The 2017 Armoy Road Races took place on 28th – 29th July 2017. Here are the full race results and timings for each race :
As a quick note Michael Dunlop took the feature race – ‘The Race of Legends’ in outstanding style by over 12 seconds – his seventh in a row at Armoy! As I said, ‘outstanding.’
The 2017 North West 200 was the start of the end for Honda’s Road Racing Season this year.
Things hadn’t got off to a great start anyway even after the announcement of what has to be described as a dream team of John MCGuinness and Guy Martin. Guy crashed out of Tandragee and had a mediocre Cookstown event, however whether Honda wanted to admit it or not there was clearly an issue come the North West.
Every road racing fan knows John McGuinness just doesn’t fall off and it didn’t take long until the rumours started flowing that there was an issue with the bike and something to do with the throttle and that is what had thrown John off the bike.
Now two and a half months later, those rumours have been confirmed.
With the turn of the new year it is time to open up the tbni.blog sponsorship programme again.
This is very simple and also exceptionally good value for our sponsors (Prices start from FREE!). The sponsorship only runs until 31st December 2017 and resets itself in the new year to allow new sponsors a chance to get in.
What does it involve? Basically you get a slot on one of my panniers – (Details below) – for you to put your company logo.
You then get your logo / brand out there everywhere my bike goes and is kitted out with the boxes. You also get your brand / logo added to this site which attracted over 30,000 unique visitors in 2016. Remember though that these visitors are looking for this site and it’s content. We don’t buy visitors – our figures are genuine and only consist of people who are looking for information on what we post. The people you want to see your branding will, as all of our visitors want to be here!
You will also get exposure via the Twitter and Facebook Pages.
Revenue generated goes back into tbni.blog to keep it running, up to date and to enable the addition of new content.
For more information get in touch with us via :
or via this contact form :
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All decisions on Sponsorship will be made by me – I will only endorse products that I feel to be useful / beneficial / fun and positive to this site. I will not enter communication as to why I feel your brand / logo may not be suitable or has been unsuccessuful in being selected for inclusion in this program. If you want to be added to the waiting list for this program then please let me know.
It’s better late than never, and this whole video editing lark is a lot harder and more time consuming that I initially would have anticipated, however after far too long a wait here is the footage from Day 1.
I literally had to trawl through hours of footage but the fact that it is over a year old is pretty irrelevant, the route itself is still very much there, it took 10,000s of years to for the earth to make the coast, hopefully it has millions more years left for us to enjoy, so once again apologies it took so long, and apologies for the fact I am a supreme novice when it comes to video editing, however hopefully you can enjoy the scenery, (and the soundtrack) and maybe even be inspired to pop over to Ireland to experience this epic route!
The remainder of the videos are coming and will be uploaded as soon as I can piece them together, if you want to make sure you get notifications when they are available make sure to follow this blog or me on Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AuZcDwwZYA]
Official statement from #GuyMartin:
Plenty of folk have been asking what I’m up to this year.
I fancy a change of scenery. I’ve been racing the TT for 11 years. All I’ve really done since I was 18, except the trucks, is race motorbikes and my brain needs something else.
Every year’s the same: testing, racing, then start again. It brought it home to me when I was lying in hospital after the Ulster Grand Prix crash.
I’ve been on about the Tour Divide, the toughest pushbike race in the world, for three years and I thought I’ll blink and next thing I’ll be 45, so I’m going to do it this year. I like breaking myself mentally and the Tour Divide will be tough, but it’s same time at TT, so that’s forced me to make a choice.
I’m not done with motorbikes. I’m attempting the Wall of Death record in the spring and having a go at the land speed record in the summer and if I do race on the roads it will be with TAS.
After the Tour Divide I might never want to see a pushbike again – or never want to go road racing again, I don’t know. But I do know Bruce Anstey and John McGuinness are still racing the TT, and they’ve got a few years on me, so maybe I’ll come back next year. Or maybe I’ll find something else interesting to do.
I’ve got more interests than just motorbikes and I just think let’s bloody have ‘em.
Thanks very much as ever for the support.
Guy.
Unfortunately to me that reads as a ‘farewell.’ Hopefully it is more of a ‘see you later’ than a ‘good bye.’
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way :
Here are the links to the complete ride report on my #WAWIn1Week Trip, there is plenty of other interesting stuff on the site, I hope, so feel free to have a look about, but if you have come here for the Wild Atlantic Way reports, here is everything you need. Thanks for stopping by and having a look and hopefully you enjoy the photos and reports!
#WAWIN1WEEK – WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK – THE GEAR… : https://tbni.blog/2015/08/10/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-the-gear/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 0 – TRAVEL DAY : https://tbni.blog/2015/08/18/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-0-travel-day/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 1 – KINSALE TO KENMARE : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/02/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-1-kinsale-to-kenmare/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 2 – KENMARE TO BALLYBUNION : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/13/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-2-kenmare-to-ballybunion/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 3 – BALLYBUNION TO CLIFDEN : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/20/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-3-ballybunion-to-clifden/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 4 – CLIFDEN TO SLIGO : https://tbni.blog/2015/10/11/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-4-clifden-to-sligo/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 5 – SLIGO TO LETTERKENNY : https://tbni.blog/2015/11/06/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-5-sligo-to-letterkenny/
#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 6 – LETTERKENNY TO MUFF (DONEGAL) : https://tbni.blog/2015/11/17/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-6-letterkenny-to-muff-donegal-2/
Please feel free to tag your images with the WAWIn1Week hashtag!
