Defending Irish Enduro Champion Paul McLoughlin makes a winning start to round one of the 2012 Irish Enduro Championship in Glendalough…

Sunday May 13th saw the first round of the Irish Enduro Championship running at Glendalough. Despite a week of inclement weather, race day conditions were perfect. Clerk of the course Allan Leckie had marked out a lap of about 55 kilometres with expert and senior riders having 3 laps to do, clubman and sportsman riders with 2 loops to complete.For the most part fast and flowing, the lap was a fabulous mix of wide open forestry track, timber forwarder tracks, some woodland trails which were sublime to ride and a long pull up a stoney hill which seemed to go on forever.

The extreme test, which unusually enough was right at the start of the lap was a different story however, with few riders having a clean run through.  It started with some tight and slippery woodland trail and the first opportunity to drop your bike. This led to a ditch, which got more difficult as many riders in the over 100 strong field got stuck and dug an even deeper hole trying to get out. If it wasn’t for Pat Kinlan’s bridge of sticks on the second lap, this ditch would have been as far as a lot of riders would have got.

Once clear of the ditch you weren’t out of the woods yet – an uphill section littered with old timber cuttings, there was no obvious choice of line and it was a case of pointing your bike in a general uphill direction and trying to hang on. Exiting the woods with chest heaving, there was a small stream to cross before opening up the bike for a flat out blast up a forestry road and a chance to catch your breath before the next woods section.  Turn left and into the trees for the second time, as the day wore on a line developed and this technical section was tough but fair to ride and then it was into the final part of the test, open the throttle down a grassy run before braking hard and into the slop.  Hang off  the back of the bike and keeping momentum up and hope for the best, the test end sign was rarely such a welcome sight.

Sunny Weather Greeted the 100+ riders entered

Quickest of the experts defending Irish Enduro champion Paul McLoughlin put in 3 fast runs through the test to finish over a minute clear of Danny Connolly with Pat Cody a further 30 seconds behind Danny. Always quick when conditions are tough, Seamus Muldoon had a good first run but got stuck and lost a minute and a half on his second run to put him out of contention. Dave McNulty opened the course and set a good pace through the test, but lost almost 10 minutes on his second lap.  Young Italian rider Andrea Bassi broke his chain in the middle of the first test and retired on the second lap.

In the senior class, there were 2 northern riders in the top 3, with James Farrell making it 2 in a row to take the honours by an incredible 3 minutes from Liam O’Brien who rode 3 steady runs through the test to finish 20 seconds in front of Gordy Roberts.  It was a rare retirement for Jonny Mercier as he lost over 13 minutes on his second lap.

In the clubman class, Richard Murphy made it 2 wins in a row as he gritted his teeth and dug deep after losing 20 seconds getting the big 450 out of that ditch on the first lap.  David McMahon was 1/2 a minute behind in 2nd place with Colm McHugh riding well all day but getting stuck in the test on his second lap to leave him a further 1/2 minute behind McMahon. Credit must go to the rest of the large clubman field, with only 2 retirements despite the tough conditions.

Kevin McDonnell took the honours in sportsman by a margin of over 2 1/2 minutes with Anthony Kerins and John Walsh having a good battle to finish 2 seconds apart to round out the podium.

Thanks to Allan Leckie and all the volunteers who made this event possible.  Thanks also to the time keepers and particularly Deborah McCann for getting the results out so promptly.

Report: Richard Murphy/ www.torcireland.ie

Results:

Expert: 1. Paul McLoughlin; 2. Dan Connolly; 3. Pat Cody; 4. Seamus Muldoon; 5. Niall Stapleton…

Detailed Results:

Glendalough 2012 Provisional Results

Although Team owner and manager Rowley Suitor was absent for this race, the team was out in action for the third round of the Retink Irish Motocross Championships at the GP circuit at Desertmartin.

