Riders suffered fractures in Cookstown 100 crashes
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Saturday action ‘tweaked' due to loyalist parade while Rory McIlroy tees off for final practice
18 minutes ago Adam McKendry Best crowd so far For obvious reasons, McIlroy is absolutely surrounded this afternoon. The crowds following him look like they're for a competitive round, not a practice one. He made a mental misjudgement off the tee, too, thinking he could carry the bucket down the left of the fairway but instead plugging in the face. Better to do that today than tomorrow. 33 minutes ago Adam McKendry If you're not following Rory... ... I'd get out here quickly. The word on the ground is he's only playing the front nine, which is what most players are doing today. 38 minutes ago I take it back Oh look, it's Rory. Shocking that all these people might be here for him. 41 minutes ago Adam McKendry Gareth Hanna Rory McIlroy on the course He's just gone off the first tee for his final practice round, playing alongside South African duo Louis Oosthuizen and Christian Bezuidenhout. Interestingly, he's practicing off the first tee with an iron. Flash black to 2019, when Darren Clarke spoke to taking a driver due to the nerves... and Rory McIlroy hitting it OB on Thursday. Iron again tomorrow or will the nerves prompt a late switch to driver? 57 minutes ago Referees not messing around Hitting the ball into the grandstand is no longer as minor an issue as it used to be. Wayward shots will still be punished, as Golf Magazine's Dylan Dethier outlines. Dylan Dethier on Twitter / X the Open seems to be dialing up its nastiest set of drop zones yet. ohh you want a free drop from the grandstand? for sure man. toss one down in the bushes over there Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 16, 2025 Today 10:17 AM Gareth Hanna Saturday tee-times tweaked due to Portrush parade The organisers of The Open have confirmed the tee times for Saturday's action at Royal Portrush will be amended due to a loyalist band parade. More than 60 bands and 2,000 people are expected to march through the town as part of a Portrush Sons of Ulster parade on July 19, which would coincide with the day's golfing action coming to a close. R&A CEO Mark Darbon said: "We realise we are a guest in the communities we visit and on many cases there are concurrent events around the action in the venue. We've worked collaboratively with multiple agency groups to ensure both events can run as seamlessly as possible. We're making a slight tweak to Saturday tee times - nothing major, 15 minutes or so earlier - but the weather can play a big role so it's hard to be specific about finishing times. We're contributing to costs to ensure the seamless running of both events." Major gulf of opinion in Portrush over clash between band parade and Open A band parade in Portrush on the penultimate evening of The Open Golf Championship has divided opinion in the town. Today 10:14 AM Gareth Hanna When you have 1.2M people who want to come here, can you expand the number of tickets? MD: "Our first question is not how do we monetise, it's how do we deliver a great experience. It's fantastic to be in a position with strong demand and we want to ensure The Open remains open and accessible to fans and we will try to continue to get that balance right. Growing from 240k to 280k fans this week is by strengthening early in the week. We had nearly 12k people here on Sunday." Today 10:12 AM Adam McKendry Fan favourite Just like he has all week, Shane Lowry is a favourite with the fans and he's gracious with his time as he finishes his back nine practice round, which he spent part of with Matt Wallace but most of it by himself. Will he be back out on the course before the day is out? It's likely he's going to the range first, but maybe back out with Rory later? Today 10:11 AM Gareth Hanna Are the R&A moving towards core venues like Portrush? MD: "I'm not sure there has ever been a direct cycle within the rota. We want a great links course that tests the best golfers, we need a venue that can hold a modern Open and we want them to tell the story of the world's oldest major. We're doing a lot of thinking on how that plays out in the future but I wouldn't expect a major change." Today 10:10 AM Gareth Hanna And Turnberry - for as long as Trump we assume you won't go back there, but what about after? MD: "We've been clear on our position. We love the course but we have logistical challenges - the road, rail infrastructure around Turnberry. We need to address those should we return. We've had good discussions with the venue and we'll continue to work collaboratively. I met with Eric Trump and they understand the challenges we have. We have a good dialogue with them." Today 10:08 AM Gareth Hanna What about returning to Muirfield? MD: "There's some work we need to do with the practice ground and the wider infrastructure but it's a great venue and we'd love to be back there in the future." Today 10:08 AM Gareth Hanna What about 2028 venue? MD: "We've got Royal Birkdale next year, St Andrew's in 2027 and we're constantly in discussion with the venues in our pool. I'd imagine we'll be making an announcement some time before the middle of next year. "We work really respectfully with the clubs. Changes that have facilitated the Open have been supported by the members. It's not just about being bigger, it's about being better." Today 10:05 AM Gareth Hanna Are you optimistic about bringing the Open to Portmarnock? MD: "I've got one venue on my mind this week and it's Portrush. But yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock and we've been encouraged about the support we've had in principal by the Irish government. We expect to have a clearer picture by the back end of this year." Today 10:04 AM Gareth Hanna How much will freezing the prize money here grow the game in other areas? MD: The golfers deserve to be rewarded so we were also going to strike a balance with our overall responsibilities within the game. We think the choice we made was appropriate. We take the surplus from this Open and invest it back into the game around the world. Today 10:00 AM Gareth Hanna Coming up now: R&A press conference Mark Darbon, the R&A Chief Executive is giving us an update - and we expect to here more on if/when The Open could be brought to Dublin's Portmarnock as well as, perhaps, a steer on when it might return to Portrush again. Today 09:38 AM Adam McKendry Rory in action He's looking loose on the range. The big question is when will he be on the course? Today 09:36 AM Rory on the range The reigning Masters champion is hitting balls on the range now. Whether this will be all he does for practice today, or heads out onto the course afterwards, remains to be seen. Today 09:35 AM Gareth Hanna New hole names There's been an honour this week for Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell as holes here in Portrush are named after the pair. The par four ninth hole on the Dunluce Links (which is the Open course) is to be named Darren Clarke's while over the the Valley course, the par four seventh hole is to be called McDowell's. The Valley is also knows as 'the wee course' up here - although it's a brilliant track in its own right - and is the home course of the local Rathmore club, where McDowell grew up playing and with which his family have long been associated. Royal Portrush G.C. on Twitter / X Last night, members and guests gathered for a special ceremony celebrating Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell. In their honour, two holes were renamed: the 9th on the Dunluce now Darren Clarke's, and the 7th on the Valley now McDowell's — a fitting tribute on our historic links. Royal Portrush G.C. (@royalportrush) July 15, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. Today 09:05 AM Adam McKendry "Brilliant shot" Shane Lowry with a bullet of a drive on the 15th.
