Road Racers 4 U

Bishopscourt Fri 10th & Sat 11th April 2009 

You could not have had a better weekend than the one we had at Bishopscourt over the Easter holidays, it was a pity that it was not that well supported because those who were not there missed some great racing. There were plenty of multible winners but you have to take your hat off to the flying Scotsman Keith Amor who won six races from seven starts and finished second in the other race. Mark Lunney, from Belfast, won four races and a number of other place positions. Young Glenn Irwin, from Carrickfergus, recorded three victories on his 600cc Slemish Waters Suzuki. The sidecar event saw the first three positions filled by the same competitors in all three races, John Clarke/Stuart Graham winning all three. The two classic races were won by James Conroy, from Comber on a 350cc Honda. The three Supertwin races were hotley contested over the two days with Lee Hill, from Ballyclare, coming out on top in two races and taking third in the other race. It was good to see Darren Burns back out again after his horrific accident at the North West 200 last year, hope you make a full recovery Darren. 

Keith Amor.
 

Kirkistown 13th April 2009 

It was a great day weather ways for this Easter Monday meeting at the Kirkistown with a big crowd in attendance. As usual practice was held in the morning to establish grid positions. Mark Lunney had a great day with five wins on his Honda's. Keith Amor won both the Superbike races on his Wilson Craig Honda. Once again, Lee Hill recorded two victories on a 650 Suzuki. It was the same as Bishopscourt on Saturday in the Sidecar event with John Clarke/Stuart Graham winning both races. William Dunlop kept that good name to the fore with a first and a second in the Supersport 600. It was good to see the local boys get one over on the flying Scot, Mark Lunney wining the second race from William. Honours were just about even in the Supersport 400cc, with Joe Phillips winning the first race and finishing second in the other one. Emmet O'Grady finished first in the second race and creditable third in the first race. 

Charge! 

 Richard Tener

 By Jackie Henry

When a motorist gets into their car, adapts their sitting position to match that of their favorite living room recliner,  turns the radio on and drives off and continues to play with the other controls in their air conditioned cockpit.  They are often oblivious to their surroundings.
 

In contrast, a motorcyclist is focused on the road and their surroundings. Primed to react to other road users, avoid the slightest of potholes, manhole covers and hazards that would go unnoticed by motorists. These are potential fatal hazards to a motorcyclist.  Complacency cannot be in a bikers mindset.  

I am not tough, brave or even athletic.  I forsook road riding for the security of the track.  Those racers who choose to race on the roads, pushing themselves and machines to the limits surrounded by all the hazards have much larger ‘gonads’ than me. For the public non-motorcycling fraternity who turn out in their thousands to watch the North West 200.  I doubt if they have any concept of the thrill, adrenaline and immense bravery it takes. For observers racing is a visionary masterpiece.  For the riders it is a culmination of many hours tinkering, tweeking and dedication to get the best possible set up for the bike. 

We should all afforded to our road racers our utmost respect as they put everything on the line for their passion.
 

I have been riding in track days at Kirkistown for 7 or 8 years. I started on a Suzuki GSX600F which is not by any means a sports bike. Progressed to a Kawasaki ZXR 750. As I reached its limits I bought a damaged Yamaha R1.  It was the only way I could afford the speed and handling offered by a modern 1 litre sportsbike.   

Trackdays are a fantastic way of appreciating the handling and agility of any motorcycle. They are a must for anyone with any size of bike.  It is not a race and you can simply ride at the pace you feel comfortable.  The problem is that they become addictive.  After 7 or 8 years enjoying these and friends having already taken the step into Clubmans racing I felt pressurized into applying for a race licence.  

With a bike now 10 years old and no suspension modifications I agreed to break my racing cherry at Bishopscourt on 4th May.  It was a wet day but the crack, family atmosphere and camaraderie in the pits was great.  

Qualification race  - yes!  Thankfully I qualified. Pressure is off!  

Thankfully minor damage was easily repaired in the pits.

Race 2 -  A reality check. The bike may be capable, but I am not.  I am not one of those gifted riders with an bottomless pot of money to repair damage. I do not bounce too well. I took things a little easier.  Had great fun and crossed the line at the chequered flag.
 

A great day and experience. 

If proof was required, I have demonstrated that racing can be fun on a very meager budget. You do not need youth or fitness on your side.  If you have a bike, at least try a track-day, but be warned - once you start there is no telling where it will stop!  

 Marshals trained up for Isle of Man

One of the most important things in motorbike racing is the safety of the riders and the public at large so when you are out their enjoying your racing give a bit of respect to the Marshals who do quite a bit of vigorous training through out the winter months.

