Stephen Walsh secures first Irish Road Race podium at Tandragee 100

Stephen Walsh secures first Irish Road Race podium at Tandragee 100

Kerry’s sole representative at last weekend’s Tandragee 100, Stephen Walsh, made history by securing his first-ever podium finish at an Irish road race event.

Walsh, who was using the event as a shakedown for the Manx Grand Prix in August, delivered an impressive performance on his Honda machinery.

Walsh competed in both the Junior and Senior Classic races on a Honda 350 and a Honda 500 respectively.

His standout result came in the Senior Classic Race, where he finished an impressive second in the C500 class.

He also placed him sixth overall in the combined  race, marking his best-ever result at a closed-road motorcycle racing event in Ireland.

In the Junior Classic for pre-1973 machines, Walsh qualified seventh and maintained that position to finish seventh in the C350 class.

Walsh’s  has his sights firmly set on the Classic TT element of the Manx Grand Prix in mid-August.

Following the Tandragee event, his 500cc Honda was transported directly from the County Armagh venue  to the Isle of Man, where it will undergo an engine upgrade in the coming weeks.

“I won’t see it again until we begin practice for the Classic TT,” Walsh said. “But I had a great weekend in Tandragee. I don’t mind if I finish first or last, I just love racing, but I am delighted to take home my first trophy in an Irish road racing event.”

Walsh’s primary goal for the season is to record a finish at the Manx Grand Prix, an event he will be starting for the third time this August so he will skip the Armoy Road Races in July.

“The full target this season is the Grand Prix and Armoy is too close, time-wise, and I can’t risk engine or bike damage,” he added.

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