Disappointment all round for Farquhar

There was disappointment all round for Ryan Farquhar at the International North West 200 road races with the KMR Kawasaki rider suffering one of his worst meetings in years. The Dungannon star had been hoping to put on a strong showing around the 8.9-mile circuit but all he had to show for his efforts was a 7th place in the Supersport race. An oil leak put paid to his Superbike race and that, combined with a security alert and inclement weather, resulted in long delays and eventual abandonment of the racing.

Despite his Superbike not being ready, Ryan was on the pace throughout qualifying, finishing in the top ten in all three of his classes, but race day dawned wet and windy and, after fitting a wet front tyre and an intermediate rear for the Supersport race, a great start saw Ryan slot into second place going into York Corner and for the next half a lap, he exchanged the lead with Alastair Seeley. By the end of the first lap, Ryan had been pushed back to fourth by Gary Johnson and Bruce Anstey, all riders ahead of him having opted for full wet tyres, and this proved to be the right choice. Ryan battled manfully for the rest of the race but his tyre choice put him at a slight disadvantage and he had to settle for an eventual seventh place at the chequered flag.

A security alert and worsening weather conditions meant a lengthy delay to proceedings but eventually the Superbikes came to the line and with another good start, Ryan slotted into second behind fellow Kawasaki rider Michael Dunlop. The duo exchanged positions on the run to Magherabuoy before Seeley hit the front but coming through Dhu Varren, Ryan lost the back end twice and he was lucky to stay on. Unbeknown to him, the bike had sprung an oil leak although the bike was still running at full power but further along the coast road, Ryan realised something was wrong and he pulled off the course as soon as it was safe to do so and his race was over.

The race was subsequently stopped and a clear up process begun but with rain continuing to fall, the organisers were unable to make the track safe for racing and the decision was ultimately made to abandon the rest of the meeting.

Speaking later, a downcast Ryan said; "It's been a really disappointing week and nothing's gone right. It was a shame that the Superbike wasn't ready but I felt good in qualifying despite having a few teething issues with the two bikes. The forecast for Saturday wasn't the greatest and I thought I'd have a good chance in all of the races but it went wrong from the beginning when I made the wrong decision with the tyres in the Supersport race. I got to the front as soon as I could but the others boys just had better grip and I couldn't stay on the same pace that they were running."

"The Superbike race started brilliantly and I knew I had to be in the front two by the time I got to York to have a chance. Alastair and Michael had got by me but I still felt comfortable in third. Just after I went under the railway bridge at Dhu Varren though, the bike went sideways on me twice and if it wasn’t for the traction control cutting in, I’d have been off without doubt so I was very lucky. I thought I’d hit some standing water or was simply pushing too hard and the bike was still running at full power so there wasn't any reason to think there was anything wrong. However, the bike then went into a strange drift at Black Hill which made me think the tyre wasn’t working right but I didn't want to pull off line immediately as I knew Bruce and Gary were right behind me and after what happened between Stuart Easton and Gary Mason in practice, I didn’t want them to run into the back of me. As soon as approached Juniper, I put my foot out to warn all the other riders I was pulling in and it was only when I stopped that I discovered the bike was covered in oil.”

“I pulled off the circuit as soon as it was safe to do so but there was a lot of oil on the bike and I just don’t know yet what the cause of it was so we’ve sent it away to be checked and repaired. I can't remember the last time I had a mechanical problem as I put so much time and effort into the preparation of the bikes. Personally, it’s been a very disappointing NW200 for me as I came here looking for some decent results before the TT but it just hasn’t happened. What with the security alert and the weather, it's been a tough day and a real disappointment for everyone concerned."

Ryan has only a few days to re-group as he heads to the Isle of Man on Thursday for the TT with first practice taking place on Monday May 30.

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Conrod's Roads Return!

Isle of Man TT Superbike lap record holder Conor Cummins made his return to real road racing at the 2011 North West 200.

The Ramsey Rocket has competed at the first three rounds of the 2011 National Superstock championship but last week raced his McAdoo Kawasaki Racing machines for the first time since TT 2010.