The day was cold but bright, and team leader and reigning Ulster Champion Richard Bird had a problematic day, despite leading race 1, the Lisburn man was hampered by a slipping clutch which dropped him to third by race end.

After some frantic work in the pits between races, Chris Ross had the KTM on the line again, but after two laps leading once again, the clutch let go and Richard struggled to a fourth.

Once again, Chris and Adrian worked hard and re bled the clutch, this time it held, and Richard once again led the race, but dropped behind race winner Gary Gibson to finish runner up, and third overall on the day.

Richard, although frustrated by the machine problems, was happy to finish all three races with a good haul of points, and showed no ill effects after his fall at Doon in the last round.

His team mate in the Premier MX1 class, Larnes Niall McAuley had a frustrating day too, but finished a fine 11th overall at the end of the day, while fellow MX1 rider Phillip Harris finished just behind in 12th overall, one point behind his teammate.

Mark Patterson was out in the ultra competitive Semi Expert MX2 Class, where he finished 8th overall with race results of 14th, 8th, and 6th, a good day in a fast, competitive class.

The team will be in action again at the next round of the MRA Ulster Championships at Tinker Hill Newry on 26th May.

Words: Mal Beattie/BTMX

Saturday last saw team TMC MOTO X fielding 2 of their premier riders in the shape of John Meara (premier mx2) and Christy Harnett (premier mx1). The crew had set up camp in Porters Pit, Desertmartin for round 3 of the “Retink Racing Adult Irish Championship”

Fresh winds, bright sunshine and a perfectly groomed track set the scene for what was to become an awesome days racing.

The Honda mounted TMC lads made a good impression in qualifying with John qualifying 9th and Christy qualifying 18th .

JOHN MEARA mx2

Race 1 saw John get a brilliant start and he was lying 3rd overall, mixing it with the top mx1 lads and leading the mx2 lads by 18 seconds when he encountered a few lapped riders, as he tried overtake, one of the rider moved across to allow him by only to crash into him loosing him the lead but still managed to get 2nd.

Race 2 was a brilliant ride coming from about 8th to finish up 2nd overall and win mx2.

Race 3 he got a bad start and while trying to carve his way through the field, developed a huge blister on his hand and could hardly hold on but still managed 2nd.

Those results still leave John about 19 points ahead of 2nd place man, Michael McCammond

“All in all it was a good weekend and I look forward to the remaining rounds”

Christy Harnett mx1

Christy went well in qualifying even though 18th didn’t really reflect the way he was riding.

Race 1 started well but he got caught in a tyre on the 2nd corner which demoted him to nearly last but worked his way up to 10th mx1

A bad start in race 2 forced him to battle hard to finish 7th

Another bad start in race 3 and a couple of minor offs netted him 8th.

“I was fairly happy the way the day went and I made a lot of progress with my confidence but I am still struggling but it’s a long season yet”

See our website tmcmotox.com

Report by Bignoel PR

Photo by McKinstry Pics

The third round of the Retink Irish Motocross Championship saw the new crop of teenage motocross riders come to the fore to challenge the ‘old guard’ with a super display of fast, hard charging, determined riding that belies their youth.

In the Premier MX1 Class, the usual suspects put on a fantastic show, just to show the youngsters what they have to do, with Wayne Garrett from Comber running out the winner overall with two wins and a fourth after a fall in race three which broke his clutch lever on the JAR Honda, the Comber man showing all his old form and confidence.

However, the rejuvenated Gary Gibson from Ballygowan on the TAS Tyco Suzuki, and Richard Bird from Lisburn on his Watt/Suitor Bros KTM kept Wayne honest. Richard led all three races for a while, but clutch troubles hampered him on the first two, but the third race was the race of the day, with all three big names in the hunt, with Gary running out the winner, with Richard runner up.

These three made up the overall podium, with Gary particularly happy with his win on sand, despite his reputation as a hard pack specialist. His winter training schedule is obviously paying off as the Ballygowan man is becoming a real threat on all surfaces.

