The organisers of the Tandragee 100 Road Race have said they are ‘absolutely delighted’ after the Infrastructure Minister committed to proceed with resurfacing work on a stretch of the route.
The plans mean the much-loved race could finally see the light of day again in 2025, after it was cancelled in 2023 and 2024 amid ongoing issues around the necessary resurfacing on parts of the 5.3 mile circuit.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd today announced his intention to proceed with the resurfacing work later this year on a stretch of the A51 road to assist with plans for the race next year.
Minister O’Dowd said: “Over many years my Department has been working with race organisers to facilitate the safe conditions for the Tandragee 100 to take place. This has involved carrying out road surface and drainage repairs in advance of the event and that essential work will continue with the resurfacing of a small stretch of the road in preparation for next year’s event.
“Our rural road network is at the heart of local communities and contributes to their connectivity and economy. The Tandragee 100 Road Race is part of a busy NI motorsport calendar and attracts many thousands of motorsport enthusiasts.”
He added: “It also generates opportunities for local businesses and tourism. I am committed to supporting and investing in our rural road network to enable local communities deliver local benefits.”
Speaking to Armagh I, Clerk of the Course and Club Secretary of the North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club, Anne Forsythe, described the news as “fantastic”.
She said: “We’re absolutely delighted. I mean it’s the start of the journey for us, we have a lot of work to do now.”
Anne says it will enable the club to progress their preparations for running the race in 2025.
“Behind the scenes, we had been working away anyway and we have to apply for our date application with our governing body and we’ve already done that. We did that in August. So we’re just going through all the normal procedures.
“Now that we’ve got this news we’re on to the next stage. We’re now going to be able to turn our full attention to secure all the necessary resources including financial.”
She added: “The bottom line is if the resurfacing wasn’t done we would have had a year with no Tandragee 100. That’s the only reason we didn’t run in 2023 or 2024.
“It’s brilliant. It really is, because we bring so much by way of opportunities and both social and economic impact on not only County Armagh but as far down as Newry, and attracting spectators to come and spend their money from all over the world.”
In a statement released online by the North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club, Anne added that they were “committed” to doing everything they can to bring the event back in 2025, thanking all who worked behind the scenes to make it a reality.
Details on when the proposed work will commence will be published soon.
