Sealing a third Senior Open success in five years, Dan Kneen regained the feature race crown at the Around A Pound Tandragee 100, following one of the best Irish national Superbike races, of recent times.
It took Tyco BMW’s Kneen, till the final lap, to move to the front, having been embroiled in throughout, a quite thrilling four rider dice for victory.
Ultimately, it was Manx star Kneen who made the decisive move on lap six, moving in front of Supersport and Super Twins race winner Derek McGee, to secure his first roads succes with Tyco BMW.
Photo by Rod Neill
Race runner up McGee, only 0.483 behind, was in turn just 0.053 clear of Cookstown BE Racing’s Derek Sheils, who concluded the podium finishers.
Martin Jones Racing’s Michael Sweeney, who kept pace throughout with Kneen, McGee and Sheils, finished a more than creditable fourth.
Photo by Rod Neill
McAdoo Kawasaki’s Adam McLean was a solid fifth, Thomas Maxwell banked sixth, as Seamus Elliott, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Steven Procter and Andy Farrell, rounded out the top ten within the sizzling big bike encounter.
Notable non finishers were leading Tandragee newcomer Davey Todd, and Temple Golf Club Yamaha’s William Dunlop, who both slid off uninjured at Bells Crossroads.
Full race results, from the Around A Pound Tandragee 100 feature race, are as follows:
1 Dan Kneen
2 Derek McGee
3 Derek Sheils
4 Michael Sweeney
5 Adam McLean
6 Thomas Maxwell
7 Seamus Elliott
8 Kevin Fitzpatrick
9 Steven Procter
10 Andy Farrell
11 Joe Loughlin
12 Paul Williams
13 Darren Cooper
14 Paul Cranston
15 Rhys Hardisty
16 Davy Morgan
17 Graham Kennedy
18 Tom Robinson
19 Mike Norbury
20 Forest Dunn
21 Alan Connor
22 James Chawke
23 Sam Johnson
24 Damian Horan
25 Vassilios Takos
26 Eric Wilson
27 Noel Carroll
Words by Stevie Rial