In April some of the marshals from MCUI (Ulster Centre) undertook the necessary training to be able to marshal at this years Isle of Man TT and the Manx GP road races, with further seminars planned for later this year.
Although MCUI marshals are already trained to a very high standard for all our motorcycle events here in Ireland there are some areas which differ from that used in the IOM especially in respects to first aid, all of which was addressed at this specially organised seminar held at St.John's Ambulance Headquarters, Belfast. Earlier this year for a first time ever the MCUI (UC) Marshal's Association finally received full recognition from TT Marshalls Association Governing Body which was greatly accepted by all MCUI Marshals with Association Chairman Gary Cahoon adding, ‘It is good to finally see a good working bond and a relationship between ourselves and that in the Isle of Man, there are different ideas beneficial to marshaling on both sides of the water which both parties can take from this training and put to good use.’

During the training day seminar, all those present learned how to act safely and properly in various scenarios including first aid, a must for all Marshals on the Isle of Man. The training included revision of flags as Isle of Man races have a few variations to those used in Ireland, use of tetra radios and finally practical first aid training, in which topics such as primary first aid, CPR, how to deal with fallen riders properly, using spinal boards, neck collars, removal of helmets properly and safely to ensure no damage to rider and how to assist with helicopter. The training seminar was enjoyed by all and regarded as a very informative day with all reminded that the first aid training received doesn't only apply to race circuits but is applicable to every day first aid scenarios.

The training seminar also proved to be another golden opportunity for the MCUI (UC) Marshals Association to share with others in attendance, of who they are and the service they give to road racing and how to join the association as the saying goes, ‘No Marshals, no racing.’  

TT Marshal Training 

Cookstown 100 

24th / 25th April
Road racing gets up and running
 

By Jackie Henry  

The first road races of the season got under way at Cookstown in Co.Tyrone with the practises on Friday afternoon and the full race programme on Saturday. The Friday night was a terrible night with a lot of rain, we all thought that this was going to be the same as last year with all the wet weather we had but this turned out not to be the case as on Saturday the sun shone and we had a full race day. There were a number of red flag incidents but thankfully nothing too serious as all were reported home for tea. Ryan Farquhar had a brilliant day winning a marvellous treble, it was good to see him doing well because he is one of our best racers and he always has time for other events especially anything to do with charity, so, well done Ryan. Local racer James Redpath finished 3rd and 4th in the 2 Superbike races on his Lilley 1000cc Suzuki, this was the first time he has ridden this bike. 

Tandragee 100 

Michael Dunlop has a brilliant event 

By Jackie Henry  

The Tandragee this year had no major incidents, thank God, not like the last two years were we lost John Donnan in 2007 and then Martin Finnegan 2008 at the meetings. The sun shone brightly for the whole day and I got sunburned, serves me right for not putting on my sun cream.

Michael Dunlop win his first race of the day on a Marlow Honda 125cc. This 125cc race is run in conjunction with the SV650 two stroke bikes of which Ryan Farquhar won his first race of the day on DND Kawasaki. The next race was the 250cc class when once again Michael Dunlop won on D&CW racing Honda.

The Tayto Junior open race was won by that ever popular fellow Ryan Farquhar on his KMR Kawasaki 1000 cc machine, this was a great race with Ryan and Keith Amor doing battle all the way to the line closely followed by another great guy Adrian Archibald who finished third.

The last race of the day was a cracker of a race, it would have taken a brave man to predict the outcome of this race as it was cut and thrust all the way to the finish with the eventual winner being Michael Dunlop followed by Keith Amor and Ryan Farquhar.
 

The 2009 North West 200 

80th Anniversary
Local Irish Racers Get A Raw Deal 

By Jackie Henry  

This year’s North West threw up some controversy among the riders, marshals and photographers with the organisers of the event. First of all, through the winter months the Marshal’s Association along with the photographers attended seminars explaining what marshalling and the safety aspect of it meant to all, including photographers and where they and the marshals could stand. Those who attended these seminars thought it was worth while as the marshals and photographers had a better understanding, only to find out on the day that the one day marshals, who had not attended any of the seminars did not know what they were doing.

The North West has got out of hand with the promotions side of it calling the shots. It's about time that we got back to basics and put the LOCAL RACERS FIRST as these guys put their neck on the line ALL year round to entertain the bike fans. Yes, it is nice to see the other racers from accross the seas but not at the expense of our local riders. Take, for instance, the LOCAL RIDERS who qualified ahead of the so-called big named riders and had to sacrifice their position. I spoke to quite a few of these riders and they were not too happy, it was stated to me, ‘That if you are English and have a 36ft. mobile home then you will be alright’.

Enough said about this matter, let's start with the two guys who crashed, namely John Anderton (34) who at this time remains in a critical condition and Mark Young (42) who sadly has just died in hospital. I along with all the rest of the fans are praying for John’s speedy recovery. My prayers and thoughts are with the family of Mark at this sad time.