Practice was held in the dry and Conrod took things steadily, gradually building up his pace whilst becoming more familiar with the 2011 McAdoo Kawasaki machines. His best qualifying position was 13th in the Supersport 600cc class with sixth row starts in the Superbike and Superstock 1000cc classes for race day.

Unfortunately the wind and rain arrived late Friday night throwing race day into turmoil. Race one of the day was switched to Supersport race one and Conrod made a decent start from 13th and got settled into the race. The Pirelli wet tyres were working fantastically and gave Conor the confidence to push ahead passing a few riders to climb to 11th at the end of lap two. Lap three saw him get up to 10th and rapidly catch the scrap for 8th between Guy Martin and Lee Johnston. His pace was much faster than Martin and Johnston's but by the chequered flag he just couldn't find a way past and settled for a very promising and creditable 10th.

After more rain Superbike race one began and Conor had a lot of work ahead with 17 riders in front of him on the grid. However, he made a terrific start and was in 10th place half way around lap one. Nearing the end of the lap he was up to 7th but his early efforts were all in vain as Ryan Farquhar's Superbike engine blew up in a major way and left a trail of oil over one mile long right on the racing line. The organisers had no choice but to show the red flag and stop the race on safety grounds. The combination of the oil and worsening weather conditions meant the entire meeting was abandoned and that was the end of NW200 2011.

A disappointing end to the event but both Conrod and his McAdoo Kawasaki team were more than happy with the meeting. Conor's pace was building all week and with more time on the bikes he'll surely progress to his usual position at the sharp end of the road race scene. Onwards now to the Isle of Man TT with first practice on Monday 30th May. Bring it on!

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Frustrating Weekend at Croft

The BSB Metzeler National Superstock Championships resumed with Round 3 at Croft at the weekend, and Blackhorse Kawasaki came away from the North Yorkshire venue once again rueing their early season run of bad luck. Twenty-fifth in tricky conditions in Superstock 600 Free Practice, Brad Anderson was looking good in the early stages of the First Qualifying session when he unfortunately crashed on the third lap, sustaining torn thumb ligaments which will sideline him for the next two meetings.

For Victor Cox it was the race meeting where he got his 2011 campaign underway with a 14th place points score but it all could have been so much different for the Trowbridge rider. A steady 18th in difficult conditions in Free Practice was followed by 12th in First Qualifying where Victor was on his first real flying lap when the session was red-flagged. Drier conditions in the following session saw him finish well up in seventh for a second row start in the race, just under a second off pole and the second highest placed Kawasaki rider.

Victor got a good start in the race, keeping out of trouble as the field headed into the first corner and at the end of the lap he was right up with the front runners and challenging in fifth, with a half second buffer to the chasing group led by Richard Cooper. However on the second lap Victor dropped back to seventh and at half race distance, as he crossed the line in 10th, it was obvious that all was possibly not well with his bike.

That possibility became a reality a few seconds later as Victor went wide into Clervaux with his left hand raised and was clearly seen to be looking down at his machine as he accelerated out of Hawthorn to re-join the action. It later transpired that Victor was having trouble changing gear due to a bent gear change rod on his Ninja ZX-10R. Despite this he battled on to bring the bike home in 14th for two hard earned championship points which did little however to hide his bitter disappointment.

Conor Cummins also endured a frustrating race at Croft and although 18th equalled his best result of the year, he too was left pondering what might have been.

Following the trend of the opening two rounds, Conor quickened his pace over the two days of practice and qualifying, held in both wet and dry conditions, and in the final qualifying session, he was able to knock some 1.6s off his time to qualify in 22nd place for a sixth row start.The race itself on Sunday saw dry conditions and after maintaining his starting spot on the opening couple of laps, Conor began to move forward and with Howie Mainwaring and Adam Jenkinson going out in the second half of the race, he was able to cross the line at the end of the 12 laps in 18th place thus equalling his result of Oulton Park two weeks ago. Once again, he also lapped quicker in the race than what he had done in qualifying although problems under acceleration meant he wasn't happy with the end result.

Talking later, Conor said; "Practice went well and, like always, I just chipped away and got quicker with each and every session. I lost a bit of time in second qualifying due to the padding on the seat moving around a bit but I went over a second and a half quicker and to be only half a second off the top 15 put me in a good frame of mind for the race."

