Posted by Cleggy on Aug 15, 2010 in
Bike Racing
The historic Dundrod Race circuit in the County Antrim Hills proved once again that it is beyond doubt the best Race circuit in Ireland serving up close and fast racing.
A fast, flowing circuit with great changes in elevation and some insanely fast ‘Balls out‘ corners is as popular with the competitors who Race around it as it is with the Media Photographers whose job it is to document the events of the Race day Photographically.
For this image of William Dunlop on the CD Racing Superstock Suzuki I used a wide angle lens to capture more of the landscape, for me the fluffy White Clouds and Blue Sky really make this image.
William Dunlop is always great to Photograph, here he is on the CD Racing Supersport Yamaha R6 and again I used a wide angle lens to capture this image as he skims the Kerbs.
On Thursday for the Dundrod 150 races, Manxman Daniel Kneen, Aussie David Johnson and Brian McCormack from Waterford in the South of Ireland served up a fantastic Race where Johnson set a new lap record. It wasn’t enough though as Daniel Kneen took the win with McCormack in Third.
All throughout this years Ulster Grand Prix Bike Week Two Men showed that they were going to be the Men to beat. Falkirk Flyer Keith Amor and Ian Hutchinson.
London based New Zealander Bruce Anstey has struggled for form this year on the Relentless Suzuki but boy did he find his mojo again for the Ulster Grand Prix! Anstey sat behind Hutchy and Amor keeping a watching eye on proceeedings and then on the final lap he ‘pulled the pin‘ setting a new outright circuit lap record with an average speed of just over 133.9 miles per hour to take the Ulster Grand Prix Superbike Race win and give the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing Team something to cheer about.
Next weekend sees an Irish Clubmans Championship Race at Bishopscourt on the Saturday followed by an Irish Superbike Championship Race at the same venue on Sunday. I will probably miss them both as I will be Photographing my Brother’s Wedding in ‘Derry.
Tags: Bishopscourt, Brian McCormack, Bruce Anstey, CD Racing, Daniel Kneen, David Johnson, Dundrod, Dundrod 150, Ian Hutchinson, Irish Clubmans Championship, Irish Superbike Championship, Keith Amor, Relentless, TAS, Ulster Grand Prix, Waterford, William Dunlop
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 11, 2010 in
Bike Racing
The scheduled Saturday practice session for the 2010 Walderstown Road races was pretty much wiped out due to persistent heavy Rain, thankfully I had not planned on attending practice and by the time Sunday morning dawned the Sky was already looking much clearer.
The old pensioner (Derek Wilson) was again my travelling companion which meant that I’d have to buy my own food or starve as Derek is a Scots Man and they don’t like putting their hands in their pockets too often. We travelled down together with me doing the driving and approximately Two hours later arrived at our destination to be met with a Dry circuit, and clear skies. We made the same journey last year but unfortunately Andrew Neill was to lose his life in a crash and we soon had to return home, but there was no repeat this year (just one Red flag incident) with some great racing.
With Ryan Farquhar away competing at Scarborough (and dominating proceedings) the opportunity was there for someone else to grab a few wins and a slice of the healthy prize fund. The start / finish section of the circuit is the widest section of road and it needs to be with a mass start where a bunch of bikes all have to brake extremely hard at the first road end for the first corner. Here in the images John Burrows machine has the back-end stepping out under braking.
The Supersport race was led from the start by William Dunlop on the CD Racing R6 Yamaha and it looked like he would never be headed.
But half way through the race his brother Michael started to come on strong and was soon right on his back wheel. With a lap to go Michael made his move passing William in mid-air over the jump and managing to get the bike down, and slowed for the peel in point to the next left hander before going on to take the win.
The next event for me is the Irish Superbikes at Kirkistown on Tuesday and then off to Kells for more road racing at the weekend.