Fourth was ever improving Michael Mahon from Dublin on the Vigors VMX KTM450, and defending Champion Tommy Merton having a subdued day in fifth, Tommy recovering from a dislocated shoulder rode steadily but cautiously by his standards.

Gary Gibson pushes hard for for victory in the final race

MX2 Premier Class was dominated by youngsters, with JAR Honda teamster Michael McCammond from Larne running out the overall winner, the Larne man joining his team mate on the top box. John Meara can count himself unlucky on the day, the Loughbrickland man heading for a first race win, tangled up with a backmarker with 4 laps to go, took forever to get the TMC Honda fired up, but still finished runner up to McCammond.

Third was a hard working Glenn McCormick on the Agnew Recovery/Watt Kawsaki, carrying a groin injury from a first race crash, Glenn finished third overall with gutsy rides from behind in all three braces, the Glenoe teen getting more confident on the four stroke every race.

Moira teenager Scott Hamilton continues to impress this year on his Tyco TAS Suzuki finished a fine fourth overall, with Dromaras Ryan Adair, yet another youngster showing promise, a fine fifth on the Adair Electrics Suzuki.

The Semi Expert MX1 Class was once again dominated by Stewartstowns Donal Teague, the youngster bringing the big Kawasaki home first in all three races, followed by the similar machine of Hillsborough’s Darren Bradford, third was Ballyclares Clifford Wilson.

Semi Expert MX2 riders dominated the overall races however, and once again, teenage riders were at the fore, with debut race winner Loughbricklands Jason Meara, two weeks after his 15th birthday winning race three on the TMC Honda to tie with fellow 15 year old Stuart Fee on his 125cc Fee Engineering KTM for the overall win, but Connor Campbell from Larne had terrible luck with two non finishes ruining his day following crashes and machine issues with his Monster Energy/Cosworth Yamaha, but fellow teen Dunadrys Jordan McClelland finished a great third overall on his Samsung Yamaha, and Ian Jones from Dublin on his Honda fourth.

Mention must be made of a debut race win for Carrickfergus youngster Darren Grills in race 2 on his KTM also.

Clubman MX1 produced the best racing all day, with all three race wins going down to the wire, Paul Atkinson took the overall with two seconds and a win, Scott Leaney was second with a win and two thirds, third was Alan Saunders with a win and two fourths.

Championship leader Gareth Mulligan came home fourth with steady rides all day.

Clubman MX2 was dominated once again by Lisburns Andre Blakeley with three wins, but Larne’s Kristofer Rea on the JAR Honda second and improving every race, third was Chris Simms.

A great days racing, well run by the Cookstown Club under sunny, but cold skies all day.

Words: Mal Beattie

Images: Colin Mcilhagger

Championship Standings (after round three):

Retink Adult Irish Championship_2012_rd3

We revisit the mud bath that was round two of the Ulster Motocross Championship held at Seaforde Moto Park on Mayday.

Photos: © Colin Mcilhagger

For more of Colin’s images visit: http://www.photoboxgallery.com/colinsphotos

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ROUND 2 MRA ULSTER MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, SEAFORDE, CO. DOWN, MAY DAY 7^TH MAY 2012

May Day produced some typical wet and cold weather, but the hosting Mourne Club pressed ahead with the second round of the Ulster Motocross Championships in unpleasant conditions, truncating the meeting to two races per class.

In the Premier Class, Carrickfergus rider Graeme Irwin produced two impressive wins on his MX2 Samsung Yamaha, this the day after finishing third overall at the Maxxis British Championship in Lyng, Norfolk.

Graeme passed the early leaders early on in both races and simply rode away, in the MX2 class, Larne’s Michael McCammond on his JAR Honda produced a second and a third in the tricky conditions, with Dromara’s Ryan Adair finishing a fine second in race 2 on his Adair Electrics Suzuki, and Moira teenager Scott Hamilton finsihing third in race 1, and impressive result in his debut Premier Class season.