INSTAGRAM #WAWIn1Week : https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/wawin1week/
TWITTER #WAWIn1Week : https://twitter.com/search?q=WAWIn1Week&src=typd
WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 6 – Letterkenny To Muff (Donegal)
Update : The YouTube video of Day 6 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!
It is now Saturday 1st August 2015, the last day of my Wild Atlantic Way Trip. From start of the trail to this point has been five full, long days, today being the sixth. My target – The Wild Atlantic Way in 1 Week. I have only one more leg to do and it will be achieved, with a full day to spare. Result, almost.
Today’s leg looks a short one, Letterkenny to Muff in Donegal. Muff as you can already expect must be one of the most photographed town signs on the whole island. It is called Muff after all! I estimated today leg about 200 miles, for once this estimate was reasonably accurate!
Yesterday’s horrendous weather is a distant memory, but there are still a few very dark and ominous clouds floating about. Fingers crossed!
One Signature Point on the Route today : (The most Westerly point on the above map is Fanned Head which was covered on 31/07/2015).
Rugged yet inviting, Donegal’s Malin Head is steeped in history and offers activities such as walking, fishing, swimming and bird watching. Here, north of Trawbreaga Bay, you can view Five Finger Strand, home to some of Europe’s largest sand dunes. At low tide, you can even spot the wreckage of the ‘Twilight’, which sank in 1889 while sailing to Derry. For more history, follow the coast road. You’ll pass the old radio station, built in 1910, and The Tower, a derelict signal station located on Banba’s Crown, the most northerly point in Ireland. It’s the perfect place to relax with a picnic, as the stunning panorama includes Inistrahull and Tory islands, as well as the Scottish hills on a clear day. Plus, you can work off any extra indulgences with a walk along the cliffs to Hell’s Hole, a chasm where the tide rushes in with impressive force. If treasure hunting is more your speed, head east to Ballyhillion beach, which dates back to the ice age and is known for its many semi-precious stones.
Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 5 – Sligo to Letterkenny
Update : The YouTube video of Day 5 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!
Friday 31st July 2015 takes me onto the penultimate day of my Wild Atlantic Way adventure. I mentioned previously that by Day 4 I was really enjoying myself and after a long day yesterday, and a night in a great hotel I am thinking I need to get back here and do this whole thing a whole lot more slowly. I remember the few things that were annoying me over the first couple of days and now realise they weren’t really that annoying, just a fact of travelling on a tourist route growing in popularity.
I take a look over the map, the route taking me from Sligo to Letterkenny, and it looks like it is another long day, but then I look at the weather. Oh dear. This does not look too promising, there is a yellow warning for rain! I’m going to get wet! Also my initial and completely inaccurate distance calculations have me travelling 186 miles today. So I’m definitely more than that!
Leaving the hotel and things are dry, however the sky is very dark, grey and ominous and it doesn’t take too long for the skies to open and boy they open! I got wet on my journey down to the start of the WAW, and that only took me 4 hours, today I’m sure I have 10 -12 hours of it it looks like the only question will be how will the gear hold out?
Three more Signature Points to visit today (Downpatrick Head is the most Southerly Signature Point on the map, however it was visited yesterday). Today’s points are :
(The other point on the map above between Sliabh Liag and Fannad Head is Donegal Airport – a small airport with services Dublin with two daily flights.)
Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 4 – Clifden to Sligo
Update : The YouTube video of Day 4 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!
Thursday 30th July 2015 and we have safely arrived at Day 4 of the #WAWIn1Week Challenge, and at this stage of the game I am really enjoying myself. The niggles I had over too much traffic and what can only be described as piss poor driving are still there but only so very slightly. I am much more in tune with it, I know what to expect and to ‘get out and round’ as soon as possible and when ‘they’ are holding me up, to just relax and take in the breathtaking scenery. All is good as we commence Day 4 and I am now finding it all going a little too quickly, when you look at the map this journey is not too far away from being completed and that’s actually a little sad. So best get enjoying it!
Today the journey takes me from Clifton, Co. Galway to Sligo, Co. Sligo. My panning stages have me to be believing this section of the route to be about 250 miles but if I have learnt one big thing from planning this trip is that I have always under estimated. Normally by a good amount, Day 4 was actually closer to 300 miles, it was a long day and that was the greatest downfall of the day.
This is also the Day that instead of booking into a B&B I got a cracking deal on a hotel and stayed at the Yeats Country Hotel at Rosses Point, Sligo. This is where the long day fell foul, this hotel is lovely and I would have loved to have factored in an earlier finish so I could have relaxed and enjoyed their facilities. The bar looked great, there was a brilliant fitness centre and the restaurant as I was arriving was closing but the place smelled great!
I ended up with a curry chip from the only take-away in the town, a Chinese that was getting ready to close as well. As I say that is the only disappointment and it was self made, I didn’t get enough time to enjoy this brilliant spot!
Although from the route above it looks like there are four signature points shown on this section there are again 3, the one closest to the bottom is just before Clifden and it was done the previous day (Derrigimlagh).
Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 3– Ballybunion to Clifden
Update : The YouTube video of Day 3 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!
Wednesday 29th July 2015 and we are at Day 3 of the #WAWIn1Week. Today’s route takes me from Ballybunion, Co. Kerry to Clifden, Co. Galway. My initial planning had worked today out to be somewhere around 205 miles, however again I underestimated a bit and it clocked up at closer to 270 miles.
One thing that makes this leg a little different is that you have the option of getting on a boat, this is a good idea as it will keep you away from Limerick, which is big, busy and is going to take up a good bit of time to pass through, either of the ferries will keep you motoring on and keep you on track staying on the coast.
It was another long day in the saddle, with few breaks, other than at the signature points, of which there were three today, namely :