DAN KNEEN IS KEEN TO ‘BE RACING’ AT TANDRAGEE

The North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club Ltd are delighted to announce that Dan Kneen from Douglas, Isle of Man and Skerries’s Michael Sweeney have been confirmed for the 2014 Around-A-Pound Tandragee 100 in County Armagh on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd May.

Both riders will be competing under the experienced John Burrows’ BE Racing Team banner.

26-year-old Dan Richard Kneen who will be making his debut at the Tandragee 100 course this year, became in 2008 the first rider to win a hat-trick at the Manx Grand Prix. Kneen was fourth in the 2009 Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship and second in the 2010 British Supersport Cup. He has also performed well at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix, where he became the fastest newcomer in history in 2010, lapping at 129.25mph.

The Braddan rider has been hampered in recent times by injury, which affected all of the last three seasons, but he remains one of the brightest young talents in road racing and the triple Manx Grand Prix winner will be looking to get back to the form that saw him challenge for the podium at the TT in both 2011 and 2012. Having lapped at over 127mph in the Superbike category, and over 125mph in the Supersport division, as well as taking

six top ten finishes and picking up 13 silver replicas, the move to the new team should see Dan right at the forefront of the results at all three of the UK Internationals.

Riding for the team owned and run by former racer John Burrows, Kneen will have a full assembly of machinery at his disposal including the ex-TAS Suzuki Superbike and a brand new 600cc Honda built to World Supersport specification. Kneen will also have selected outings on Burrows’ Kawasaki Supertwin whilst also retaining the use of the Marks Bloom Charted Accountants/Wemoto 1000cc Suzuki Superstock machine. Speaking about the year ahead, a happy Kneen said: "I'm delighted to be joining John Burrows' team. I feel John and his crew will provide me with everything I need to challenge for international podium finishes and his bikes will be as good as anything around. In previous years I've had to take care of all the machine preparation myself but this year I will be able to concentrate solely on the racing, I'm going to have a great opportunity to show what I can do and I'm really looking forward to mixing it up at the front.” "Top three finishes at the TT are the main aim but I'll be looking for top results too when I come to Ireland. I don't know any of the national circuits but John's experience will be a great help at all the places that are new to me and I'm confident I can put on a good show everywhere. A big thanks to John for putting his faith in me and also to Marks Bloom for their continued support."

Ever popular Skerries man ‘Micko’ Sweeney, remains a big hit with the fans both sides of the border, following his fantastic Manx Grand Prix Win in 2013 Piloting a Yamaha YZF-R6. The Irishman emulated his 2010 Junior MGP victory with a dramatic last lap victory after race leader James Cowton ran out of fuel on the last mile.

Sweeney, in 2013 was also 2nd in both the Irish and Ulster 250 GP Championship and 3rd in both the Irish Superbike and Supertwins Championships. Sweeney at Tandragee in 2013 had a 2nd place in the Sally McNally’s 250 GP race and a 5th place in the tightly fought Emerald Road Racing Magazine Supersport race.

The Club is also delighted that Minister Danny Kennedy and the local DRD Roads Service have been supportive of the event once again and have re-surfaced from the Start/Finish area on the Drumnamether Road all the way to Marlacoo Corner (the junction on the Armagh Road) and also most of the way from Cooley Hill Crossroads along the Markethill

Road towards Bells Crossroads. This means that over the last 3 or 4 years almost the entire length of the course (5.3 miles of country ‘B’ roads) has been re-surfaced which will not only improve competitor safety but also the condition of the roads for the local residents and the public in general.

Burrows commented “I had a run round the track and it’s a credit to the Club, never seen the track in as good a shape...looking forward to it”.