Irish Road Racing Archives - Page 8 of 24 - TBNI.Blog

Josh Brookes back for the 2025 North West 200

January 27, 2025 by TomBoyNI

Josh Brookes back for the 2025 North West 200 :

It has been confirmed via a Press Release that Josh Brookes will ride at the 2025 North West 200 Road Races alongside Jackson Racing.

JOSH BROOKES RETURNS TO ACTION AT 2025 BRIGGS EQUIPMENT NORTH WEST 200 WITH JACKSON RACING HONDA

Josh Brookes, a former double British Superbike champion and an outright lap record holder around the 8.9 mile Triangle course, will return to Portrush with the Jackson Racing Prosper2 team during this year’s Briggs Equipment North West 200 race week on May 5-10.

The 41 year old Australian will compete alongside Northern Ireland’s Paul Jordan on Superbike, Superstock and Supersport-spec Hondas prepared by Alan Jackson’s Preston-based squad.

Paul Jordan enjoyed a run of top six finishes on the Jackson Racing machines in the Merrow Hotel and Spa Superbike race, CP Hire Superstock event, Tides Restaurant and Fraser Homes Supersport races at last year’s North West.

‘We want to build on that success.’ the team principal said.

FHO Racing Return to 2025 NW200

December 3, 2024 by TomBoyNI

FHO Racing Return to 2025 NW200 :

The NW200 have confirmed in a social media post that FHO Racing will return to the 2025 North West 200.

Following a two year absence, the FHO Racing BMW team will compete at the 2025 Briggs Equipment North West 200 with Peter Hickman and new signing, Davey Todd aboard M1000RR BMWs in the Superbike and Superstock races during May 5-10 Race Week.

‘Having missed the last two years, I am happy to say FHO Racing will be participating in the 2025 North West 200 with my two rider line-up.’ team owner, Faye Ho said.

‘I am very much looking forward to coming back and putting on a good show for everyone and it will be great to see all of the team’s fans again. Hope to see you all in 2025!’

A delighted NW200 Race Director, Mervyn Whyte, agreed the deal during November’s Macau Grand Prix, ensuring one of the principal race teams and two of the leading riders in the British Superbike championship will be on the grid at Portrush in May.

‘Davey Todd won this year’s British Superstock championship and moves up to the Superbike series for 2025 where he is joining Peter Hickman.’ Whyte said.

‘Both Davey and Peter are leading contenders on the roads and tracks and the FHO Racing BMWs have a well-established pedigree of success so this is very exciting news for North West 200 fans.’

Hickman won the JM Paterson and Milltown Service Station Supertwin races at last year’s NW200 and Todd claimed a brilliant hat-trick in the CP Hire and Amici Ristorante Superstock events plus the Tides Restaurant Supersport race.

Motorcycling Ireland Monthly Update : November 2024

December 3, 2024 by TomBoyNI

Motorcycling Ireland Monthly Update : November 2024

Motorcycling Ireland issued their November update on 28th November 2024 and followed that with further information on 29th November 2024.

Monthly Update from the Board of Motorcycling Ireland

As part of our ongoing commitment to better communication, we’re introducing a monthly update to share key highlights from our board meetings. These summaries will provide a snapshot of important topics and ongoing projects.

Here’s what was discussed at this month’s board meeting:

Welcomed New Board Members – We’re excited to introduce new faces to the team!

Positive Progress with Insurance – We have received some positive feedback on current insurance progress. We thank you for your patience while we continue to work hard on this topic. We will release a separate statement on insurance soon.

Upcoming Inter-Centre Conference – Details of the inter-centre conference were discussed, as well as selecting the board members who will represent us at the event. We look forward to this event as a way to bring all of the centres together for discussions on our disciplines and the future of our sport.

Licence Extension – All current competition licences have been extended until February 28th, in line with our current insurance period.

Holeshot Draw – The Holeshot draw raised €175,000 in total, which went a long way in covering our insurance premium. We would once again like to thank everyone who supported the draw. A special thank you to two of the winners who donated their prizes back to the insurance fund.