Also impressive on the day with a fourth after a fall was Greyabbey lad, Craig Browne on his Dennis Browne/Stove Factory Kawasaki, the change to KTM obviously suiting the lanky hard working kid.

In the MX1 Premier Class, Ballygowans Gary Gibson on his Tyco TAS Suzki claimed the honours in race 1, with Robert Hamilton, from Portavogive on his G&G Ross Suzuki taking the other race win.

Runner up in both races was Dromore charger, and crowd favourite, Davy Gorman on his AJ Plumbing/Elite Bathrooms KTM 350, with ex Champions Comber Men Wayne Garrett on his JAR Honda, and Tommy Merton, returning after injury on his Watt/No Fear Kawasaki sharing third places.

Irwin leads the way in Seaforde ©Colin Mcilhagger

In the Semi Expert Class, Irwins teammate, Jordan McClelland had two equally impressive wins aboard his Sansung Yamaha, the Dunadry teenagers first wins in adult racing.

Jordan was followed home in the MX2 class by Dromora’s Stuart Fee on his Fee engineering 125cc KTM in one race, and by Ballyclare teenager, Ben Mottram on his Agnew Recovery Yamaha, a fine ride from the diminutive youngster in very wet conditions.

Fee also had a third, with the other third being claimed by Mark Dynes from Lurgan on his Dynes Motorcycles Honda.  Mark is also recovering from a broken collarbone, so he was glad to finish so well in the tricky conditions.

In the MX1 Semi Experts, Chris Lappin from Comber on his TM, and Kawasaki mounted Donal Teague from Stewrtsown shared the honours, with Lougbrickland Veteran Cliffy Bailey claimed a pair of second places, showing impressive throttle control on his two stroke 250cc Yamaha, Teague claimed one third place, with Lurgan man Gareth Knox claiming the other.

In Clubmans MX1Col McMullan from Ballymoney ran away with race 1, while young Scott Leaney from Saintfield, newly Honda mounted won race 2. Paul Atkinson claimed two second places, with Leaney and McMullan the two thirds.  Championship leader Gareth Mulligan had a bad day at the office, complaining of no grip, with a 6^th and a twelfth.

Clubmans MX2 produced two winners, with Omaghs Ian Moore and Waringstowns Stephen White sharing the honours, Scott Bailey and Paul Henderson runners up, and Chris Simms and Henderson sharing the thirds.

The Mourne Club coped well with the conditions, the cold being worse than the wet according to the riders and spectators, but with few injuries, and the riders being happy enough with two races in the atrocious conditions, the day was a relative success, the next round is in three weeks, where the Temple Club will host at Tinker Hill near Newry on 26^th May.

Results:

Premier MX1: Race 1: 1:Gary Gibson, 2: David Gorman, 3: Tommy Merton, 4: Jordan Scott, 5: Jason Garrett, 6: Richard Bird

Race 2: 1:Robert Hamilton, 2: Gorman, 3: Wayne Garrett, 4: Gibson, 5: Bird, 6:Jason Garrett

Premier MX2: Race 1: 1:Graeme Irwin, 2: Michael McCammond, 3: Scott Hamilton, 4: Craig Browne, 5: Ryan Adair, 6: John Meara

Race 2: 1: Irwin, 2: Adair, 3: McCammond, 4: GlennMcCormick, 5: Meara, 6: William Donnelly

Semi Expert MX1: Race 1: 1: Chris Lappin, 2:Cliffy Bailey, 3: Donal Teague, 4: Steven Beattie, 5: Matthew Sinton, 6: Gareth Knox

Race 2: 1:Teague, 2: Bailey, 3:Knox, 4:Gary Addis, 5: Trevor McMullan, 6:Ray Brownlie

Semi Expert MX2 Race 1: 1:Jordan McClelland, 2: Stuart Fee, 3: Mark Dynes, 4: Aaron Ashton, 5: Darren Grills. 6: Jason Meara

