Isle of Man TT star among big names in the field for return of Tandragee 100
Crucial resurfacing work has now been carried out, which had prevented the famous race from taking place in 2023 and 2024.
Event co-ordinator and former Clerk of the Course Anne Forsythe said: 'After two long years of not being able to host the event due to a delay in getting resurfacing work carried out, we are thrilled to be celebrating 61 years of the Around A Pound Tandragee 100 Motorcycle Road Races.
'We would like to thank the then Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd, for committing the necessary funds in 2024/25 and all those councillors, MPs and MLAs who supported us in this venture.
'A special mention also to Ian Milne for assisting us over the three years it took to get this across the line.'
Traditionally held in May, the event has been moved to a new June date, with practice and qualifying taking place on Friday, June 27 and the main race day on Saturday, June 28.
Isle of Man TT star Conor Cummins is among the standout names on the entry list with Dungannon's Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Team.
The Ramsey man claimed a best result of fifth in the second Superstock race at the TT last week with a fastest lap of 131.528mph on the BMW M1000RR, which was the quickest ever by a rider for John Burrows' team.
Cummins raced at Tandragee once before, making his debut in 2007 on Yamaha machinery for the JMF Millsport Racing team.
Another leading contender is fellow TT rider Shaun Anderson, who is a member of the organising North Armagh Club. Anderson was fortunate to escape injury after a crash in the Superbike TT race at Joey's, which left him with cuts and bruises.
The Banbridge man – a Mountain Course winner in 2024 in the Senior Classic Manx Grand Prix race – will be a key protagonist at Tandragee.
Skerries rider Michael Sweeney is not listed on the official press release but recently expressed a desire to return to Tandragee.
The Republic of Ireland rider achieved a lifetime dream of finishing on the podium in May at the North West 200 on his Aprilia Supertwin machine and would be the rider to beat if he arrives in the paddock.
The line-up also includes former Senior Manx Grand Prix winners Joe Yeardsley and Daniel Ingham, plus Ballymoney's Darryl Tweed – also a past MGP winner – and the Isle of Man's Marcus Simpson, who was the runner-up behind Yeardsley in the 2023 Senior race at the Manx.
Newcomer Amalric Blanc from France adds international flavour to the grid and is fresh from an impressive 12th place in the opening Superstock race at the TT on his 1000cc Honda.
Ballymena's Neil Kernohan and Ryan Whitehall from the Isle of Wight will be out to make their mark at Tandragee, while Andy Farrell, Liam and James Chawke are among a large contingent of competitors from the Republic of Ireland.
Derek McGee, a double winner at the Cookstown 100 in April, is set to miss out through injury after he was caught up in a crash during the opening round of the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) at Hengelo in the Netherlands in May.
A total of 113 competitors and 50 newcomers have entered this year's race, which has an increased prize fund of £13,000.
Roads will close on Friday, June 27 for practice from 11.00am-9.00pm and on Saturday, June 28 for racing from 9.30am-7.00pm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
West Lothian racing driver reveals daily struggles after accident that ended his career
Dario Franchitti has revealed that he is still unable to walk properly when he first wakes up in the morning. Dario Franchitti has revealed that he is still unable to walk properly when he first wakes up in the morning as a result of the high-speed accident that ended his career. The West Lothian racing driver made headlines around the world after his horror IndyCar smash at the Houston Grand Prix in 2013. He fractured his spine, broke his ankle and suffered a concussion thanks to hitting the wall and flying into the safety fence at over 100mph. It was the last time the four-time series champion and three-time winner of the famous Indianapolis 500 competed competitively. And the Bathgate-born ace admits that his life is still affected 12 years on from the shocking incident. 'I don't remember anything about it,' he told the Fuelling Around podcast. 'The last thing I remember is my friend Albert and his wife Hilary's wedding three weeks before. It's still a block. There's tiny little bits that have come back from the day. I was in the pick-up truck ready to do the parade lap and the driver shut the window on my hand and my fingers were in the bloody door. 'I remember the little earpieces you wear that have got G-sensors in them to measure how hard you hit your head if you crash. They had come disconnected and it was hitting me in the armpit and it was annoying me in the car. About a week later I remember flying to Indianapolis on a wee hospital plane but the best part of a month has just gone. 'I don't like to watch my accidents. I think I had actually retired before I watched the 2013 one. I was watching a documentary that they wanted me to proof and make sure it was all true. I saw the shunt and it made me go 'uuuuurgh, Jesus' and of course you go 'hang on' and then you wind it back and start watching and you can see the suspension of [Takuma] Sato's car break and all that stuff. But it was so long ago. 'It's funny, I think about it every morning. When I try and get up and I try to start walking in the morning, because the right ankle is all metal, I have to do a bit of a shuffle until everything gets warmed up. So I do think about it. But I am massively grateful, every day, because I've lost some great friends in this sport. It's definitely a double-edged sword.' The 52-year-old joined old friend and fellow motorsport legend Jason Plato, one of the podcast's co-hosts, to chat about a range of motorsport and motoring topics during the near one-hour episode. He spoke about his admiration for the Isle of Man TT competitors and touched on his mental struggles after another major accident at Homestead, Miami, in 2000. 