Tags: CD Racing, Irish Superbikes, John Burrows, Kells, Kirkistown, Ryan Farquhar, Scarborough, Supersport, Walderstown, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on Jul 5, 2010 in
Bike Racing
The first Saturday of July is the traditional date for the Skerries Motorcycle Road races, one of the most popular events on the Irish calendar which always attracts large crowds of spectators, and usually gets good Weather too.
The sport of Motorbike racing is very popular in the Skerries area with lots of die-hard road racing fans and it attracts its fair share of competitors from the region too. In this first image of mine from this years racing at Skerries, Andy Farrell exits the Sam’s tunnel / shady lane section of the circuit hard on the gas with the front wheel of his Yamaha R1 pointing skyward.
Rotating my camera to a portrait format gives a different look to this same shot, this time of Michael Pearson.
Further back down the road is the appropriately named ‘Shady lane’. This section of the circuit is lined with Trees on both sides of the road (with a heavy canopy of leaves which block out the light making the Photographers job more difficult) and as you can see, hundreds of race fans cram in to every vantage point possible just feet away from the action. Getting up close to the Irish road racing is what makes it special, smelling the bikes, feeling the blast of wind as the machines pass by at high speed. Kill this atmosphere in the name of Health and safety and I suspect the buzz of going to a road race will not be the same.
Here Lee Hill hammers through shady lane giving chase to John Ella and Myles Byrne, sadly Myles was to lose his life in a crash later-on that same day.
Here William Dunlop (Honda RS125) is about to get over-taken by the wily Ryan Farquhar (Kawasaki KX450) on the brakes in to the hairpin at Skerries.
The ‘Scaries’ Supersport 600 race was an absolute belter between Ryan Farquhar and Keith Amor, with Michael Dunlop and William Dunlop 3rd and 4th throughout. Farquhar led the race for quite a few laps but he pushed a bit hard one lap and the front wheel tucked on a bump leaving a big dark line on the tarmac but luckily fortune was on his side and he did not crash, however this gave Amor the incentive who found a way through to take the lead and go on to win.
Tags: Andy Farrell, John Ella, Keith Amor, Lee Hill, Michael Dunlop, Michael Pearson, Motorcycle, Myles Byrne, Ryan Farquhar, Skerries, William Dunlop, Yamaha R1
Posted by Cleggy on Jun 10, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Another scorcher of a day on the Isle of Man. I set off for the 11th milestone section of the Mountain circuit only to encounter a Police road closure at Ballig Bridge due to a Road traffic accident further down the Road at Barregarrow. After some coercion persuasion I managed to convince the Police officer to allow me through but he only permitted me to travel as far as Glen Moar.
Glen Moar was not where I wanted to shoot todays racing from, but it was almost Road closing time and so I decided to try and make the most of it. The section itself is probably good for Photographs but in the harsh, contrasty light that there was today, it was a real struggle to get decent images.
Davy Morgan at Glen Moar on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Circuit
William Dunlop at Glen Moar on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Circuit
During the racing, experienced racer Paul Dobbs from New Zealand lost his life in a crash at Ballagarey (nicknamed Ballascarey by the racers). My sympathies to his Wife, children and wider family circle and friends.
Tags: Ballig Bridge, Barregarrow, Davy Morgan, Glen Moar, Isle of Man TT, Mountain Circuit, New Zealand, Paul Dobbs, Photographs, TT, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on Jun 8, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Monday morning came and it was a slightly fresher more overcast day with none of the predicted rain. Road conditions were perfect for racing and despite the low light levels I decided I would venture to the Glen Helen section of the circuit knowing full well that the overhead canopy of leaves and branches would rob me of even more light.
The location I chose offered me a couple of different shots which was just as well as there were Two good races on the schedule, the opening Supersport race followed by the Superstock race.
In this image below Adrian Archibald is on full on short circuit mode as he takes this right hander fully committed. Both Adrian and William Dunlop were very impressive through here.
Ryan Farquhar was in a confident mood for the Superstock race having been quickest in that class throughout practice. The Killyman resident led the race from the start but a slow pit stop at the end of lap Two allowed Ian Hutchinson to eek out a slender advantage. Ryan got right back down to business to retake the lead and extend the lead, but the final lap saw Ryan catch back markers in bad places which was enough to cost him the win.