Website Updates – We’re continuing our work on our new website, with a focus now going to ensure that each discipline will soon have their own section for specific information. This is a work in progress.

If you have any further questions or would like more information, please reach out to your local club. They can either provide additional details or bring your questions directly to your convenors who have more detailed information.

2025 Cookstown 100 Tickets On Sale Now

November 27, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2025 Cookstown 100 Tickets On Sale Now :

The Cookstown Club have confirmed via a Facebook Post that their ticket packages are available until 6th December 2024 so you can get your vouchers in in time for Christmas.

With the date now confirmed for the last weekend in April 2025, online packages are now available to purchase for Christmas presents until Friday 6th December as per previous years!!

Prices for 2025 are as follows:-

Early bird Packages (up to 6th December)- £20

Standard Packages are priced at £25

VIP Packages are priced at £85

Our new VIP area will be located within the paddock with full access to the paddock area, overlooking both the grid and podium area! Hot food and refreshments will be available for all VIPs throughout the event..

To purchase your Packages please use PayPal and enter [email protected] (friends options)..please leave a name, address and email address and quantity required in ‘NOTES SECTION’

**please note with vantage points on private property around the Cookstown 100 course, a package must be purchased to enter these areas**

CDMCC

2025 Tandragee 100 Dates Confirmed

October 28, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2025 Tandragee 100 Dates Confirmed :

Just around two weeks ago the good news that the surfacing work needed for the return of the Tandragee 100 was to go ahead was announced.

The Tandragee 100 last ran in 2022.

Today the North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club (Tarmac Section) have made a press release that the 2025 Tandragee 100 will run over the 27th and 28th June 2025.

These dates will lead to a change in the look of the traditional NI road racing calendar with the Tandragee 100 coming in after the NW200 and Isle of Man TT, slotting in just before the Southern 100.

It is great to have the Tandragee 100 back on the calendar!

PRESS RELEASE 2025 TANDRAGEE 100 – TITLE SPONSOR & DATES

28th October 2024

On behalf of the North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club (Tarmac Section) Ltd, it is with great pleasure I confirm Around-A-Pound has been confirmed as the title sponsor for the 2025 Around-A-Pound Tandragee 100 National Motorcycle Road Races.

The announcement comes as preparations begin to pick up the pace for the event, which is scheduled to take place on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June 2025.

The local company, established by Gerard and Siobhan Rice in 1999, are once again showing their support for the Around-A-Pound Tandragee 100 National Road Race, having been key sponsors for the event since 2005!

“We are delighted that Around-A-Pound is confirmed as this year’s title sponsor. Gerard and Siobhan have been very supportive towards both the Club and the event for nearly 20 years, and we are thrilled to be continuing that relationship in 2025. The event just would not be the same without them, they have not only contributed significantly in a financial way since 2005, but been ‘hands on’ with course set up and on occasion offered advice and support when needed.

2025 Tandragee 100 Gets Good News

October 12, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2025 Tandragee 100 Gets Good News :

The Tandragee 100 has just received some great news. The North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club have issued a press releas e today addressing the issue of the a section of the circuit that has been the main reason behind the lack of the event for the past two years. Work will now go ahead to fix an issue around the surface on a section of the A51 and paths the way ahead for the 2025 Tandragee 100!

PRESS RELEASE – TANDRAGEE 100

11th October 2024

On behalf of the North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club (Tarmac Section) Ltd it is with great pleasure I confirm that we have received some extremely welcome news from the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) this afternoon. In their press release today “Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has announced his intention to proceed with resurfacing work later this year on a stretch of the A51”, which will enable us to progress our preparations for running the Tandragee 100 Motorcycle Road Races in 2025.

We are extremely grateful to all those who have continued to work hard behind the scenes since our last event in 2022, to the Minister and all those within DfI who have made this possible.

