Successful day at Armoy for Farquhar

Ryan Farquhar marked his return to the Irish National Road Races on Saturday with a successful day's racing at Armoy. Competing at home for the first time since the Bush races back in June, the KMR Kawasaki rider took two wins, two seconds and two lap records from his five races, only a DNF caused by a holed radiator in the feature race preventing him from having a 100% finishing record.

Ryan's opening race of the day was the Supersport encounter where, after making repairs after Scarborough, he was back out on his ZX-6R Kawasaki. Michael Dunlop led the race from start to finish but, behind, Ryan enjoyed a good battle with Michael Pearson with little to choose between the pair. However, Ryan was able to edge away in the closing stages to finish second behind Dunlop but 1.3s clear of Guy Martin who also got the better of Pearson. Next up was the Open race where Dunlop again stole the early advantage before Ryan was able to sneak ahead. At the end of 4 laps there was just 0.3s between the front two but Dunlop slowly began to ease clear as Ryan found himself locked in another tussle with Pearson. Whilst Ryan was quicker in some places, Pearson was quicker in others and the positions changed on a number of occasions but, eventually, Ryan sealed second place for his second runner-up spot of the day.

The 450cc race followed which was a much simpler affair for Ryan as he ran out victor by some 20.3s, also setting a new lap record of 89.561mph and that led into the feature 'Race of Legends' event. However, on the 3rd lap, a stone kicked up by one of the lead machines punctured a hole in Ryan's radiator and he had little option other than to retire, his only DNF of the day. That just left the Supertwins race and Ryan took his second win of the day some 10 seconds ahead of John Burrows with another new lap record to his name, a lap of 94.881mph.

Speaking later, a pleased Ryan said: "Everything's been spot-on today and with the exception of the main race, I've had a really good day's racing. I managed to get the 600 going again although I found that the filter in the fuel pump was blocked so that was holding me back a bit in practice but the bike was a lot better in the race. Michael Dunlop was flying and away with it so I had a good dice with Michael Pearson and managed to pull away from him towards the end. It was a similar story in the Open race and although I led on a couple of occasions, Michael was setting a fast pace and I had to let him go. The bike was running a bit rich and although I don't think I could have beaten him, I think it would have been a bit closer had it not been for that."

"Instead, I had my hands full with Pearson again and whilst I was quicker in some parts, he kept getting by me on the brakes into Armoy village which subsequently held me up a bit as it was hard to find a way by in the section after that. However, I managed to put in a decent pass on him to take another second and followed that up with a good win on the 450. The main race was going well until the radiator got holed and even though we had stainless steel mesh covering it, the stone that got kicked up still put a big hole in it and that was the end of the race for me. I was disappointed not to finish but I ended the day with a win and a lap record in the Supertwins race so I'm happy enough. The break has done me good and I feel like I'm riding as well as ever, which could be seen in the speeds as the lap records were broken in every class. I'm just focussing on enjoying my racing now and that's exactly how this weekend has been so I'm really looking forward to more of the same next time out."



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Burrows to the fore at Kells International races

John Burrows was one of the stars of the 2011 Adelaide Insurance International Kells Road Races which were staged in County Meath last weekend, July 16/17. After qualifying had finished on the Saturday evening, John unwound and relaxed before a tough day's racing by mingling with supporters at a great barbeque which was laid on by the Joni B Supporters Club.

The weather on race day was miserable but the rain did not deter the Dungannon racer from putting on a great show for the thousands of fans who turn up annually for the Kells Club's popular and well run promotion.

Early in the Supertwins race, Burrows built up a good lead with his KBM Kawasaki 650, but Michael Sweeney managed to reduce the lead and somewhat stole the victory in the closing stages. Burrows was disappointed to lose the race but took some consolation from the fact that he took another step towards retaining the Irish Supertwins title by beating Andy Farrell, the man closest to him in the points standings. Farrell was third.

In the two races for 1000cc Superbikes, Burrows mixed it with the men who had star billing - the Dunlop Brothers and Australian Cameron Donald. In the Senior Championship race, Burrows led for two laps but his choice of a soft compound rear wet tyre let him down and he slipped back to fourth at the finish behind Michael Dunlop, William Dunlop and Donald. John said: "The tyre I chose was a little too soft and it just fell to pieces in the closing stages of the race. It was spinning everywhere and had to ease my pace." Burrows made another blinding start in the Grand Final but his tyre woes came back to deny him a rostrum finish. With safety being paramount, Burrows cut back the revs on the Cookstown/BE Suzuki 1000 and brought it home in a very respectable fifth place. Donald was the winner.

Burrows completed a good day's work with fourth place in the Supersport 600 race which was won by William Dunlop. On the last lap Burrows made a successful bid for fourth which relegated Southern Ireland's current number one road racer, Derek Sheils, to fifth.