Ian Hutchinson took the win his second of the day and his third of the week and now is a hot favourite to equal or better Philip McCallen’s record of Four TT wins in one week.
Tags: Adrian Archibald, Glen Helen, Ian Hutchinson, Isle of Man TT, Philip McCallen, Ryan Farquhar, Supersport, Superstock, TT, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on Jun 6, 2010 in
Bike Racing
With the racing finally running late on Saturday afternoon it meant that Sunday was as per the schedule a day with no racing. I took advantage of this to get a bit of a lie in, a rare treat, before venturing out for another walk round the TT paddock.
I noticed this interesting sign in the Uel Duncan camp, a reflection on their racer Michael Dunlop and just how much he puts on the line (as do all the other competitors) when he tackles the Isle of Man TT Mountain circuit!
John Burrow’s Shark Helmets lay in the corner of his awning unwashed from yesterdays race, and you can see that the Manx insect population has been visibly reduced due the speed the big lad was travelling at.
Inside the awning of Chris Dowd’s Team CD Racing, William Dunlop’s Race Tyre for tomorrows Superstock Race has already been selected.
I then went off a spin in the Car to scout out a few possible shooting locations for tomorrows racing, and there is one spot in the Glen Helen area that looks like it might offer some good Photographs………….but then I would have to contend with more of those Manx Midges!
Tags: CD Racing, Chris Dowd, Glen Helen, Isle of Man TT, John Burrows, Michael Dunlop, Mountain Circuit, Shark Helmet, TT, Uel Duncan, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on May 19, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Each year the North West 200 gets harder to Photograph, more and more restrictions are placed upon media Photographers in the name of safety.
With limited access and often having to compete for clear shooting space with the general public, not to mention favouritism by the promoting club shown to ‘the chosen Three‘ you really do have to choose your location carefully. This year I based myself around the Primrose Hill and York corner section of the circuit to give me a few different locations all within relatively short walking distance.
I generally look for a location that will give me a variety of shots from the one spot so that I can maximise the potential of the location rather than endlessly shooting similar looking images. For this location on the inside of Primrose Hill I was able to shoot head-ons, rear shots and climb a high Grassy bank to get an elevated shot looking down on the bikes.
Situated very close to the start / finish area this location is ideal for a first lap group shot of all the Race Bikes screaming round the left-hander.
William Dunlop in the thick of the Supersport race action at the 2010 North West 200
After a lap the slower riders from the B and C groups became a bit more strung out and I was able to turn around and shoot some rear shots with a 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) to allow me to capture more of the scene and include the Sea in the background as the spectators watch the action unfold.
William Davidson during the Supersport race at the 2010 North West 200
Climbing up to the top of a Grassy bank gained me some elevation allowing me to shoot down on the bikes, this time using the 200mm end of my Nikon 70-200mm lens I was able to isolate a single Bike for a shot with a slightly unusual perspective that you rarely see in Irish racing Photographs.
Ryan Farquhar during the Supersport race at the 2010 North West 200
But the main talking point of this years North West 200 was the performance of Alastair ‘Wee Wizard’ Seeley who won Two Races for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing Team and in doing so managed to become the first local winner of a Superbike Race at the North West 200 since Philip McCallen way back in 1997.
Alastair Seeley celebrates winning the main North West 200 Superbike race at the 2010 North West 200
People think that the job is finished after the chequered Flag drops on the last Race of the day, but my Monday and Tuesday evenings of this week were spent captioning and key-wording all my images, then culling out the lesser quality images, before culling them a second time so that I then had a good tight selection of publication worthy images.
Tags: Alastair Seeley, Nikon, North West 200, Philip McCallen, Photograph, Photographers, Primrose Hill, Relentless, Ryan Farquhar, Superbike, Supersport, TAS, Wee Wizard, William Davidson, William Dunlop, York corner
Posted by Cleggy on Apr 25, 2010 in
Bike Racing
Yesterday saw the first national Irish Road Race of the 2010 Championship Season held on the Orritor circuit just outside Cookstown in County Tyrone.
