By Experienced Canadian racer Mel Gantly, is set to accomplish this April/early May a long held ambition of competing at Irish national road races, having confirmed his participation at the KDM Hire Cookstown 100 and Around A Pound Tandragee 100.
A huge fan of the legendary Joey Dunlop, his maiden Irish roads expedition will see him tackle the Senior Support encounters at Cookstown and Tandragee, piloting a CBR 600 F2 Honda, thanks to the generosity of next gen road racer Aaron Mellish.
Photo by expressivemotion.com
Speaking recently about his upcoming closed roads debut, at Cookstown, freelance motorcycle journalist Gantly, stated:
“For years I have dreamed about and worked towards following in my hero Joey Dunlop’s footsteps, by racing on the Isle of Man and in Northern Ireland, the country where motorcycle road racing was born.
Now my dream is about to become a reality, and from what the organisers have told me, I may be the first Canadian to enter these races.
The Cookstown and Tandragee races are held on closed public roads. After being accustomed to purpose-built race tracks here in North America, getting up to pace in these Irish races will present me with many unique challenges, not only in terms of riding style but also machine set up.
Both tracks feature fast straights, sharp corners, blind bends, crests, jumps, and are lined with fences, walls, telephone poles and other immovable objects.”
He went onto add:
“My flights have been booked, my FIM International License obtained, and my race entries accepted. Once I arrive in Northern Ireland there will be further costs, and I am actively seeking sponsorship opportunities to hopefully help offset some of these expenses.
I would be excited to meet with anyone interested in working with me and experiencing this adventure together. Thank you to all who support and encourage me as I pursue my goals.”
Words by Stevie Rial