The weather paid it's usual part in not knowing whether to rain or not resulting in the second N.W.Superbike and the second 600cc Supersport races being cancelled due to it being too dangerous for everybody at the race.
The first race was stopped for quite a while due to the crash of Mark Young at Mather's Cross. When it eventually got underway Michael Dunlop (4) and Christian Elkin 5) had a ding dong battle only to crash late on with Elkin leading when he crashed and Michael ran into the crashed bike of Elkins, this left William Dunlop to take his first win of the day. His second win came on the 125cc.

Steve Plater recorded two wins as well on bike (1) in the Superbike and bike (1) on the Supersport machine, not bad for a 40 year old.

Carrickfergus man Alastair Seeley (1) took victory in the Superstock race. Out of five races on the day, three wins went to the LOCAL boys. Now you know why they are disatisfied about the way the prize money is shared out. It should be an equal playing field for ALL, so the small team has a chance. The North West is known worldwide but it is not fair with all the so called big names getting the spoils. I'm sure there will be more said in the future about this matter. 

 (20) Amor and (1) Plater.

 Flyin’ Ryan Farquhar cleans up at the Bush Road Races

Bush Road Races
19th - 20th June 2009
The Bush Road Races were held on Friday 19th June (practice) and Saturday 20th saw the racing. It was a great night on Friday with all the riders having a dry practice but this was not the case on Saturday as it rained on and off at times and the riders were not sure what sets of tyres to put on, this lead to a lot of the riders selecting the wrong type of tyre and as a result they either pulled in or finished futher down the result. Ryan Farquhar did not seem to have the problems the rest were encountering as he was entered in four races and won all of them. His wins were in the Super Twins, Supersport, The Bush Open and the Grand Final. It was a treat to watch the master go about his skill, well done Ryan! Andrew Neil won the 125cc-400cc Junior Class with Michael Dunlop second and Barry Davidson third. Brian Mateer from Glengormley finished in the top ten. Another rider who went well was Joe Phillips from Belfast. What support the Granda had on his home course (Paul Cranson) the gran weens did you proud.

William Cowden rode with the number 88 on his bike as a tribute to his very good friend who was killed at the North West 200. Mark Young and William started out together on the same day at the short circuits. It was a terrible tragedy when young Mark was killed. He was a great talent and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. A special benefit night is being held in the Royal Hotel, Cookstown, on Thursday 30th July at 8pm, for Mark Young. So all you bike fans out there come along and support this worthy cause and if you can't make it then please send a donation. These road racers give so much for little return.  

Irish Clubmans Championship Round 9 & 10
Kirkistown
6th June 2009
Rounds 9 &10 of the Irish Clubman Championship were held at a rain sodden Kirkistown circuit on Saturday 6th of June. It was a pity that the weather was not as good as the previous week. After practice in the morning, racing got under way around 12:30 with the Supersport race no.1. The winner was Billy Byrne (199) from Andrew Murphy (127). The two riders finished in the same order in the second Supersport race no. 7. Next came the 125cc Aprilias and 125 GP newcomers. Josh Cunningham on bike (71) won both races. Clubman Senior events were decided in both races by the same first three - Gavin Johnston (121), from Jason Cash (33) and Paul Dornan (177). The President's Cup was won by Jason Cash (33) followed by Andrew Murphy (127) and Richard McFarland (70).


Irish Superbike Championships Short Circuit
Bishopscourt Circuit
13th June 2009hh
The North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club Ltd. held their meeting at Bishopscourt on Saturday 13th of June. It was a very good meeting with the weather brilliant and plenty of good racing, although it was some what soured by the protest when it was announced that there was not going to be another 125cc race as there was not enough time. There had been 3 red flags up to this point. I can understand the feelings of the riders after they have paid all that money for entrance fees etc., but surely the way to settle the situation is at the next meeting of the club, not by protesting on the track, which happened. The officals can only do their best when making their decisions and to behave the way some got on was not good to say the least.

There were 5 double winners at the meeting with Alastair Seeley winning the two Superbike races, Glenn Irwin winning both Supersport races, Lee Hill was the winner of the Supertwins/ss400's. Mark Lunney from Belfast won both the 250cc races and was second in the 125cc race. Paul Robinson was the winner of the 125cc race. The classics had a double winner as well in J. Doran. There was also two sidecar races and the winners of the first race was Lynch/Galligan they also finished second in the other race, Kennedy/Smyth won the other race and finished second in the first race, third place went to Johnston/Carvill on both occasions.

Summer Holiday Extravaganza set for Kirkistown
With a shortage of Irish Superbike Championship races during the summer months in 2009, the Motorcycle Road Racing Club of Ireland in conjunction with Killinchy & District Motorcycle Club have come forward to add an extra race meeting to their programme of events this summer.