On such a short race circuit its very difficult to produce images that are different, you tend to end up repeating shots from previous seasons. This year though the impact from the knee-jerk reactions to the Coroner’s report from the John Donnan case has seen numerous extra restrictions put in place (in the name of safety) further hampering the job of the Photographer’s who do excellent work promoting the sport far and wide all season long.
The ‘togs’ must be an easy target, because on the day I spotted Marshal’s photographing the races (not permitted in their rules) and I even spotted an MCUI member (not holding any official role on the day) walking out on to a live circuit instead of waiting for the travelling Marshal’s to come round declaring the track safe to walk on. There was an even more serious H&S matter involving a padlock and chain on the paddock gate!
Rather than restricting the genuine Photographers (who by and large are well behaved) movements on Race day, would it not be better to reduce their numbers? Anyway thats my wee rant out of the way for this weekend haha.
All around the World the Two stroke racing Motorcycle is on the wane due to emmissions laws, running costs etc etc but in Ireland there are still die-hard Two stroke fans. In this image below Davy Morgan is in the thick of the action during the ‘Two Fifty’ race in a battle for third position.
Davy Morgan Honda RS250 at Cookstown
The 250 race was comfortably won by William Dunlop with his brother Michael finishing second.
William Dunlop Honda RS250 at Cookstown
Andy Farrell was having his first race on his new Yamaha R1 and rode it in typical ‘Farrelly‘ style.
Andy Farrell at Cookstown on a Yamaha R1
But the weekend’s racing was dominated by one man, Ryan Farquhar. Ryan Farquhar has started the 2010 racing season in the same fashion as how he finished the 2009 season, dominating race meetings, racking up wins, shattering lap records, continuing to work hard preparing behind the scenes allowing him to put in the best performances he can when he takes to the track.
Last weekend at the Scarborough Spring Cup Ryan scored eight wins from eight starts and this weekend at Cookstown he scored Five wins from Five starts (In Irish Road racing any individual competitor can only compete in a maximum of Five races in any One Day, again in the name of Health and Safety).
Ryan Farquhar won Five races at the 2010 Cookstown 100
Tags: Andy Farrell, Cookstown, County Tyrone, Davy Morgan, Irish Road Race, John Donnan, Orritor circuit, Ryan Farquhar, Scarborough, William Dunlop
Posted by Cleggy on Dec 25, 2009 in
Bike Racing Following on from my ‘Best of 2009 – Candids’ blog posting, this post contains a selection of my favourite road race photographs from the season just finished. Selecting your own personal favourites is never easy, and your choice varies each time you attempt it (well mine does anyway), but I’ve had a go at it and here they are (in no particular order).
This image of Dave Madsen Mygdal for me screams ‘TT photograph’, it was captured late in the evening up on the World famous Isle of Man Mountain circuit, the Sun is setting and casting a warm glow across the landscape whilst Man and Machine scream around the Bungalow section of the course trying to set a new personal best lap time. Man and Machine versus Mountain and Clock, yup that the TT!
1/320th f8 70-200mm f2.8 VR
A rear shot as Three competitors enter the Verandah section of the TT Mountain circuit. Again this is taken late in the evening as the Sun sets and the Mountain casts shadows across the circuit. The riders have to deal with all sorts of issues in any one lap, Sun in their eyes, lack of visibility due to fog or rain or insects splattered across their visor but still year-on-year they return to face the challenge of the Mountain circuit.
Derek Brien at the Verandah on the TT Mountain circuit. Rear shots are (for me) the hardest shot to capture on camera; but they are very satisfying when you capture a good one.
1/1000th f5 300mm f2.8 VR
Guy Martin exits the Black Hut heading for the Verandah
1/1250th f4 300mm f2.8 VR
Guy Martin at the Armoy road races
1/2000th f5 70-200mm f2.8 VR
Ian Hutchinson screams through the start finish area during qualifying for the North West 200 road races. I shot this with a relatively show shutter speed for two reasons, one to impart a sense of speed in to the image, two to blur the horrible wire cage background reminiscent of a cage at a Zoo!
