Armoy road races: Unofficial practice sessions and Dunlop dominance - all you need to know about the 'Race of Legends'
- Published
Michael Dunlop is flanked by Michael Sweeney and Derek Sheils after winning the feature Race of Legends event for an eighth time in a row in 2019
The first of two national road races to be staged in Northern Ireland in 2021 gets into gear this weekend.
The Armoy road races will take place on Friday and Saturday 30 and 31 July, with a quality field of riders assembled for the 13-race programme in the County Antrim village.
We look ahead to an event which has proved hugely popular in recent years but has been anticipated even more keenly this time because of the absence from the calendar of the major international road races and many other national events.
The Cookstown 100 will be the only other road race to take place in Northern Ireland this year, the event reverting to September dates from its traditional April slot for the second year in a row.
What is the history of the Armoy road races?
In comparison to other road races with a long history in Northern Ireland, the Armoy event is a relatively recent addition to the calendar, having first taken place in 2009.
The meeting is staged a round a public roads course just over three miles long, with the circuit triangular in shape and ridden in an anti-clockwise direction.
The main feature race is called 'The Race of Legends' in recognition of the Armoy Armada quartet of riders who competed at road racing events from the mid to late 1970s.
The Armada was established in 1977 and comprised the late Joey Dunlop, Mervyn Robinson and Frank Kennedy, plus Joey's brother Jim.
The current races are held on the roads that these riders used to test their machines in 'unofficial' practice sessions on open roads prior to race meetings.
The 2018 version of the event saw racing cancelled on the main Saturday race day because of persistent heavy rain, while last year's meeting fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Which top riders have competed at Armoy?
The races have consistently attracted a high quality entry, including the cream of road racing talent from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Among those who have competed at the event which has traditionally been staged in late July, are Michael Dunlop and his late brother William, 12-time winner Ryan Farquhar, Paul Jordan and Adam McLean.
Ex-MotoGP rider and North West 200 winner Jeremy McWilliams and current World Supersport competitor Danny Webb have also taken part, along with Conor Cummins and late fellow Manxman Dan Kneen.
England has been represented by distinguished riders such as Guy Martin, Davey Todd, Joey Thompson, Dean Harrison, the late James Cowton, former British 125cc champion Christian Elkin, Webb and Dominic Herbertson.
Scotland's Keith Amor participated regularly before his retirement and Republic of Ireland riders Derek Sheils, Derek McGee and Michael Sweeney remain customary visitors to Armoy.
Adam McLean leads the field off the line for a Supersport race at Armoy
What of this year's entry?
This year's races will see Michael Dunlop attempt to extend his remarkable record of eight successive victories in the feature 'Race of Legends' event as he competes in the Open and Supersport classes.
The Ballymoney rider will have a Synetiq by TAS Racing BWM M 1000RR at his disposal for the 'big bike' races and campaign a Yamaha R6 in the Supersport events.
The 32-year-old holds the lap record for the circuit from 2013, an average lap speed of 106.812mph, and has also won a record 19 races at the event.
Other confirmed entries have been received from McAdoo racing duo Adam McLean and Darryl Tweed, Magherafelt's Paul Jordan, a former Supersport race winner, and the Irish representation of Sheils, Sweeney, McGee, Joe Loughlin, Thomas Maxwell and Mike Browne.
The English contingent will include Todd and ex-MotoGP rider Chris Burns as part of Darren Gilpin's Wilson Craig Racing team, plus Herbertson, Phil Crowe and Martin, who will take in the senior classic race, where he will be aboard a BSA Rocket-3 and come up against Dunlop, who rides an exotic 500 MV Agusta
Yorkshireman Joey Thompson, who raced at the event in 2017, is taking time out from the British Superbike Championship to race at the meeting.
Limited spectators and the race schedule
Spectator packages have been sold online over recent months and a limited number of fans will be in attendance in line with the Northern Ireland Executive's Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions, which were relaxed to some extent in early July.
As well as the Race of Legends and an Open event for high capacity machines, the 13-race programme includes outings for Supersports, Supertwins, Moto3, Lightweight Supersport, classic and Support classes.
Roads close on Friday at 12:30 BST for practice, followed by a Lightweight Supersport outing and the first Supersport event, roads re-opening no later than 21:30. Roads close on Saturday from 10:00 BST, re-opening no later than 19:30.
Adam McLean leads Paul Jordan at Armoy
What do some of the top riders say?
Davey Todd: "Coming to Armoy in 2017 played a massive part in me kicking off my road racing career and I was super keen to come back in 2018 but the event was plagued by some bad weather.
"I love the atmosphere, the course, everything about it. I've been doing some other racing but all the time away makes me more and more eager to come back and go road racing.
"It will be especially nice to race in front of spectators. They and the atmosphere they create play a huge part."
Paul Jordan: "Armoy is one of the events I really look forward to - the past history makes it special and it will be all the more so this year because everyone has been starved of road racing for so long.
"Winning and podiums is all I am interested in and I will have top machinery in the form of the Burrows Racing Superbike Suzuki and R6 Yamaha, plus a Supertwin which I am looking forward to riding.
"I will go there confident, in a positive mood."
Adam McLean: "I'm looking forward to enjoying some road racing at my favourite national event.
"My last win there was in 2015, although I've had a couple of podium finishes since then in the Supersport class.
"I've had some good short circuit outings at Mondello Park, Bishopscourt and Kirkistown but I can't wait to get going at Armoy where there is a strong entry and the racing promises to be competitive.
"I'll be riding the Supersport and Supertwin bikes for McAdoo Racing."