This coming weekend, the Cookstown/BE Racing team will make the long journey to County Limerick for the annual Athea Road Races.

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Four rostrum finishes for Burrows at Athea

JOHN Burrows and his Cookstown/BE Racing team made the long journey to County Limerick last weekend for the annual Athea Road Races. It proved to be a worthwhile trip for the South Tyrone based rider and his crew as it brought a win and a total of four top three finishes.

Burrows started the wet day with a win over Andrew Farrell in the Supertwins race. It was an emphatic win with the margin of victory approaching fifteen seconds. John said: "I kept my head down and pushed the KBM 650 Kawasaki hard for the entire race distance. There was no way I was slacking off near the end as in two recent Supertwins races I've had victory snatched away from me in the dying seconds. Andy Farrell pipped me to the post at Walderstown and Michael Sweeney mugged me late in the race at Kells. There was no way it was happening again."

In the Supersport 600 race Burrows finished third behind Michael Dunlop and William Dunlop. In this race, flying stones were a massive problem. John explained: "I was close to the Dunlop brothers in the early stages but I was forced to drop back by the stones that they were kicking up. Loose chippings on the Athea circuit were a pain for all the riders. The stones caused a lot of damage to bikes, helmets, leathers and gloves. There were many painful hits to hands and chests."

Burrows and his Cookstown/BE Racing Suzuki GSXR 1000 got the holeshot in the Senior Championship race in which the Dungannon rider eventually split the two Dunlop brothers. Michael Dunlop emerged the winner but a determined effort from Burrows forced William Dunlop to settle for third. John commented: "On the last lap William and I exchanged second place a number of times. It was a great race which kept the thousands of fans on their toes."

There was a top prize of €5000 for the winner of the Grand Final and Burrows fought for the money with the Dunlop brothers. In the end the big payout went to William Dunlop who won by two seconds. There was a photo finish for second between Burrows and Michael Dunlop and the €2000 for second was awarded to the Ballymoney rider. Burrows had to settle for the third prize of €500 but he was still satisfied with his performance. He concluded: "Michael Dunlop and I were side by side as we crossed the finishing line. The timing system gave him second place by just three hundredths of a second. To give a TT winner like Michael such a tough run proves how well my team and I are performing at present."

After four consecutive road race meetings in the Republic of Ireland, the action returns to Northern Ireland this coming weekend when the venue will be Armoy in North County Antrim.

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Farquhar denied as Mid Antrim gets cancelled



 Ryan Farquhar was denied the opportunity of adding to his haul of Irish National road race wins on Saturday when the Mid Antrim 150 road races were cancelled. The organisers called off the event at 12.30pm because of extensive oil spillages on the circuit, with sabotage believed to be the likely cause of the damage.

Practice took place on Friday evening without a hitch and Ryan was able to claim pole position for all of his races whilst new team recruit Jamie Hamilton made his road racing bow on the KMR ER6 Kawasaki, also taking pole position in his class. However, when the organisers and competitors arrived at the Clough circuit on Saturday, they found that most of it had been covered in oil with a major clean-up operation required.

Whilst this took place, the problem was further heightened by rain fall and although some riders, including Ryan, were prepared to race, many weren’t and the organisers ultimately made the decision to call the meeting off.

Speaking later, a disappointed Ryan said; “It’s a great shame when an oil spillage results in the meeting being cancelled and if it was deliberate then that makes it even worse. Accidents and weather can disrupt things and we accept that but this was something totally different and it’s not fair to all those people – riders, organisers, fans – who make the meeting happen.”

“Practice had gone well for me and I was happy with the performance of the bikes so I was looking forward to a good day’s racing, as was everyone else but a minority denied the whole paddock that opportunity. It was also a great shame for Jamie as he did an absolutely brilliant job. It was his first ever outing at a National road race so to be on pole and just half a second off the class lap record was superb so it bodes well for the future. All we can do is put this behind us, hope it never happens again and look forward to Dundrod and the Ulster GP next week.”


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Burrows is Irish Champion again

Saboteurs, who under cover of darkness poured oil on the race circuit, prevented any racing taking place yesterday at the Mid-Antrim Club's annual road race meeting at Clough.

Cookstown/BE Racing rider John Burrows was one of many riders who was bitterly disappointed and angered by the despicable act but the Dungannon man did have the consolation of being confirmed as 2011 Irish Supertwins Champion. With only two races, at Timoleague and Killalane, in the series remaining, Burrows' current points total cannot be overtaken by any of his title rivals.

Burrows said: "I'm pleased to have retained the Irish Supertwins title, it's a great reward for my team and sponsors who continue to give me fantastic support. The circumstances that forced the abandonment of racing at Clough have taken a little shine of the title win as I'm choked because I didn't get to race on what is one of my favourite circuits."