This new joint venture for the two Club’s who have successfully been running the Easter Saturday Enkalon Trophy event for the past number of years are hoping that the choice of a holiday Tuesday race meeting will encourage the fans to come out in force and of course give the riders are much desired extra race.
The event scheduled for Tuesday 14th July 2009 will be held at Kirkistown race track and will include the full Irish Superbike Championship, including the Irish Racer Irish Superbikes, Supersport 600cc, Isaac Agnew Van Centre Supertwins & Supersport 400cc, 250cc and 125cc races and will also feature a Clubman’s Open class.

Entries were released at Mondello Park a few weeks ago and it is already looking like most of the Irish Championship riders will be on the grid come the 14th of July. It is also hoped that a few visitors from further afield will make the trip to the County Down track for some hot summer racing.
Practice will commence at 9am with racing getting underway at 12:30pm for an action packed day of racing, costly only £10 per adult, with concessions for Senior Citizens and under 16 going free, the perfect way to spend a hot summer day!!!

 Skerries 100 Races

 3rd - 4th July 2009
The Dunlop name lives on
Michael Dunlop had 3 wins and 2 thirds to achieve man of the meeting award. Keith Amor recorded two victories in the 201-1010cc Open Race and crowned it off with winning the Grand Final from Ryan and Michael. Ryan won the 650cc class from Wayne Kirwin and John Burrows.

 Adelaide International Kells Road Races
18th - 19th July 2009
Ryan Farquhar The Valentino Rossi Of Road Racing
This weeks road races saw us in the south of Ireland for the third time this month. The weather was a bit hit and miss with rain one minute and then sunshine, which kept the pit crews on their toes in regard to which tyres to select. The roads closed at 1pm on the Friday for practice with the intention of having two races before the roads were to open again. Unfortunately, only the classic race was run, as there was a fatality in the 201-400cc class. It is with great sadness, that I have to report that Padraig Campbell from Moate in Southren Ireland lost his life. This was the second fatality in two weeks as the very popular lad, Andrew Neill, also lost his life at Walderstown. Both accidents occurred while practicing and not in the actual races themselves. I had the privilege of meeting Andrew on many an occasion and I knew him to be a great lover of road racing. To both lads, thanks for all the memories, God Bless.
Well Ryan, that wee write up in the last issue of Shankill Mirror must have worked wonders when I gave it to you on Saturday. A truly super performance by you. You are a joy to watch lad and may you have many more wins under your belt. Yours and my good friend, James Redpath ,have christened you the ‘Rossi of the Roads.’

This is the second week running that Ryan Farquhar has won 4 races on the day, last week on the Isle of Man he recorded 4 wins and followed that up with another 4 at Kells. He really has come into his own this year, keep ’er lit. I have to give the wee flying Scot, Keith Amor, some credit for the way he pushed Ryan all the way, also well placed was Michael Dunlop.

 At the jump, Ryan Farquhar (77) on his way to victory, followed by Keith Amor.

Mid-Antrim150 Road Racing 2009
Saturday 1st August 2009
The practice for this years Mid-Antrim took place in terrible conditions. This year, the start/finish area changed back to it's original place at the chicane in Clough village.

There was a bit of a hold up before the parade lap of all the old competitors from yesteryear. They were led away by that famous racer from way back Ray McCullough from Dromara on his 350cc TZ Yamaha. I’m reliably informed that the helmet was not from his race days.

Saturday saw a bit of an improvement in the weather but you should have seen the state of the pits, how anybody was expected to race after the state of their tyres with all that muck is beyond me but they did, to their credit. Once again, that man Farquhar cleaned up with another 4 victories. That is the fourth week in a row that he and his team have won 4 races. Fair play to them because they try to support all the programmes on the race calander.

On a less happier note the photographers are still finding one or two of the marshals think they are wee Hitlers when they put on their orange overalls. I have been to all the meetings over the winter months with the marshals/photographers and it was stated that photographers can stand where a marshal/flagman stands, as long as they are not interfering with their duties. At no time has it been mentioned that a certain number of photographers can stand at any one place. Not all the marshals are like this, as I personaly find most of them to be very supportive.

Winner Ryan Farquhar.
 

Gary Cahoon, Zone Marshal (one of the good guys). 

Armoy Road Races
Saturday 8th August 2009
The first Armoy Road Races got off to a sad start with the death of a spectator, Mr McCook, on the second lap of the grand final. Our deepest sympthey goes to the family.

Ryan Farquhar won another 3 races to bring his tally to 19 wins in five weeks. Michael Dunlop won 125cc and 250cc races.