This is just the beginning of the hard work for us; we will now focus our full attention on securing the necessary financial resources and putting everything in place to enable us to apply for a Road Closing Order and undertake all the hundreds of activities that are needed to get the event up and running.

As a Club we are delighted, and we are, as we have always been, committed to doing everything we can to bring this awe-inspiring event back in 2025. We also wish to take this opportunity to thank all our competitors, sponsors, landowners, volunteers and spectators for their continued support.

Anne Forsythe

Clerk of the Course / Club Secretary

2024 Armoy Results

August 20, 2024August 2, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2024 Armoy Results

The 2024 Armoy Road Races – The Race of Legends – were held over the weekend of 26th and 27th July 2024 and represents the last road race on the island of Ireland in 2024.

The Friday Schedule had a slight change this year with the day ending with 2 races. Saturday was the main race day and featured a full and exciting day of racing.

The results are as below. Full and detailed breakdowns of the qualifying sessions as well as lap timings can be found here : https://www.elaps-timing.com/results2024/armoy2024/armoy2024.html

Friday 26th July 2024

Armoy Road Races Visitors’ Guide

July 20, 2026July 17, 2024 by TomBoyNI

Armoy Road Races Visitors’ Guide :

TBNI.Blog have compiled the most useful and popular posts in relation to the Armoy Road Races in order to bring you a basic Visitors’ Guide. Hopefully this guide will give you an idea and some knowledge of the course and plenty of other useful information.

Updated for the 2026 Event

History :

Armoy (from the Irish: Oirthear Maí meaning “the east plain”) is a small village in County Antrim Northern Ireland. It is 6 miles from Ballycastle and 9 miles from Ballymoney and nestles under the shadow of Knocklayd mountain. It is on the River Bush and lies within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The village is situated between two of the nine Glens of Antrim, Glenshesk and Glentaisie. Glenshesk is part of the Armoy Race Circuit.

The full story of the Armoy Armada can be found on the Official AMRRC Website :

“Road racing and the Armoy Armada was a regular topic of conversation in the Armoy pub and it was on one such night in what started off as a bit of craic and a £20 bet, that Kathleen Hartin was sparked into the idea of a tribute race to the Legends of Road Racing.

…All the affiliations, constitutions, rules, agencies, roads departments and councils eventually succumbed to the objectives of the club and when finance was secured through local sponsorship and funding, the first ever Armoy Road Race – Race of Legends was run in July 2009.”

– extract from amrcc.com

Armoy Road Races Tickets :

Since 2024 two official packages have been available from the club.

Motorhome & Race Programme Package : £40
Race Programme & Parking Package : £30

These prices remain unchanged for the 2026 event and packages are available here : https://amrrc.com/product-category/programme-parking-motorhome-packages/

Please check the Official Website for further details as every year there is a cut off date for postal orders and the packages become ‘Collection Only.’

FAQs : We’re visiting as a family, do the kids need a programme package?

No, children under 13 yrs old are free and you can add a JUNIOR SUPPORTER wristband to your order (just add a note to your order at checkout).

No Drones Allowed at the Armoy Road Races

2024 Armoy Dates Confirmed

June 13, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2024 Armoy Dates Confirmed :

The Armoy Club have confirmed the dates for the 2024 on a Facebook Post.

The ARMOY ROAD RACES are back on FRIDAY 26TH & SATURDAY 27TH JULY 2024!

Prepare for a thrilling weekend as the Race of Legends returns, celebrating Northern Ireland’s rich sporting heritage. Held on the historic roads where the legendary Armoy Armada – Frank Kennedy, Mervyn Robinson, Joey Dunlop, and Jim Dunlop – honed their skills, this event is a must-see for racing fans worldwide.

Since 2009, the Armoy Road Races have been a staple in Northern Ireland’s road racing calendar, taking place on the last Friday & Saturday of July. Fans can expect high-octane motorcycle racing combined with the warm hospitality that Northern Ireland is known for.

This event offers one of the most authentic and accessible road racing experiences, drawing top modern racers and a passionate crowd. Don’t miss out on the excitement and the chance to witness legendary racing action.

