The Tandragee 100 National Road Races reaches its 50th anniversary this weekend when the Around A Pound backed 2009 race takes place this Saturday. This year’s anniversary event which is backed for the first time by Around A Pound will see a total prize fund of over £11,000.00 and is part of the Irish and Ulster Road Racing Championship.

This year’s programme will see an action packed eight races on Saturday, race day, plus practicing on Friday which will be the culmination of a week of programmes celebrating North Armagh Club’s 50th running of the Tandragee 100. The build up to race began on Sunday 26th April with a sponsored walk with processed going to the Injured Riders Welfare Fund. Tonight (Monday 27th April) at 7:30pm will see the re-launched Tandragee 100 Supporters Club holding a ‘Bike Display’ on the Main Street, judges for the evening will be ex road racers Ray McCullough and Phillip McCallen. Finally on Wednesday evening (22nd April) at Tandragee Rovers Football Club on the Madden Road in the town their will be a ‘Friendly Knock-out Football Tournament’ at 6:30pm with a BBQ and other events.

The big day of course will be on Saturday were the will be an action packed day of racing which will see Dungannon’s Ryan Farquhar and Scotland’s Keith Amor resume their duel for the Ulster / Irish Road Racing Championship glory in the Tayto Junior Open Race for 201cc to 1010cc bikes, it was Farquhar who was the winner of the Superbike race at Cookstown last Saturday but can Amor finally get his own back on the Dungannon man. Meanwhile the dynamic duo will also do battle in the main feature race of the day Around A Pound Tandragee 100 Senior Open Race where Amor will be wanting to turn the tables on Farquhar. It’s expected that the two will also renew their rivalry for the Trackday Tools Supersport 600 race.

Millside Engineering will be backing the Lightweight (125cc) and 250cc races, where it is hoped the Dunlop brothers, William and Michael will be renewing their on track rivalry in both races. Along with comeback man Darren Burns in the 125cc race which will also have some backing from People Direct and this race will also be incorporating the SV 650 class which is also backed by Millside Engineering. The 250cc race will see the Two Stroke Supporters Club backing the championship as always.

The Support riders will also have a run out on the day in the Tandragee Centra Junior Support race which is a non championship event but will be for 201 – 400cc machines.

The Classic machines will also be in action in the Andrew Knox Championship Classic race, which will be divided into four classes, with a class for up to 250cc backed by Portadown Recycling Ltd, class for over 250 – 350cc sponsored by J P O’Hagan Tyres, class for 350 – 500cc with backing from T H Engineering and finally the last class for 500 – 1000cc which is sponsored by City Autos Ltd.

So far the Club has received 298 entries for the event with 43 of those coming from newcomers to the event, proving that Road Racing is still popular in Tandragee after 50 years. And to help celebrate being 50 years young, the Club have produced a Special Limited Edition of 500 Souvenir Brochures which will be priced at £8.00 and can be purchased along with the normal race programme at the North Armagh Club Merchandising Stand in the Paddock on race day. If you purchase a race programme you could be a lucky winner also with one of the programmes including a special winning message inside which could see you being the lucky winners of £100 and an official Club Polo Shirt.

Roads will close at 4pm on Friday 1st May for official practice and 10am on race day Saturday 2nd May.  Highlights of the racing will be shown in BBC (Northern Ireland) at a later date, although broadcast date and time is yet to be confirmed.