Posted by Cleggy on Aug 10, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Friday qualifying sessions were a wash out due to persistent, heavy Rain and so the Armoy Club had to run practice sessions on Saturday morning prior to the commencement of racing, with the inevitable delay to the planned schedule of events for Saturday Race Day.
When the racing did get underway at approximately Two O’Clock conditions were ideal with Dry Roads all round the undulating circuit and even some sunshine.
The Dunlop Brothers fresh from their boycott of the Mid-Antrim were back in action and Keith Amor took the opportunity to get some ‘Seat time‘ on his bikes with the Ulster Grand Prix just around the corner.
As is the norm now William Dunlop won both of the Two-stroke Races (125cc and 250cc) but there was at least a decent battle behind him for second. The Two stroke classes are slowly dying which is a shame as they are proper Race bikes, built purely for racing and a decade or more ago produced some of the best racing seen in Ireland.
Yorkshire’s Dean Harrison was back for more on the McKinstry racing machinery and he proved that his double victory at the Mid-Antrim was no fluke by once again taking Two Race wins in the Support classes.
Adrian Archibald fresh from a high speed crash at the Mid-Antrim was back racing and showing no ill-effects.
Yet again Ryan Farquhar showed his class and undoubted skills on a Motorbike as he took Four more Race wins in another dominant season, but Keith Amor denied Farquhar a fifth when when he took the Supersport class victory.
Tags: Adrian Archibald, Armoy, Dean Harrison, Keith Amor, Mid-Antrim, Ryan Farquhar, Supersport, Ulster Grand Prix, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on Jul 31, 2010 in
Bike Racing
The small County Antrim Village of Clough is the location for the current Mid-Antrim Road Race circuit and as far as Irish Road Race Circuits go, it is one of the better ones.
The first Two Races of the Day were the Junior and Senior Support Races. These classes are for the inexperienced Road racer and are usually the ‘hairiest‘ races of the day with many competitors being off the racing line, or getting in to a wobble.
One such inexperienced Road racer hails from good pedigree. Dean Harrison is the Son of Conrad Harrison a very experienced Sidecar racer who bagged a TT podium earlier this year. Dean was aquired by Billy McKinstry after Billy’s Antipodean racer Josh Trigwell disappointly left the McKinstry racing Team early in the Season. Dean in a very short space of time has shown that he is a great talent, a nice kid and if hes careful will have a great future in the sport.
In this image below Dean gets well out of shape over Alexander’s jump towards the end of the Senior support Race shortly after he had taken the lead. None of the other racers attacked the jump as fast as Harrison who went on to take the Race win having earlier won the Junior support on the McKinstry racing Kawasaki ER6.
Today was a showery day with poor light levels and a lot of the Mid-Antrim circuit has overhanging Tree canopys which meant that for Photography I was having to shoot at a much higher ISO than I would have preferred.
Back in October I blogged about a Photo shoot I done for Alan Bonner. This Season was Alan’s debut Road racing Season and here he is looking smooth at Alexander’s jump.
There was another shower prior to the GP250 Race, here Victor Gilmore heads the battle for Third place in damp but drying conditions.
The GP250 Race was won by local Man Barry Davidson, Barry has been trying to win this particular Race for a long time and today it all came good for the likeable Davidson. Here Barry plays up to my Camera having spotted me at the side of the Road.
The Mid-Antrim Road races have been good to Adrian Archibald in the past. The quiet Ballymoney Man has seen and done it all in racing and today he battled all the way with Ryan Farquhar, however in the Grand Final Archibald crashed out on the final lap but luckily he was not injured.
But the days racing was dominated by Ryan Farquhar who better mastered the treacherous conditions to take Five Race wins from Five starts all on Kawasaki machinery.
Thankfully there were not too many officials/Marshals on a power-trip this week and the various press Photographers were able to get on with their job almost hassle free.
Tags: Adrian Archibald, Alan Bonner, Alexander's jump, Ballymoney, Barry Davidson, Billy McKinstry, Clough, Conrad Harrison, County Antrim, Dean Harrison, GP250, Josh Trigwell, Kawasaki, Kawasaki ER6, Mid-Antrim, Mid-Antrim Road Race, Ryan Farquhar, Victor Gilmore
Posted by Cleggy on Jul 30, 2010 in
General
Tomorrow is a return to the pure Road racing for the Mid-Antrim Road races, the fickle Northern Ireland Weather is looking quite dodgy and as reported elsewhere the Dunlop brothers are talking of boycotting the Race because the organising Club wants them to pay their Race entry fee like nearly all of the other competitors. The saying “Don’t bite the Hand that feeds” springs to mind!
Last week, as mentioned in this Blog posting, I shot some images for a feature in the new issue of Irish Racer Magazine. The hard work has been completed behind the scenes and the Magazine is now away to the Printers and will be in the Shops next Week. A teaser for the new issue of the Magazine is currently on the Magazine website and I’m well chuffed to see that One of my Photographs from that shoot has made the front cover! But more on that in a future Blog posting.
Tags: Irish Racer Magazine, Mid-Antrim, Northern Ireland, Photographs, Road racing
Posted by Cleggy on Jul 24, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Earlier in the week (Thursday afternoon) I took a half days leave from ‘the day job‘ to Photograph a quite unique assignment for the new issue of Irish Racer Magazine (going to the publishers this Thursday).
It was a fun shoot, rounded off with a great Chinese Meal in the Red Panda, Antrim and I can’t wait to see the images in print and read the fun interview with the Three lads. Due to an exclusivity agreement I can’t blog the images from the shoot until after the Magazine is in the Shops.
Today was a return to short circuit racing at Bishopscourt in the latest round of the Irish Clubmans championships which included Two Open National races. I really hadn’t intended to go to todays racing but the big chief Editor asked me to go and shoot a few images of Lisburn’s David Haire for another feature.
I got there just in time for the opening Supersport 600 Race which saw a great battle between Nico Mawhinney and Timothy Elwood with Mawhinney just holding on for the win.
I then shot a few quick portraits of David Haire (head and shoulders, 3/4 length and full length) keeping it simple with basic Nikon gear, one remote Nikon SB800 flash triggered by the Nikon SU800 controller onboard the Camera’s hotshoe.
After that I just shot a couple of Races (Marshall Neill won both National Open Races) and had a good ol chin wag with friends in the paddock before heading home. Me oul Jock mate Derek Wilson was there snapping away and rummaging through the pockets of the Marshal’s to scrounge a free lunch ticket. I dunno the depths that that Man is prepared to sink to just to avoid paying for something himself!
Next Saturday sees the resumption of pure Road racing with the Mid-Antrim 150 Road races. Last year Ryan Farquhar had a Four timer, will the opposition be any closer this year?
Tags: Bishopscourt, David Haire, Irish Clubmans, Irish Racer Magazine, Marshall Neill, Mid-Antrim, Nico Mawhinney, Nikon, Nikon SB800, Nikon SU800, Road racing, Ryan Farquhar, Timothy Elwood
Posted by Cleggy on Dec 28, 2009 in
Bike Racing,
General Tonight I finally found time to update my online shop with a selection of images from the 2009 North West 200, 2009 Mid-Antrim and 2009 Armoy road races.
Tags: Armoy, Mid-Antrim, North West 200