Current Duke Rankings Champion Starts Defence of his Title
Winner of the title event of the opening national road race of the season in 2009, Ryan Farquhar returns to Oliver's Mount, Scarborough on Sunday 18th April to attempt to retain the Ian Watson Spring Cup and start the defence of his Rankings Championship for 2010.
After his most successful season ever, the current Duke Road Race Rankings Champion is gearing himself up for an even better year in 2010 and although the 34-year old took a phenomenal 61 road racing wins in 2009, becoming the most successful racer in Irish National Road Racing history in the process, he's aiming to improve upon that over the next few months commencing at the North Yorkshire venue.
However, in no way will the Dungannon man have it all his own way as rivals aim to beat him to the chequered flag.
Last July's Cock o'the North winner, Michael Pearson, only the second Ulsterman to take the coveted trophy and title will be out to show he aims to continue his winning form of 2009 and improve on his ninth overall position in the rankings.
Other experienced riders from the Island of Ireland include Adrian Archibald, Davy Morgan, Junior Manx Grand Prix winner, Stephen McIlvenna and Timmy Turtle.
Oliver's Mount experts, Ian Armstrong, Kiaran Hankin, Ian Whitlow, Keith Pringle, Ollie Linsdell, Steve Mercer, Stephen Oates and Mark Buckley will all be out to take home the prize money.
In the smaller capacity classes, winner of 79 races (to date) at the 2.43-mile closed public roads course, 'Manxie' Chris Palmer, who finished 12th in the rankings table last year, will be the man to beat, but once again the opposition will be out to spoil his day, as Peter Wakefield, Phil Harvey, David Guiney, Lee Vernon, Davy Morgan, Paul Owen and Daley Mathison amongst others all vie for the chequered flag in what should be close exciting racing.
The 14 race programme, will see competitors shake off the winter blues as they give their utmost around the tight, twisty, technical hillside course in the opening 'pure road race of the 2010 season.
Round two, the first of the season in Northern Ireland the Cookstown '100' National Road Races takes place on Saturday 24th April, followed by the first of seven International events, the North West 200 on May 15th.
Full details can be found on www.dukevideo.com/dukeroadracerankings.