'I've always had a healthy respect for what we did,' he added on the award-winning show. 'I was a bit more risk adverse when I was younger. The shunt in 2000, I broke my pelvis and I mashed my brain up. That one took longer to get over, in fact I still suffer from the side effects of that one today. That one was probably the hardest one to get over, the fear of getting back in the car. Because my brain wasn't working at full strength anymore, I couldn't process the fear. 'As time went by, I just became less risk adverse and I was able to shut it out. Jackie Stewart would call it mind management and I became prepared to risk more than I ever thought I would. That crash was a cracker.' After the crash on the final lap of the Grand Prix at NRG Park in Houston in October 2013, Franchitti moved home to Scotland to concentrate on his recovery. He had divorced from first wife Ashley Judd earlier in the year, although the couple remain good friends. He has since married hedge fund executive Eleanor and they now have two children together. Doctors have cleared him to compete in amateur classic car events and he has also worked as a racing commentator and TV presenter.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Allingham completes Superstock double at Brands
David Allingham completed a Superstock double at the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Ireland's Allingham beat championship leader Ilya Mikhalchik by just 0.594 seconds in the second race around the Grand Prix circuit in SMS BMW rider had dropped to second behind Tom Ward in the early stages but responded to take the lead on lap nine and he held off Mikhalchik on the final Saturday, the 30-year-old had beaten Mikhalchik to the chequered flag by just 0.3 seconds after starting the race from pole was a first two victories of the season for Allingham, who is now up to third in the standings and 47 points behind leader at Brands Hatch, Nikki Coates beat title rival Barry Burrell by just 0.062 seconds to extend his championship lead in the BMW Motorrad F 900 R the British Superbike Championship, Andrew Irwin finished 11th and seventh in the opening two races but he failed to finish the third Swann secured three points finishes with 14th and two 12th places.
Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Paul Jordan eager to join list of NI winners at Armoy's ‘Race of Legends'
Since the Irish national road race was first run in 2009, only Ryan Farquhar, Michael Dunlop and Davey Todd can lay claim to having won the blue riband race. Held each year in memory of the legendary Armoy Armada road racing quartet of Joey Dunlop, Frank Kennedy, Mervyn Robinson and Jim Dunlop — who competed together at Irish road races from the mid to late 1970s — the race has been dominated by Michael Dunlop, whose victory in 2023 was his 10th Legends success. The Isle of Man TT record-breaker is absent this year, as is English rival Todd, who was a winner of the big race in 2022 and 2024. A new name will be added to the trophy today, with Magherafelt racer Paul Jordan putting down a marker yesterday after he claimed pole position in qualifying on the Jackson Racing by Prosper2 Honda. Jordan lapped at 106.324mph, but Republic of Ireland rider Mike Browne was only a few tenths of a second slower on his Honda at 106.087mph. Manxman Conor Cummins is another chief contender on the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing BMW along with fourth-fastest Michael Sweeney (MJR BMW) and Yorkshire's Jamie Coward on the KTS Racing BMW, who made his return from injury at the Southern 100 this month following a crash at the North West 200 in May. Phil Crowe, the runner-up last year behind Todd, also can't be ruled out on his BMW. Jordan, though, will be fired up to emulate fellow Ulster winners Dunlop and Farquhar by winning the Superbike showdown. The 34-year-old is having a fine season, winning his first race at the North West 200 in the Supertwin category and securing another rostrum at the TT, again in the Supertwin class. Jordan, who also finished fourth in the second Supersport race at the TT in June, set a new lap record as he won the Supertwin race at Armoy yesterday and finished a close third in the Supersport race. However, he has been eager to prove himself on the 1000cc machines and a win today would be a feather in his cap. 'I was able to do the lap times (in Superbike qualifying) on my own, so that will only help me,' Jordan said. 'It's been good, a win and a third, so it's good for the team and good for me. 'A backmarker just played a bit of a part on the last lap there (in the Supersport race), which sort of ended it (challenge for second place), but I'm happy. We'll get another go at it tomorrow.' Browne will be aiming to double up in the Supersport class on the BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha after his win last night, while Jordan will fancy his chances of a repeat in today's Supertwin race. Dan Sayle sealed pole in the Moto3/125GP class with Ballymena's Barry Davidson quickest in qualifying for the Lightweight Supersport/GP250 race on the Bry Joinery 250 Honda. Former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams is competing on a 400 Kawasaki in the Lightweight race and was third fastest in qualifying on his return to the event after a long absence. Andy Farrell starts from pole in the Classic Superbike race with Sam West also on the front row in second place.