"The race itself though was the poorest I've had since I got back and although it equalled my best finish of the season, it was very frustrating. Although I was lapping quicker each time I went out, I was struggling with the bike wheelying coming out of the corners and that meant I was losing a lot of time along the straights so no sooner was I gaining time, I was losing it straightaway. We thought we'd got it cured for the race but it wasn't to be and I simply wasn't able to move forward as I would have liked. Everyone's working really hard and I'm edging ever closer to the top 15 and Championship points, so we'll keep working hard and look at getting into the top 15 as soon as possible."

Next up is the International North-West 200 in Northern Ireland, where team manager/rider Ian Lougher will be in the Blackhorse Kawasaki colours.

Practice takes place on Tuesday and Thursday with race day on Saturday May 21.

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More success for Farquhar at Tandragee

Ryan Farquhar's successful start to the 2011 road racing season continued on Saturday when the KMR Kawasaki rider took a double victory at the Tandragee 100 road races. The Dungannon rider took the wins in the Super Twins and Moto 450 races whilst he also scored a brace of close seconds in the Open and Supersport 600 races before heavy rain caused the final Tandragee 100 feature race to be abandoned.

Despite heavy rain the evening before, that saw practice curtailed, conditions were good for the Open race and a good start saw Ryan take an early lead before Michael Dunlop, having his first outing on his Superbike, nosed ahead a lap later. There was little to choose between the two around the demanding 5.3-mile circuit and Ryan closed right in on Dunlop with two laps to go but, try as he might, he was unable to find a way through and had to settle for second on this occasion. Meanwhile, fellow KMR Kawasaki teamster Sandor Bitter took a creditable 17th place on his Tandragee debut. It was an almost identical story in the Supersport race too, with Ryan and Dunlop again going head to head. Dunlop took the lead on the opening lap before Ryan took over for the next couple of laps but Dunlop wasn't to be denied his 2nd race win and Ryan had to again accept second place.

As the clouds rolled in, Ryan was soon back out on his 450 Kawasaki for the Moto 450 race and he was able to take a comfortable start to finish victory in the 4-lap race, aided by a new lap record of 93.917mph. By mid-afternoon, light drizzle had begun to fall but it had stopped when the Super Twins race came to the line and it saw Ryan enjoy a terrific battle with team-mate Adrian Archibald. There was little between the two over the 4 laps but, despite Archibald setting a new class lap record of 101.146mph, Ryan held on by just 0.186s for his second win of the day with Adrian in second and the third KMR Kawasaki of Trevor Ferguson in 8th. That proved to be the last of the race action though as heavy rain caused the feature Tandragee 100 race to be abandoned.

Speaking later Ryan said; "It's been another busy weekend and another good meeting for myself and the team. The evening and overnight rain meant there were a few damp patches on race day but Michael and myself had a good battle in the Open race. It was a close race and there wasn't much difference in the speed of the Superbike and Superstock machines whilst we were both riding hard. I had a wee problem with the clutch but rode as hard as I could but it just wasn't good enough to win. Meanwhile, Sandor rode well for a good finish so it was a good ride and a good experience for him. The 600cc race was another hard race and it was a similar story to the Open event - Michael just beat me fair and square, it's as simple as that!"

"The 450 was a straightforward, enjoyable race whilst the Super Twins race panned out exactly as I'd hoped. Adrian and myself were wheel to wheel all the way through the race and the two 650s were working really well. I think it was the first time we'd lapped quicker than the 250s and I really enjoyed the race. I just managed to hold Adrian off on the run in to the line and to get the first 1-2 for KMR Kawasaki was brilliant. When the rain came, it just wasn't possible to continue racing though. The organisers have a done a great job with the circuit but there's a couple of places around Tandragee where the tar is really shiny and when it gets wet, it's like ice so it was the right decision to call it a day. We've got a lot of work to do now between now and the North West and my priority is to get my Superbike finished so, hopefully, we can have another good meeting there."

Ryan and the team will next head to the Causeway Coast for the International North West 200 road races, with first practice taking place on Tuesday 17th May.

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