I would like to congratulate the effort Davy Morgan and his team are doing for breast cancer with the pink helmet badges he is selling at all the meetings. So why don't you get one and help support this worthy cause. 

Dundrod 150
14th August 2009
his being Ulster Grand Prix week at the famous Dundrod circuit saw a great turn out for the practices on Wednesday and Thursday until dinner time. The weather was good and it was dry for a change. Bruce Anstay clocked the fastest time on the Hector Neill Tas Relentless Suzuki at an average speed of 132 mph. The first race saw Michael Dokoupil from the Czech Republic on a 600cc Air Kawasaki win the Dundrod 150 National. This was his first ever win on the Dundrod circuit. Next up was the 125cc combined with the 400cc/600cc's Lightweight Supersport. The winner was that wee man Ian Lougher from Wales on a Barns/Jackson team Honda 125cc. The Lightweight Supersport was won by Ryan Farquhar who started 30 seconds behind the 125's and took 2nd overall. That's why he is called Flyin’ Ryan. Next up was the Dundrod 150 Superbike race which saw a ding dong battle from the first lap until the last lap. The winner was Connor Cummins from the Isle of Man on the McAdoo Kawasaki 1000cc followed by Guy Martin on a Hydrex Honda and third went to Ian Hutchinson on a Padgett Honda.

 Michael Dokoupil.

 Ian Lougher.

 Ulster Grand Prix
9th - 15th August 2009
Home Grown Talent Success
This year saw one of the best Grand Prix's for a long time, although you would not have thought so when we got up on Saturday morning. I thought here we go again, rain and hill mist, just what we don't want, but as it turned out about 11.30 the mist lifted and we had a great afternoon of racing.

The first race of the day was Superstock and it was a cracker, with all the top guys up there fighting it out. The eventual winner was Ian Hutchinson, local ace Ryan Farquhar second and third Keith Amor.

Up next was the Supersport race and there again in was that man Farquhar taking the honours from Ian Hutchinson and William Dunlop.

The 250cc class and the Supertwins were run in conjuction with one another. It was quite a battle in the 250cc class between the Dunlop boys right to the finish with William being first and Michael second, third place went to Paul Owens from Wales. Ryan Farquhar won the Supertwin race from local riders Lee Hill and Alan Brown.

The first of the Superbike races was next and with the sun shining by now it turned out to be a smashing race. The eventual winner was Connor Cummins from the Isle of Man who broke the all time Dundrod lap record on Thursday at an average speed of 133.2 mph. Ian Hutchinson finished second and third went to Guy Martin.

Supersport race 2 was next and this gave William Dunlop his second win of the day followed by Ryan and the flying Kiwi Bruce Anstey.

The second Superbike race saw Guy Martin score his first ever Ulster Grand Prix win. It was great to see as Guy is a very popular racer and supports the small clubs well. Only for a couple of mistakes throughout the day, such as getting the wrong line, Gary Johnson would have done better. He finished second with Ian Hutchinson third.

Guy Martin.
 

 Irish Clubman's
Kirkistown
5th September 2009
The Belfast & District Motor Club hosted rounds 18 &19 of the Irish Championship at Kirkistown. With all the wet weather we have been having it was good that they were able to hold an event at all. The officials decided to go ahead with the circuit shortened as the bottom end around Fisherman's was flooded. All in all it was a good days racing and that is better than nothing. Thanks must go to the girls in the hospitality cabin for supplying the tea and sandwiches, they were appreciated.

 25th Anniversary of Killalane road races
                  Ryan Farquhar breaks Joey's all time record
 
The 25th anniversary of the Killalane road races run by the Loughshinny motor cycle club took place over the weekend 12th/13th September just outside Skerries in the south of Ireland. The weather was fantastic and the crowds were out in full to witness history being made. Yes you read it right road racing history that is. The all time no1 road racer Joey Dunlop's record has just been beaten by none other than Dungannon's Ryan Farquhar who took his tally to 121wins passing  Joey who was on 119wins.  It was a very emotional time for Ryan as he realised what an achievement he has accomplished.  Once again the local road racers ( by this I mean all the local Irish road racers) put up some mighty performances through out the year, so it is about time the local councils come on board with sponsorship to finance all the events and not leave all the hard work to the small clubs and teams to find finances to run these events. Do they not realise the revenue these events bring to the country with all the bikers from across the water attending them.
 
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family's of those that were killed throughout the year and also to those who are recovering from accidents at home or in hospital.
 
There were two races run on the saturday night but unfortunately I was not able to attend. The 600cc Darren Lindsay Invitation race was won by Michael Dunlop followed by Ryan Farquhar and William Dunlop.
The other race run was classic A Irish Championship which was won by Edward Manly from Ashbourne on his Honda 350cc.
Sunday morning saw us up bright an early(5-30am) to head off to Killalane for the day, the driver the baldy photographer and co pilot Paul  (plotted the route without getting us lost again) what did I expect from two Glen men ha ha. The crack was good and so was the banter thanks lads.
 
