Everyone was glad to see the Tandragee 100 back on the race calendar and none more so than Davy who loves the 5.1 circuit in County Armagh. With a new paddock area, moved finish line and the infamous chicane gone it was going to be an interesting weekend for all concerned. The weather being good was crucial as some of the road surface would be very slippery when wet so as the team headed down the M1 all eyes turned to the skies and if there would or would not be rain.

Practice started on Friday with the Strangford Holiday Park/Leisure Services GSXR1000 Suzuki in the Open Class and with the roads damp in places under the trees. Davy was taking no chances and claimed a solid but safe eighth quickest time, behind some guys that he would be confident of beating if the roads were dry on Saturday. Next was the Supersport Session and with the clouds getting darker overhead, it was hoped that it would not rain until after the session was complete. Unfortunately it did not and the rain began to fall as the riders disappeared out of sight and got heavier as they started their second lap, it did not matter for Davy as a small problem meant that Davy had to pull in at the end of the opening lap so recorded no time on the CSC Branson R6 Yamaha so was at the mercy of the organisers for his starting position on race day.

The rain continued to fall and after a delay it was announced that the remaining practice would be controlled so that was it for the night as grids would be done from championship positions and if you had already five laps completed on any bike you did not have to go out again.

Saturday morning and it was cloudy overhead, although the overnight rain had cleared and by the time the first race arrived the roads were dry. First up was the Open Race and on the Strangford Holiday Park/Leisure Services GSXR1000 Suzuki Davy made an awful start and was well back at the end of the opening lap. As the race progressed he picked his way past those in front of him and with two laps was in to fourth place, but the front three were well gone so he settled for a safe finish and a good start to the day.

Next up was the Supersport Race and Davy had been slotted in to seventeenth on the grid by the organisers and so a sixth row start on the CSC Branson Yamaha. In determined mood he made a solid start despite almost having his front wheel taken and by the end of the opening he had fought his way to ninth. He continued to lap well and picked off a few more riders and was in sixth, two seconds adrift of the scrap for fourth and fifth as they headed on to the final lap. By the flag however he was right on the tail of Shiels and Burrows as he lapped a full two seconds quicker than them and who knows where he would have finished had the race not been cut by a lap, maybe higher than sixth, but it was an excellent ride.

Just before what turned out to be Davy’s final race of the day the rain began to fall and the road was damp as the Davy Morgan #71 Road Racing Supporters Club 250cc Honda was taken to the start line. Davy once again made a good start and was well up the leader board as they headed for the Cabra Straight, some of the quicker bikes with lighter riders got past down the straight, but at the end of the lap he had fought back to fourth in the standings. Davy tried to stay with the leaders, but the Honda was spinning up in places on the damp roads and so he settled for a safe finish, which turned out to be third when one of the leading three ran out of fuel on the final circuit.

That was it for Davy Morgan and the 2011 Tandragee 100 as the rain came on harder and the decision was taken not to go out for the feature Tandragee 100 Race, which proved to be the right decision as the rain just got harder and harder and in the end the race did not start and the meeting was halted for safety reasons.

Speaking afterwards, Davy commented “A pretty good weekend with some good if fortunate results. I would have liked to been challenging John (Burrows) for third place in the Open Race, but I made an awful start and by the time I got past the others I was too far adrift and decided to bring it home for a safe finish. It was the same on the 250, with the track conditions as they were the wee bike was spinning up in some places were you really do not want to be spinning so I settled for a safe finish, which due to Burnsy’s mis-calculation meant it was on the podium. I really enjoyed the run on the CSC Branson R6, I nearly didn’t get off the line as one of the riders beside me came across and almost took my front wheel. After that I just settled in and even though it was not the quickest bike out there it was handling really well and I picked the riders off in front of me and on my final lap I closed right in on John and Derek and if there had been another lap the result may have been even better.”

“It’s been a reasonably good start to the season and now it’s all systems go for the NW200 and TT, although Trudy and myself are heading to Horice with 250 Honda next weekend. We still have no Superstock Bike for the NW200 and TT so if anyone out there would like someone on their bike at these meetings please get in touch as soon as.”