See you there!

2024 North West 200 Results

May 18, 2024May 9, 2024 by TomBoyNI

2024 North West 200 Results :

Update : Two Huge Photo Galleries from the event have now been added :

2024 North West 200 : 8th May 2024 : Practice Sessions : (500 + Photos)

2024 North West 200 : 9th May 2024 : Evening Race Session : (200 + Photos)

The 2024 North West 200 took place over the race week of 6th – 11th May 2024 on the sun kissed North Coast of Northern Ireland.

Due to the May Day Bank Holiday and a clash with the BSB Calendar a slight change was implemented to the NW200 Schedule in that the traditional Tuesday Practice Session was moved to Wednesday. From there it was onto Thursday for another day time practice session and then the evening’s race session.

2024 NW200 : Jean Pierre Polet on his Superbike

Wednesday 8th May 2024 Practice Session :

Wednesday’s practice laid down the cards for what the week had ahead with Glen Irwin lapping inside the course record on the Superbike on the first practice session on the ‘big’ bikes! The Carrickfergus man on the Hager PBM Ducati completed his lap at an average speed of 124.895mph, 0.2 seconds quicker than Peter Hickman’s official lap record speed of 124.799mph.

The Top Tens Across the Classes were as follows :

1st – Glenn Irwin – 4.18.553
2nd – Davey Todd – 4.19.910
3rd – Michael Dunlop – 4.22.814
4th – Peter Hickman – 4.25.023
5th – Dean Harrison – 4.25.219
6th – Ian Hutchinson – 4.29.182
7th – John McGuinness MBE – 4.29.706
8th – James Hillier – 4.32.014
9th – Erno Kostamo – 4.32.482
10th – Conor Cummins – 4.32.924

1st – Richard Cooper – 4.34.202
2nd – Davey Todd – 4.35.017
3rd – Michael Dunlop – 4.39.612
4th – Michael Browne – 4.40.336
5th – Peter Hickman – 4.41.033
6th – Paul Jordan – 4.42.347
7th – Adam McLean – 4.43.241
8th – Michael Evans – 4.45.157
9th – Conor Cummins – 4.46.427
10th – Michael Sweeney – 4.46.987

1st – Davey Todd – 4.20.942
2nd – Dean Harrison – 4.21.525
3rd – Michael Dunlop – 4.23.788
4th – Peter Hickman – 4.24.951
5th – John McGuinness MBE – 4.25.959
6th – James Hillier – 4.27.576
7th – Adam McLean – 4.30.252
8th – Michael Sweeney – 4.30.879
9th – Dominic Herbertson – 4.31.454
10th – Conor Cummins – 4.31.917

1st – Jeremy McWilliams – 5.02.185
2nd – Adam McLean – 5.02.622
3rd – Michael Sweeney – 5.03.621
4th – Christian Elkin – 5.05.999
5th – Peter Hickman – 5.07.280
6th – Barry Graham – 5.10.784
7th – Michael Rutter – 5.10.983
8th – Gary McCoy – 5.11.655
9th – Michael Browne – 5.13.266
10th – Gareth Arnold – 5.14.908

The Supertwin qualifying session was cut short due to a red flag incident.

2024 NW200 - Neil Kernohan on his Supersport machine

Thursday 9th May 2024 Practice Session :

With rain overnight, the track was wet and damp in places for the start of Thursday’s Practice Session. However the weather was perfect from early on and it did not take too long for the circuit to dry out. From here it was a mixed morning, on one hand there were three red flags, one during the Supersports, one during the Superstocks and one in the Supertwin Session, thankfully none of the incidents involved serious injuries.

On the other hand then there were records getting smashed. Glenn Irwin took almost 2 seconds of the lap record, although this is not an official record, as that can only be made or taken during racing and with Davey Todd hitting 209.8 mph at the speed trap it has set the scene perfectly for an exceptionally high level of racing for the Thursday and Saturday sessions.