Burrows was confident of four podium finishes had racing not been so cruelly wiped out. He commented: "After qualifying I was set up for four podium finishes. I qualified second for the two Superbike races, second for the Supertwins event and third in the Supersport class. In Superbike qualifying I was just 1.1 seconds behind Ryan Farquhar and I felt I was in a position to challenge him. "I'm upset that we didn't get to race and I'm also sorry for all the fans who were denied entertainment and I'm sorry for the promoting club - the members who put in so much hard work to make event happen must be devastated."

Burrows and his Cookstown/BE Racing team travelled straight from Clough to Dundrod where they set up camp for the Dundrod 150/ Ulster GP races which take place this coming Thursday and Saturday. Qualifying on the world famous Dundrod circuit takes commences on Wednesday.

Burrows is looking forward to the international event: "Last year I finished fourth in the Dundrod Supertwins event and went two places better in the Ulster GP Supertwins race. I'll be aiming to get on the rostrum twice this year. In addition to the Supertwins outings on the KBM 650 Kawasaki, I'll be competing in the Superbike races on my Cookstown/BE Suzuki 1000 and I'll have my new ZX10R Kawasaki in action in the Superstock race. I'm giving the 600 Yamaha a rest this week.

"In Superbike and Superstock the opposition will be mighty tough and the fields are loaded with factory supported riders. I'd be really happy to get top ten finishes. My other aim at Dundrod will be to up my personal best lap speed. I've been around at 126 mph but I'll be pushing hard to make it into the 130 mph club this year."

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Behan wins at Brands!!

Using a Maxton GP10 rear shock absorber and the Maxton GP30 fork internals Connor Behan continued his excellent form in the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship with a 2.3 second victory and a New lap Record of 1.31.084.

Connor had great weekend qualifying in pole position with a time of 1.30.990, half a second quicker than any other rider. He then continued that form in to the race, where after a couple safety cars he made a break for it and brought his Kawasaki ZX-6RR home to a well deserved victory.

Connor is know moved up to second in the championship 26 points behind the leader Keith Farmer. Connor is now hoping to continue his excellent form through to the end of the season to try to win the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship.



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Brands Hatch Report

It was a disappointing weekend at Brands Hatch for Blackhorse Kawasaki as Victor Cox and Brad Anderson both crashed out from strong positions in the latest rounds of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 and 600 Championships respectively. As in recent rounds, Cox had again been well on the pace throughout the entire weekend, he was the highest placed Kawasaki rider in first qualifying as he finished the session second quickest and he also finished second fastest in Qualifying 2 to again qualify the Ninja ZX-10R on the front row of the grid.

Victor got a great start as he led the field out on to their first lap and the Trowbridge rider was still in front as they crossed the line at the end of the lap. However, Howie Mainwaring got past going into Paddock Hill bend and on the third lap Richard Cooper got past at Druids to relegate Victor to third. But Cox and the team's Ninja ZX-10R were both 'on song', being quickest through the second sector and more than capable of running at the front.

On the fourth lap, Jimmy Storrar went into third but it was still anyone's race with the top ten runners in the one TV camera shot. Then on the fifth lap a big moment for Cox as he somehow stayed on his bike as it did its level best to pitch him off at Druids, Victor however lost three places and dropped to sixth but by the end of the lap he had gamely fought his way back to fifth at the expense of Tristan Palmer.

On to the sixth lap, and with spots of rain reported at the back of the circuit, Cox had to ride a measured race to keep the leaders in touch whilst in turn fending off Palmer. On the eighth lap he got past Storrar to move into fourth and set about catching the three riders in front.

However it all went wrong at Paddock Hill on the ninth lap as Victor ran off the track and with the speed he was carrying it was impossible, despite his best efforts, to stay on board and he parted company from his machine. At first it seemed he was ok but his obvious pain at crashing was soon replaced by physical pain as he made his way off the circuit. A medical check-up thankfully revealed no serious injury.

Conor Cummins meanwhile narrowly missed out on the points when he finished in 18th place. Conor was looking to make it two successive points scoring finishes but he missed out by just two seconds after another strong ride.

A solid start to the weekend saw Conor post the 19th fastest time in the first qualifying session around the 2.43-mile GP circuit and he went quicker still in the second and final session, taking three tenths off his time to record a new best of 1m30.659s. Although he slipped back to 22nd, he was only just over 1.5s off pole position and well in contention for scoring points come race day.

An excellent start to the 15-lap race made that possibility come closer to reality as he leapt up to 16th place at the end of the first lap, right on the tail of fellow road racer John McGuinness. It was here where Conor remained until lap 4 when fellow Kawasaki rider Patrick Medcalf pushed him back a place to 17th but he was still well in contention for the points, part of an eight rider group battling for 12th place. Although Chris Northover and Lee Costello overhauled him, he remained in 18th when team-mate Cox crashed out but any hopes of climbing any higher were ended when the race was stopped prematurely due to a rain shower hitting the Kent venue and so he had to settle for another 18th place finish.

