Davy Morgan took his first and hopefully not his last podium finish of the 2009 season when he came home second in the 250cc Junior Race at Tandragee. He followed this up with another three top eight finishes on his CSC Branson R1 & R6 Yamaha’s.

pic : Martin Coard

Friday’s practice was completely different from the previous weeks Cookstown 100 as the sun was shining and the track completely dry. It was on the 250cc Honda that Davy took on to the circuit first and in a solid session he finished with the fourth best time and a second row start, which could have been even better if he hadn’t had a couple of laps spoiled by slower riders in crucial areas. Next up was the CSC Branson Superstock R1 and after a steady few laps when he was running 12th/13th he took six seconds of his lap time on the final circuit to move himself up to fifth on the grid and another second row start. In his final practice session of the night there was a lot of traffic on track and on the Yamaha R6 he had to settle for the eighth best time and a third row start. All in all a great nights work and a massive step forward from the previous week.

The weather was kind on Saturday and the rain that was predicted during the week never came and so it was a case of just getting out on track and concentrate on racing. The 250 Junior Race was again first up for Davy and after a slow start he found himself back in sixth at the end of the opening lap. He worked his way through to second as the race progressed, but by the time he got there young Michael Dunlop was gone and Davy settled for a solid runner-up spot and a big boost to his confidence.

The CSC Branson Yamaha R1 was wheeled out for the Junior Open Race and again a slow start saw Davy back in tenth place at the end of lap one, but again he dug in and worked hard to fight his way through to finish seventh, with a best lap that matched the group of three riders just in front of him. The Supersport Race was next and an eighth place finish was not what the Saintfield man wanted, but a lot more speed is needed for the R6 and a bit of work before the NW200.

The last race of the day was the Tandragee 100 Open and this time Davy got the R1 off the line and was fifth through the chicane, but by the end of the lap he found himself back in eighth. By lap three he was up to sixth and had Michael Pearson on his tail and this battle continued throughout the remaining laps. On the final lap Morgan thought he had got the better of his rival and an excellent fifth place finish, but it wasn’t to be as a slower rider came in to play, Pearson was more aggressive and claimed fifth with Davy in sixth. He had the consolation of his fastest lap and the sixth fastest time of the weekend around the 5.5 mile circuit. A massive step forward and a big confidence boost ahead of the North West 200.

Speaking on Saturday evening Davy said: “It was a good weekend overall Fridays practice went well and at least I qualified this week. I was really surprised how far up the grid I was on the Branson R1, fifth place compared to thirty fifth at Cookstown. The 250 session was solid, although i came upon a few 400 riders in the worst places, which definitely affected my lap times. The supersport qualifying was disappointing, but there was a lot of traffic out there so I have to be grateful that I was in the first group”.

pic : Paul Woodlock (Woody)

“Saturday was a real step forward, the 250 runner-up spot was brilliant, I had a great battle with Emyln (Hughes), Mark (Young) and William (Dunlop) early on, their bikes were fast and they were riding really well, I was particularly impressed with Mark. By the time I got by them Michael (Dunlop) was gone and I settled for second. The CSC Branson R1 despite being down a few horses in Superstock spec is a beautiful bike to ride and I love it more and more every time I throw my leg over it, my sixth and seventh place finishes were pleasing although I feel they could both have been even better, but it’s a lot better than last week. The R6 still needs a bit of work; I rode the wheels of it, but it is just not quick enough at the moment. Saying all that it was a satisfying weekend with plenty of dry miles on the bikes and I finished all four of my races. I want to say a big thankyou to all those who helped me over the weekend and to Steve (Caffyn), the CSC Branson Team and my sponsors for their support”.