Hammy and I head off to see the best possible places to take photos while Paul got himself a good spot to watch the racing as a big crowed was expected.
The first race was the 250cc 2stroke machines combined with the 650cc class. It was a great race with the Dunlop brothers battling it out and the eventual winner was William from Michael with Davy Morgan third. Ryan Farquhar win his first race on his KMR Kawasaki 650cc machine followed by John Burrows on a 650cc Suzuki.
 
The next race up was the Martin Finnegan supporters club sponsored Irish Championship 401cc-750cc over 6 laps. William Davidson from Kilrea on his Neeson Honda 600cc was the winner from the local racer from Skerries David Yeomans and  in third was Noel Carroll from Portlaoise.
 
Irish Championship Open 201cc-1010cc saw Ryan take his second race of the day to beat Joey's record and what a calibration at the last corner on his slow down lap as all his supporters were waiting to cork open the champaign bottle with him present, it was great to see the joy and relieve on his face(well done lad). Second place went to Michael Dunlop with Michael Pearson third.
Classic B Irish Championship race is split in two classes for those machines up to 500cc and those up to 100cc, so you get two results in the same race. The race up too 500cc was won by John Burrows from that hot bed of racers Dungannon,well done John, Second from Cheshire was Mark Morgan and third also from Cheshire Richard Ford. in the race for machines from 501cc up to 1000cc was won by an other Dungannon man Neil McWhirter followed by Allan Brew from Isle of Man,third place I did not get but Gary Jamison from Glengormley finished a credible 4th.
 
The first races ever held at Killalane took place in 1984 and some of the competitors who took part then had a parade lap to let the spectators see the difference in the bikes.
600cc Irish Championship was up next and what a race it turned out to be with that man Farquhar winning yet again, Ryan you are truly the Rossi on the roads and you are a local guy. Long may it continue. Once again Michael Dunlop took second and Michael Person third with William not far behind in forth place.
 
The sixth race up was the 201cc-400 support Irish Championship. First place went to Gerry Daniels from Trim on a Suzuki 650cc machine followed by David Howard from Skerries and Sean Leonard third.
 
The 125cc Irish Championship along with the 400cc machines were up next with the over all winner being Andrew Farrell(Skerries), the 125cc was won by William Dunlop on his PJ Honda,Michael Dunlop was in second and Samuel Dunlop made it a 1,2,3 for the Dunlop family. It is also great to see the boys doing so well, keep it lit.
401cc-750cc support non Championship race saw William Davidson from Kilrea win his second race of the day, in fact the first 4 places were the same as their first race, David Yeomans,Noel Carroll, Gary Miller.
 
This brought us too the last race of the day, The Grand Final. In the early part of the race saw Ryan and Michael battle it out with Pearson ,Sweeney and Archibald close behind. I'm not sure on what lap Michael Dunlop and Ryan had a coming together which let Michael Pearson through to take his first ever road race win and what a time to do it in the final of all places, the boys from Lizzy Drakes send their best wishes and so do I. Second went to Michael Sweeney and third went to Adrian Archibald.
 
That's the road racing season over for another year, there is just one more short circuit meeting left and that will be held at Bishopscourt on sat17th/sun18th of October. It is the last leg of the Irish Superbike Championships so keep that date free in your dairy.
 

 25th Anniversary of Killalane Road Races
Saturday 12th - Sunday 13th September 2009

 Ryan Farquhar breaks Joey's all time record

The 25th anniversary of the Killalane Road Races run by the Loughshinny Motorcycle Club took place over the weekend 12th - 13th September just outside Skerries in the south of Ireland. The weather was fantastic and the crowds were out in full to witness history being made. Yes, you read it right, road racing history that is. The all time no. 1 road racer Joey Dunlop's record has just been beaten by none other than Dungannon's Ryan Farquhar who took his tally to 121 wins, passing Joey who was on 119 wins. It was a very emotional time for Ryan as he realised what an achievement he has accomplished. Once again, the local road racers, by this I mean all the local Irish road racers, put up some mighty performances throughout the year, so it is about time the local councils come on board with sponsorship for all the events and not leave all the hard work to the small clubs and teams to find finances. Do they not realise the revenue these events bring to the country with all the bikers from across the water attending them? 

Ryan celebrates his achievement. (Photos by JH) 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that were killed throughout the year and also to those who are recovering from accidents at home or in hospital.

There were two races run on the Saturday night but unfortunately I was not able to attend. The 600cc Darren Lindsay Invitation Race was won by Michael Dunlop followed by Ryan Farquhar and William Dunlop.