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
I wouldn't come to Isle of Man TT if I didn't think I could win more races: Michael Dunlop
Practice is scheduled to start on Monday morning, but rain in the forecast later in the afternoon and evening could have a detrimental impact on the first day of the 2025 festival. Dunlop won four races around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in 2024 to take over from his idolised uncle Joey as the most successful racer in the event's history. The 36-year-old extended his tally of victories to 29, three more than Joey's previous record of 26, which he set with a final treble in 2000. Dunlop began the road racing season on a winning note with victories at the Cookstown 100 before impressing at the North West 200 where the Ballymoney legend returned to winning ways on the north coast for the first time since 2016. Dunlop powered to Superbike success on his new BMW machine and won on his new BMW Superstock and Ducati Supersport bikes for a hat-trick. His performances turned heads at Ulster's top motorcycle race and he goes into the TT on a high. 'The preparations are going quite good, we had a good North West and we were on the money,' said Dunlop, who now has a section of the TT course named in his honour on the approach to the 27th milestone, with a previously unnamed left-hand bend known as MD's. 'We won three races and broke down in a couple, and I'm feeling really good. 'I wouldn't be coming here if I didn't think I could win more races, and I feel like I'm as fast as I ever was. 'We just need a bit of practice, hopefully, to dial them (new bikes) in, but the team's working hard and we're going to push on for them.' Dunlop may be the slight favourite before race week is scheduled to begin on Saturday with the first of two Supersport races, but he faces a formidable challenge from 8TEN Racing BMW riders Peter Hickman and Davey Todd and official Honda Racing UK contender Dean Harrison. Hickman remains the outright lap record holder at the TT after recording a blistering 136.358mph in 2023 on his BMW Superstock machine. The English rider won the Superbike race last June for his 14th victory after Dunlop's dominant lead was eradicated when he had to stop after his second pit stop to fix his visor, which hadn't been correctly fastened in the pitlane. Todd made a huge breakthrough when he won his first TT races in 2024, taking Superstock and Senior victories. The Saltburn man is hungry for more but hasn't enjoyed the best preparation for the TT, with Todd and Hickman – who co-own 8TEN Racing – pulling their team together in just a few months. The 29-year-old is yet to completely gel with his BMW Superbike, and Todd hasn't ruled out riding a Superstock machine at the TT. Roads around the Mountain Course on Monday are due to close at 10.00am with a Newcomers Speed Controlled lap from 10.40am. With adverse weather forecast, all classes will be given two laps of untimed practice and all roads are due to be reopened by 2.45pm. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi won the British MotoGP on Sunday at Silverstone for the factory Aprilia team. Italian Bezzecchi delivered Aprilia's first victory of the 2025 season as the manufacturer returned to the top step in the premier class for the first time since the Grand Prix of the Americas in 2024. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) finished second, while Championship leader Marc Marquez (Lenovo Ducati) pipped Franco Morbidelli for third. The race was restarted because of an oil spill, with Marquez and his brother Alex (Gresini Ducati) both crashing while leading. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo retired with a bike problem. The Second Round of the British Talent Cup series was held on the MotoGP undercard and there was jubilation for Northern Ireland teenager Peter Willis, who won his first race in the class.
BBC News
28-04-2025
- BBC News
Riders suffered fractures in Cookstown 100 crashes
A number of riders are recovering after suffering fractures in incidents at Saturday's Cookstown 100 road races at the Orritor competitor Donald MacFadyen came off during the Open B race and was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital by air on Facebook, MacFadyen said: "Thanks for all the help, kind messages. Getting looked after great here."Latest is I have 2 stable spine fractures, broken wrist and 8 broken ribs."Noel Carroll from county Laois sustained fractures in the same race, a spokesperson for the Cookstown 100 club organisers air ambulance was also deployed to carry Republic of Ireland rider Damian Horan to hospital following a crash in the Open A race later in the organisers confirmed that the Athlone man had suffered races were halted by red flags after the incidents happened.