Speaking afterwards, a satisfied Conor said: "Whilst I didn't finish in the points today, I thoroughly enjoyed today's race and learnt an awful lot about the bike so it should stand us in good stead for the rest of the season. I got a really good start and made a good jump forward so the plan was to run as consistent a pace as I could. I was right behind John so wanted to follow him but I made a couple of mistakes here and there and struggled for consistency which was why I ended up dropping back a bit. It's been hard to find a good set-up this weekend but the bike was a lot better for the race and if it wasn't for my little mistakes I'm sure we could have been in the points."

"It's a new bike and we're learning all the time, continually making strides forward so it would be great if we could get some solid, consistent finishes in the final few rounds. I'm enjoying myself and am getting ever closer to being where I want to be so a big thanks to everyone in the Blackhorse Kawasaki team and my personal sponsors - we're not a million miles away so we can be confident heading to the next round."

Brad Anderson was also enjoying one of his best meetings of the season on the Ninja ZX-6R. From 12th on the grid for the Metzeler National Superstock 600 race, Anderson had fought his way up to eighth and was challenging strongly for a place in the top six when he unfortunately crashed out also unhurt, ironically at Paddock Hill.

It's a return to the roads for Blackhorse Kawasaki with the Ulster Grand Prix this weekend, where the famous event's second most successful competitor Ian Lougher will be looking to add to his list of successes round the Dundrod circuit, of which he is also the joint second most successful rider.

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Farquhar retains Cock o’ the North Trophy at Oliver’s Mount







 Ryan Farquhar retained his Cock o’ the North trophy at Oliver’s Mount in superb fashion on Sunday when he pulled off a thrilling last lap manoeuvre over long time race leader Michael Pearson. The KMR Kawasaki shadowed his rival for the majority of the race before getting the better of his fellow countryman at Mountside Hairpin to keep the trophy for another year. With two more wins over the course of the two days, it was another successful weekend of road racing for Farquhar.

Conditions on Saturday at Scarborough were dry but cool and overcast with Ryan’s first outing coming in the 600cc race although this was soon halted and pushed back to later in the day. So, the first Superbike race was his first proper race and he immediately took the holeshot on the ZX-10R Superstock machine. He retained the lead until just after half race distance when Pearson overhauled him and although there was little between the duo, Ryan was unable to find a way by and he had to settle for second spot. Next up was the re-scheduled 600cc race and another good start saw Ryan take the lead but it was short-lived as problems with the Supersport bike saw him retire just a few corners later. However, he ended the day positively with a dominant win in the Supertwins race.

Sunday saw similar conditions around the woodland venue and with no time to repair the 600cc bike, Ryan was first out in the Superbike race where it was Pearson who this time led at the end of the first lap. Ryan sat behind him until he hit the front at the end of lap 5 on the entry to Farm Bends but Pearson wasn’t to be denied and retook the lead with a lap to go, holding on for the win by just 0.215s although Ryan did claim the fastest lap of the weekend at 82.956mph.

The feature Cock o’ the North race was next and although it was due to be held over 10 laps an incident saw it red flagged and ultimately re-started over 8 laps. It was again Pearson who held sway as the riders wound their way round the narrow, tree-lined circuit. The BMW rider looked like he had the race win sewn up but Ryan was always within striking distance and a superb late-braking attempt at Mountside Hairpin on the 8th and final lap saw him take the victory. He then rounded off his weekend with a hard fought victory over Ivan Lintin in the second Supertwins race.

Speaking afterwards, a delighted Ryan said: “It’s been a bit of an up and down weekend but I’m over the moon to have rounded it off with a win in the Cock o’ the North race and take the trophy for a second successive year. I’d had to give second best to Michael in the previous two Superbike race and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get the better of him as he was riding really well whilst I was constantly making changes to the bike to try and improve the handling. The bike doesn’t seem to work the same at any circuit and just when you think you’ve found a good set-up, you have to start again but I’m starting to understand it a lot more now so we’re making progress.”

“I was making changes all weekend and the bike was at its best for the main race so I sat behind Michael and waited to make my move although he was riding very defensively so it was tough going but I squeezed through on the final lap to take a good win. Ivan Lintin pushed me hard in the two Supertwins race but I managed to open up a gap towards the end of each race to take two good wins there and the only disappointment was the 600. We had a few problems in practice when it refused to fire up and although I got a good start in the race it felt like it was going to seize so I pulled the clutch in and coasted to a halt. I’ve got some work to do now to sort it out as we don’t know if it’s an electrical or mechanical problem but when I get home I’ll strip the bike down and make sure I’m all ready for the next race.”


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