Derek Sheils has made good start to season

The new-look Burrows Engineering-Richardson Kelly Racing team got their 2019 Irish road racing campaign off to a positive start at Cookstown last week and Derek Sheils looks to continue their run during the Around A Pound Tandragee 100.

Sheils returns to Tandragee - practice and qualifying start this afternoon, roads closing 3pm - following first and third place finishes a year ago after terrific scraps with Derek McGee, Michael Sweeney and the late Dan Kneen around the technical 5.344mile circuit that is arguably the best of the Irish national venues.

Competing on the new BE-RK Racing GSX-R1000 Suzuki, Sheils said: "We are still learning with the new bike, trying to get the set-up we need for the small national circuits. John (Burrows) has put a lot of work into the bike and we certainly took a lot of positives away from Cookstown that we can build on at Tandragee.

"I hope we get better conditions this weekend, as the wind was a big problem at Cookstown, especially in the second Superbike race in which I thought I had the pace to win, but the race was stopped and the result taken on three laps when I was in second spot. We'll just have to make sure we are in the lead all the way at Tandragee!"

Roy Harris