1/200th f13 70-200mm f2.8 VR
Ian Lougher airbourne over Ballacrye jump at the TT. This is a location I have always wanted to shoot having spectated at it in the past. I went there this year for an evening practice session and as you can see the foliage from the Trees was blocking out a lot of the evening sunshine making it a struggle to get a fast enough shutter speed to stop the bikes in mid-air. Luckily there was a clearing in one of the Trees that allowed a shaft of sunlight to filter through on to the Road and I exposed for this light and relied on my sense of timing to fire the shutter at the right time (I’m not a big fan of the machine gun approach; mostly because I buy all my own Camera gear and don’t wish to wear it out quicker than I need to).
1/1250th f3.2 70-200mm f2.8 VR
The start of the ‘Two Fifty’ race at Kells and riders jostle for the best line in to the first corner as their pit attendants hang all over the protective barrier to get a glimpse of the action.
1/800th f6.3 300mm f2.8 VR
Michael Rutter on the JMF Yamaha in the Glen Helen section of the Isle of Man TT circuit, again another rear shot and one that show visibly just how little room for error there is for the TT competitors.
1/640th f4 300mm f2.8 VR
Ryan Farquhar was in unbeatable form at the 2009 Mid-Antrim races.
1/1600th f4 300mm f2.8 VR
For me the single best race of the whole season was the first Supersport 600 race at the 2009 Ulster Grand Prix where a high speed freight train of 600cc machines and competitors battled it out for the win with the lead changing numerous times. Ryan Farquhar riding a Kawasaki came out the victor in this one in a race which he enjoyed every bit as much as the spectators did.
1/2500th f6.3 300mm f2.8 VR
Ryan Farquhar tests his Dunlop Tyre shod Kawasaki to the limit at Tandragee.
1/1250th f5.6 300mm f2.8 VR
Sam Dunlop takes the early lead of the GP125 race at Killalane from Cousins Michael and William.
1/2500th f5.6 300mm f2.8 VR
Steve Plater and John McGuinness on their HM Plant Hondas at the Isle of Man TT.
1/800th f5.6 300mm f2.8 VR
William Dunlop is one racer I really enjoy photographing as he has a great style on a bike, here he is on Chris Dowd’s R6 Yamaha at the Mid-Antrim road races.
1/640th f4 300mm f2.8 VR
During qualifying for the Ulster Grand Prix, I was a bit indecisive as to where to shoot this Supersport 600 session from having been forbidden to shoot from my first choice location by an over-zealous safety committee. I was walking down the side of the road trying to get to Cochranstown but never made it in time as the bikes took to the circuit. I knew I was struggling for light at such a high speed section of road but decided to stay put after the opening lap as I could see there was potential for a decent image and managed to capture a few nice frames including this image of William Dunlop and Conor Cummins side-byside.
1/640th f4 300mm f2.8 VR
Poetry in motion, William Dunlop tucked in and fully committed.
1/1250th f4.5 300mm f2.8 VR
William Dunlop got the better of his brother Michael during the ‘Two Fifty’ race at the Ulser Grand Prix.
1/1600th f6.3 300mm f2.8 VR
Last but not least yet another image of William Dunlop this time on the big Superstock R1 Yamaha at Killalane.
1/1600th f6.3 300mm f2.8 VR
As always you can purchase from a selection of my vast Photographic Library by selecting from my online galleries.
Tags: 300mm VR, 70-200mm VR, Armoy, Ballacrye, Black Hut, Bungalow, Derek Brien, Guy Martin, HM Plant Honda, Ian Hutchinson, Ian Lougher, Isle of Man TT, Mountain, North West 200, Ryan Farquhar, Sam Dunlop, Sunset, Tandragee, TT, Ulster Grand Prix, Verandah, William Dunlop