A gorgeous sun drenched North Coast of Northern Ireland set the scene for the first Practice / Qualifying Session of the 2017 International North West 200.
This is why we love the North Coast – when it’s good it’s so good!
Northern Ireland’s North Coast gets fired up for the 2017 Tuesday Practice Session
The sun was out and just after 10am the riders came out and entertained us for the next 5 hours or so.
Here is a quick run down of the results from each of the sessions.
(I have plenty of pics to sort out too, but first things first, here is how things are playing out leading up to Thursday’s session).
SUPERBIKES :
1. Alastair Seeley (Tyco BMW) 4m 25.1s 121.811mph
2. Michael Rutter (Bathams/SMT BMW (4m 26.670s 121.093mph
After last weeks soaking I had been keeping an constant eye on the weather forecast for Cookstown and the Cookstown 100 Races.
It changed every day! Sunny, wet, overcast, wet, sunny but cold… it just changed every time I looked it up!
By this morning the forecast was dry but overcast and then some rain round about 1pm that should blow over pretty quickly.
With that in mind I figured the trip would be worth it and I ventured towards my first ever Cookstown 100.
It wasn’t far wrong…
2017 Cookstown 100 Weather
As I said above this was my first Cookstown 100 and it is instantly one of my favourite race meetings.
Maybe I was just lucky but the spot I managed to find was outstanding. The bikes were close, fast and spent most of the time I seen them either on the back wheel or in the air. It was truly amazing and has instantly made me a huge fan of this event! The effort these guys were putting in was breath taking.
The event had many red flags, pretty much a red flag for every race – bar the 125 / Moto 3 race and the Classics. Thankfully there were no reports of any serious injuries. More than that, even with so many incidents to deal with the organisers still managed to get the full program raced – leading to a great day for the riders and spectators alike.
I haven’t had a look through my camera yet but I think I managed some awesome photos so a full gallery will follow shortly but in the meantime here’s what you came here for…
So it is practice day for the for the Cookstown 100 and the roads are currently closed (until 21:30) so there is still plenty of time for you to get there and get watching some high octane pre race sessions.
Tomorrow is Race Day and the roads will close at 10:00am sharp – so don’t be late.
Here is some vital information to make sure you get there on time :
Oh and in case this has any sway on your attendance, Motorbike Racing Royalty will be in attendance : (William Dunlop has also confirmed a late entry 😉 )
Today (25/04/2017) it was tragically announced that Italian Road Racer, Dario Cecconi, succumbed to injuries received at the Tandragee 100 on Saturday 22nd April 2017.
Rest in Peace / Ride in Peace Dario.
Dario Cecconi PRESS RELEASE 11 TANDRAGEE 100 2017
25th APRIL 2017
STATEMENT REGARDING DARIO CECCONI
The North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club (Tarmac Section) Ltd deeply regrets to announce that Dario Cecconi, a 38 year old competitor from Italy, who sustained serious injuries after the chequered flag had gone out for the Senior Support Race on Saturday 22nd April 2017 has succumbed to his injuries.
Dario was a much loved competitor, who called the Tandragee 100 his ‘home’, did much to promote the Tandragee 100 across Europe and even had a tattoo of the Tandragee 100 Course on his arm. Dario started racing for fun at track days in Tuscany on a 600cc Suzuki and at the end of 2009, he decided that road racing was what he wanted to concentrate on. On the 12th June 2010, Dario set out on his first road race, Carpasio-Pratipiani.
When Dario first came to Tandragee in 2012 and was asked for his opinion of Irish Road Racing he replied “I completely fell in love with the Irish Road Racing World! I like the riders, the courses, the spectators and everyone in and around the paddock…I come in my van, by myself, for about 45 hours only to travel 45 hours back home again and I love it. There is a special atmosphere we can find only there. No other tracks give us this thrill, and no other meetings give us the sense of being part of a family.”
When asked what makes him love racing, he gave what can only be described as an honest answer, “When I race, I feel free – I do not think, just act or react. It’s a sort of trance and it is absolutely amazing. I feel at home and calm when I have my helmet on and the visor down, it’s hard to explain…everything is natural.”
Dario will be very sadly missed by the Club. Dario was an experienced competitor who had competed in a number of Irish Road Races; this year being his 6th year at Tandragee.
The Officials and the Club extend their sympathy to Dario’s family and partner at this saddest of times.
Guy Martin’s return to the road racing scene took an early spill at the 2017 Tandragee 100 when his Honda collided with that of fellow racer, Paul Jordan, at Marlacoo Corner, on the opening lap of the Superbike Race.
Most importantly neither rider was hurt and as the photographs show it turned into probably the most amicable spill ever with the two guys sitting up, having a chat and a cup of tea.
Paul Jordan even found the light hearted side of the crash a short time later on his Twitter Feed.
So today Guy Matrin wanted to meet me, had to tell him after there is always easier ways to say hello. Both of us were totally fine. ?? pic.twitter.com/j00bVVClpx
Well today unfortunately the weather forecasts could not have been more wrong. For at least the last week the forecast was overcast, but dry. That was wrong it was overcast and wet.
The day did start off dry and we got a couple of races before the mizzle started. The problem is it never stopped and as the day went on, it got harder right up to the point where there were reports coming in (via Twitter) of standing water on sections of the course.
This was the forecast for the hour following the Senior Support Race :
2017 Tandragee 100 Weather
The deteriorating weather conditions and a race incident (no further details known at this stage) – just at the end of the Senior Support Race brought the days events to an end – before we could have a SuperSports race and the days feature race – The Tandragee 100.
Most importantly I wish a speedy recovery to the rider involved in the Race Incident.
The Results of the days completed races are as follows :
The cover art for the 2017 Isle of Man TT Programme has been released, and this year its consists of a 2 piece collector set, were you will have the option of Michael Dunlop or Ian Hutchinson…
2017 Isle of Man TT Programme Cover Art – Who Will You Choose?
Personally I think the covers look excellent, however I am not so convinced on the actual concept. I can only presume that the Isle of Man is feeding off the rivalry that sparked last year after the Senior Race when MD and Hutchy had a little tete a tete that wasn’t so private…
I believe that every rider that sets off from that start line deserves a cover, so personally I think a more generic photograph is more suited for the event and the sportsmanship associated with it, but I guess we have to accept (as can be seen across the Irish network) costs are rising and anything that brings in more revenue, to secure the future of each event has to be considered and acted upon – and what is better than a clash at the top? So Hutchy and MD are the top two, the event knows it, and now the spectators are being forced into a Hutchy v MD show down.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