The other race run was Classic A Irish Championship, which was won by Edward Manly from Ashbourne on his Honda 350cc.

Sunday morning saw us up bright and early at 5:30am to head off to Killalane for the day, the driver, the baldy photographer and co-pilot Paul plotted the route without getting us lost again. What did I expect from two Glen men? Ha, ha! The crack was good and so was the banter. Thanks, lads.

Hammy and I head off to see the best possible places to take photos while Paul got himself a good spot to watch the racing as a big crowd was expected.

The first race was the 250cc 2 stroke machines combined with the 650cc class. It was a great race with the Dunlop brothers battling it out and the eventual winner was William from Michael with Davy Morgan third. Ryan Farquhar won his first race on his KMR Kawasaki 650cc machine followed by John Burrows on a 650cc Suzuki. 

Ryan on Superstock.
 

The next race up was the Martin Finnegan Supporters Club sponsored Irish Championship 401cc - 750cc over 6 laps. William Davidson from Kilrea on his Neeson Honda 600cc was the winner from the local racer from Skerries David Yeomans and in third was Noel Carroll from Portlaoise.

Irish Championship Open 201cc - 1010cc saw Ryan take his second race of the day to beat Joey's record and what a celebration at the last corner on his slowdown lap as all his supporters were waiting to open the champagne bottle with him present, it was great to see the joy and relief on his face. Well done, lad. Second place went to Michael Dunlop with Michael Pearson third.

Classic B Irish Championship Race is split in two classes for those machines up to 500cc and those up to 100cc, so you get two results in the same race. The race up too 500cc was won by John Burrows from that hotbed of Dungannon racers. Well done, John. Second, from Cheshire, was Mark Morgan and third also from Cheshire, Richard Ford. In the race for machines from 501cc up to 1000cc, the winner was another Dungannon man Neil McWhirter followed by Allan Brew from Isle of Man, third place I did not get, but Gary Jamison from Glengormley finished a credible 4th.

The first races ever held at Killalane took place in 1984 and some of the competitors who took part then had a parade lap to let the spectators see the difference in the bikes.

600cc Irish Championship was up next and what a race it turned out to be with that man Farquhar winning yet again. Ryan, you are a local guy and you are truly the Rossi on the roads, long may it continue. Once again, Michael Dunlop took second and Michael Pearson third with William not far behind in fourth place.

The sixth race up was the 201cc - 400 Support Irish Championship. First place went to Gerry Daniels from Trim on a Suzuki 650cc machine followed by David Howard from Skerries and Sean Leonard third.

The 125cc Irish Championship along with the 400cc machines were up next with the overall winner being Andrew Farrell from Skerries, the 125cc was won by William Dunlop on his PJ Honda, Michael Dunlop was in second and Samuel Dunlop made it a 1, 2, 3 for the Dunlop family. It is also great to see the boys doing so well, keep it lit.

The 401cc - 750cc Support Non-Championship Race saw William Davidson from Kilrea win his second race of the day, in fact the first 4 places were the same as their first race, David Yeomans, Noel Carroll, Gary Miller.

This brought us to the last race of the day, The Grand Final. In the early part of the race saw Ryan and Michael battle it out with Pearson, Sweeney and Archibald close behind. I'm not sure on what lap Michael Dunlop and Ryan had a coming together which let Michael Pearson through to take his first ever road race win and what a time to do it in the final of all places. The boys from Lizzy Drakes send their best wishes and so do I. Second went to Michael Sweeney and third went to Adrian Archibald.

That's the road racing season over for another year, there is just one more short circuit meeting left and that will be held at Bishopscourt on Sat 17th - Sun 18th of October. It is the last leg of the Irish Superbike Championships so keep that date free in your diary 

John Burrows’ Classic bike. 

Farquhar fans. 

 Sunflower Trophy Races
Bishopscourt race circuit 17th/18th Oct 2009

The Sunflower Trophy Races saw the close of the racing season once again. Saturday saw the practice and qualifying for the racing on Sunday. There was a lot of fog on the route down to the circuit in Downpatrick but thankfully it had all lifted when we arrived. Saturday was a brilliant day as the sun shined all day and there were some very fast times. There were one or two accidents in practice but not too seriously. From a photographers point of view practice days seem to be the best days to get your photographs.

 Well as usual the weather changed from the Saturday and we had light rain and damp conditions for most of the day although that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the big crowd who turned up for the last race day of the season, bikers will come from far and near to see good races. This event like all the rest is well run and it takes a lot of time and effort to organise, so a big thanks must go out to ALL the event organisers up and down the length of the country for without them these meetings would not take place. A special mention for those who take all the flack at the race meetings, remember that we are ALL there trying to do our part to promote this great sport of ours and respect works both ways. There has been some good changes this year for the better and if we work together from the top of the organising to the bottom we can iron out all our concerns.

