suzuki on his DMRR Honda. Next on the road was Ken Doherty,
James McBride and Paul Cranston, however Seamus Greene
on his MBR Suzuki was seventh on corrected time. On
lap five Donald took over at the front, but Finnegan
was still smelling his exhaust fumes , with Porter now
dropping off the pace in third. Archibald was still
fourth and Burrows was still under extreme pressure
from Morgan. On the final circuit both Donald and Finnegan
blitzed the lap record with Donald just shading it to
take the win from Finnegan. Porter held on for third
and Archibald was a safe fourth, Morgan got Burrows
to claim fifth and Greene in seventh. Doherty finished
a creditable eighth, debutant McBride an impressive
ninth and Cranston completed the top ten.
Another excellent days racing provided by the best
motorcycle pilots in the world, with Cameron Donald
the pick of the bunch and the RRR.Com Man of the Meeting.
Roll on NW200.
Words by
|
