KMR Kawasaki's Ryan Farquhar claimed five victories at the 2011 Cookstown 100, including both Superbike races and the lone Supersport contest.
Irish road racer Michael Dunlop nabbed a pair of wins at the 2011
Tandragee 100. The Ballymoney man bested Kawasaki’s Ryan Farquhar in the first Superbike contest and the lone Supersport race, taking the victories in lap record-breaking fashion. The Tandragee 100 finale race, a second Superbike/Open class contest, was cancelled due to weather conditions at the County Armagh circuit.
Dunlop and Farquhar battled in the first race of the Open class on their
Kawasaki ZX-10R mounts, Dunlop with his new Paul Bird/Street Sweep machinery and Farquhar aboard his KMR mount. After six laps Dunlop turned the 5.34-mile road course a scant 1.371 seconds better, claiming the win. Road racing vet Adrian Archibald was on pace for a third-place podium behind the front-running duo, but retired after four laps aboard his BMW S1000RR. Instead Suzuki’s John Burrows claimed the final rostrum position, a full 37 seconds adrift of the winner.
Dunlop’s best lap of 109.297 mph was turned on the final circuit of the Open race. The 109 mark shattered the standing lap record for 1000cc machinery, a 106.930 mph lap set by Cameron Donald in 2007. Farquhar, winner of five races at the
Cookstown 100 Irish road course season opener (including both Superbike and the Supersport races), was on a Tandragee lap-record breaking pace as well – his final lap of the Open race at 108.657 mph.
Ryan Farquhar scored a pair of second-place finishes at the Tandragee 100, one each in the Open and Supersport classes, with victories in the Supertwins and Moto450.
The five-lap Supersport race was another squeaker between Dunlop and Farquhar. Campaigning a Street Sweep Yamaha in the 600 class, Dunlop exchanged the front position with Farquhar as the duo once again turned the Tandragee circuit at a record-breaking pace. Dunlop saved his best for last, his 108.367 mph final lap besting Farquhar by 1.884 at the line. Both riders blistered the previous best in the Supersport, a 105.282 also set in 2007 by Cameron Donald.
Unlike the Open class race, Archibald managed to finish the Supersport affair in third aboard his AMA Racing Yamaha, a full 34 seconds behind the lead pair. Derek Sheils, another notable DNF from the Open race, rebounded in for a solid fourth-place on the T&M Honda
In the other Tandragee contests, Farquhar claimed a win in the Supertwins class aboard a Kawasaki 650. Farquhar’s KMR teammate Adrian Archibald was second – the latter also claiming a new lap record. William Dunlop, brother of Michael, also won a pair of races with victories in the 250 and 125GP classes. Meanwhile Farquhar took the win in the Moto 450 class.
The Dunlop brothers’ four combined wins at the 2011 Tandragee continue the family tradition. Their father Robert tallied seven victories there, while uncle Joey is the winningest rider at Tandragee, with 18 career wins at the circuit.
Dunlop and Farquhar will now brace themselves for the North West 200, running in two weeks’ time. The dominant riders in the opening Cookstown and Tandragee races will expect stiffer competition at the NW200, as the roster will be bolstered by the likes of road racing specialists from British Superbike such as Ian Hutchinson and Guy Martin.
(UPDATE: Ian Hutchinson is confirmed out of the 2011 Isle of Man TT)
2011 Tandragee 100 Superbike Results:
1. Michael Dunlop (Kawasaki) 107.143 mph
2. Ryan Farquhar (Kawasaki) 107.007 mph
3. John Burrows (Suzuki) 103.489 mph
4. Davy Morgan (Suzuki) 101.355 mph
5. Shaun Anderson (Suzuki) 101.242 mph
6. William Dunlop (Honda) 98.810 mph
7. Andrew Courtney (Honda) 98.804 mph
8. William Davison (Honda) 98.777 mph
9. David Mulligan (Yamaha) 98.567 mph
10. Andy Farrell (Yamaha) 98.486 mph
11. Ivan Shanley (Yamaha) 97.873 mph
12. Rob Barber (Honda) 97.542 mph
13. Dennis Booth (Suzuki) 97.043 mph
14. Anthony McColgan (Kawasaki) 96.555 mph
15. Daley Mathison (Suzuki) 96.466 mph
DNF Adrian Archibald (BMW) 104.223 mph
DNF Derek Sheils (Honda) 101.840 mph
2011 Tandragee 100 Supersport Results:
1. Michael Dunlop (Yamaha) 106.521 mph
2. Ryan Farquhar (Kawasaki) 106.298 mph
3. Adrian Archibald (Yamaha) 102.608 mph
4. Derek Sheils (Honda) 101.154 mph
5. John Burrows (Yamaha) 101.107 mph
6. Davy Morgan (Yamaha) 101.032 mph
7. William Davison (Honda) 100.717 mph
8. David Mulligan (Yamaha) 100.492 mph
9. Paul Cranston (Honda) 99.290 mph
10. Stephen McKnight (Yamaha) 98.871 mph
11. Rob Barber (Yamaha) 98.337 mph
12. Ivan Shanley (Yamaha) 98.061 mph
13. Wayne Kennedy (Suzuki) 96.968 mph
14. Andy Farrell (Yamaha) 96.722 mph
15. James McCann (Yamaha) 96.675 mph