The main race of the day, the Sunflower Trophy Race, saw Ian Lowry on a TAS Rentless Suzuki take the honours followed by Marshall Neill on a Wilson Craig Honda and third place went to Jack Kennedy on a TAG Honda.

The setup of the day’s racing is in two halves with six races before dinner time and a repeat in the same order after dinner except that the Sunflower kicks us off after dinner time.

 Richard McNeill.

 The racing got underway with Ian Lowry winning the first Superbike race of the day closely followed by Carrickfergus man Alastair Seeley and Marshall Neill third. The second Superbike race was won by Alastair Seeley with Michael Laverty second and once again Marshall Neill third.

Supertwins were next out and they were won both times by Mark Johnston and second was the same rider Mark Glasgow, but there was a change for third with David Craig and Lee Hill sharing these places.

Supersport got underway with Marshall Neill winning the first race and finishing second in the second race, as you will see he had a great days racing. In the first race Lee Johnston was followed by Jeremy McWilliams, Jack Kennedy finished third in the other race.

125cc, the wee screamers, had their usual great battles with Mark Lunney taking a first and a forth in the two races, Drew Jamison won the second race easy and was second in the first race, so well done, (send me your details). Paul Robinson was third in the first race and Nigel Percy second in the second race and third in the second race went to Robert English.

Sidecars had two races as well, there was plenty of entries for these races and they did not disappoint as they slid around the track, it can be very hairy if you are the passenger.

 Drew Jamison (19).

250cc/400cc, these races run together and Mark Lunney win both bringing his wins for the day to three, second place went in both races to Chris McAloran with Denver Robb and Thomas Lawlor third respectfully in the 250cc class. The 400cc saw the same 1, 2, 3 with Emmet O'Grady from the south winning both races followed by Northern Ireland racer Joe Phillips and another racer from the south, Joseph Loughlin, taking third on both occasions.

Many thanks to all who helped me out over the year, and contrary to what it said in the local press I was not in Prague - I wish. 

 Alastair Seeley.

On Sunday, I was speaking to Yvonne Montgomery one of the girl racers who really enjoys the thrill of competing with the guys, she in not the only girl road/circuit racer. So, I was asking her does she get sponsorship or help with the finances but she was telling me that she finances herself and in these times it can be a big drain on the pocket. She shares with Richard Nesbitt the facilities at the meetings and he also goes it alone. Yvonne is quite shy and that is why she would not approach anybody for sponsorship, so, this is why I'm writing this article to see if this drums up some support for her and Richard. 

 Marshals Association Awards Night
Once again the Marshals Association held their awards night in the Chimney Corner Hotel, Newtownabbey, Mallusk on Thursday night (29th Nov.) with the guests of honour for the night being two top road racers, one a hero from the past and not forgotten and one of today’s up and coming runners; Raymond McCullough and Michael Pearson.

Marshalling at the moment is not getting any easier and with every year there just seems to be more rules and regulations appearing. Health and safety is always a major issue now and that means safety for everyone. The spectator, the officials, the teams, the riders, the photographers and the marshals. We all play a part and it all fits in to place.

All we have to do now is sit out the long cold winter. Wait for the spring sunshine again, the time to change and let the flag drop, the rubber burn and racing begin. We hope everyone involved in the sport has a safe race season in 2010.

The Marshals Association meet on the last Thursday of each month in the Chimney Corner (Headquarters) at 8.00pm. The Northern Counties Branch meets every third Tuesday of the month at 8.00pm in the Royal British Legion Hall in Ballymoney.

 Office Bearers for 2010: (L-R) Gerald Dallat, Raymond McCullough, David McCallister, John Campbell, John Atcheson, Hanna McCartney, Gary Cahoon, Mervyn Ferris (Chairman), Michael Pearson.

 Marshal of the Year Award: (L-R) Lou Gourley Presented by Raymond McCullough and Michael Pearson.

 Runner-up Marshal of The Year Award: (L-R) Gerald Dallat presented by Raymond McCullough and Michael Pearson.

 The Marshals Association presented Myra McCallister with a gift in appreciation for all the hard work she does.

 Killinchy & District Motor Cycle Club Ltd.
P&O Irish Sea Winter Supermoto Series was held from 24th October, 31st October & 14th/21st November 09. Two events were held at Bishopscourt and the other two were held at Kirkistown.

Although the numbers were down on previous years (the credit crunch) it was very enjoyable as you will see by the photos.

 David Farmer.

You can buy any photo from the Galleries

SIZE A4 FOR... £8.00

SIZE A3 A3+ FOR... £20.00

Mounted A4 £10

Mounted A3-A3+ £25  

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