Bishopscourt short circuit is the venue for the Sunflower Trophy--last meeting of the season.
Guy Martin keeps his eyes on the road ahead as Alistair Seeley sits this one out
The raw excitement of Road Racing 's "Mid Antrim 150 "meeting at Clogh Co.Antrim. Above spectators get a "grandstand "view - to the left Ray Porter and Martin Finnegan go airborne in the 600c.c. Superbike event. Martin did not survive a crash at Tandragee in 2008.
Left: Mark Buckley takes a tumble in the NW 200 start/finish area
Left: Guy Martin heads Ian Hutchinson in the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod .
Right: Michael Rutter leads them out at the North West 200
Rolling thunder - 80 competitors roar off the grid in the CP Hire Production Race
Racing on public roads is a hugely popular spectator sport in Ireland. The North West 200 race around the Coleraine, Portrush, Portstewart triangle is reputed to be the largest sporting event in the U.K. and attracts top riders from all over the world. Racegoers get to chat with competitors in the paddock--a world away from the pomp and razzmatazz of Formula One.
Derek regularly covers the NW200 and Ulster Grand Prix for local newspapers and is a contributing photographer to Irish Racer Magazine.