Race 2: 1: McClelland, 2: Ben Mottram, 3:Fee, 4: Jason Meara, 5: Karl Thompson, 6: Mark Dynes

Clubman MX1: Race 1: 1:Colm McMullan, 2: Paul Atkinson, 3: Scott Leaney, 4: Andrew McKibben, 5: John Guy, 6: Greth Mulligan

Race 2: 1: Leaney. 2: Atkinson, 3: McMullan, 4: Guy, 5: Graeme Jellie, 6: McKibben

Clubmans MX2: Race 1: Ian Moore, 2: Scott Baliey, 3: Paul Henderson, 4: Steven White, 5: Keith Redmond, 6:Andre Blakeley

Race 2: 1:Steven White, 2: Henderson, 3: Chris Simms, 4: Blakeley, 5: Kristofer Rea, 6: Bob Smyth

Malcolm Beattie
MRA Press Officer

Photos: Colin Mcilhagger

Link to Photos: http://www.photoboxgallery.com/colinsphotos

Take a walk of this weekend’s extreme test at the Enduro World Championship with Electraction TM’s Gordon Clarke. Check out how deep some of the puddles are, plus Gordon reveals his secret tips for track walking at the very end!

Seaforde Motocross Parc was the venue for Round 2 of 2012 Ulster Motocross Championship on Mayday Monday 7th May 2012. Although it was fairly dry leading up to it, mother nature bestowed vast amounts of rain on the hard circuit Monday morning. So much so that the organising club (Mourne Motorcycle Club) would decide to shorten the event to two races each instead of three.

The JAR Honda team were fresh home from the British championships on Sunday in Lyng, after an all night driving session from Norfolk in England to Cairnryan in Scotland to get the boat back to Northern Ireland.

Wayne Garrett, riding his CRF 450R, was going into the day leading the championship and after having a tough day before, wasn’t looking forward to it as it is one of his least favourite tracks because he sustained a very bad leg injury there in July of last year. The track was failing quickly due to the amount of rainfall there had been on Monday morning.

Michael McCammond didn’t really mind the amount of rain that fell, as he doesn’t really like hard pack tracks and this way it evened up the odds a bit if not even pointing them a bit in his favour. And with a great lot of effort he was to capitalise on this.

Wayne Garrett battles through the Mayday mud

Wayne Garrett MX1 – 7-3

“I was glad the event had been shortened to two races because all day I struggled with traction problems and seemingly a lot more than the rest of the riders. In the 1st race I got a very good start but got taken out on the 1st corner by somebody hitting me from behind, so I had to work my way up through the field and vision was nearly non-existent. Race 2 felt better but still had traction issues but ended up 3rd”

Michael McCammond MX2 – 2-3

“Today I tried to make amends for yesterday and got two good starts. In race 1 I managed to keep it upright and battled on to 2nd and in race 2 I also had a good start and got hit on 1st corner which drove me off the track but after a lot of hard work I pulled back up to 3rd. I am happy with the way the day went, picking myself up some valuable points”

Jonathan Rea – Team Manager

“First of all I would like to thank all the team for their big effort this weekend, especially Richard, Chris and Kenny for driving through the night after the British Motocross on Sunday. Days like this it is important to finish and although Wayne gave himself a lot of work in race one, he managed some valuable points. Michael again is showed determination to take two strong race results.

Images: Alan Gardiner

Hello, this is my first blog, ever, so here goes…

For those that don’t know me, I’m Jordan Rose, enduro’s my thing and I race for Electraction TM.

Up until about two years I used to be a full time motocross rider. I worked my way through the British scene, dabbled in some world events and back in the day I also used to race for TM UK. During 2010 I retired from motocross, originally I decided to pack it up for good but then later decided to give enduro a go in 2011. I had some interesting results and some good moments during my time with Husqvarna but for 2012 I’ve gone back to my roots and teamed up with my old friends in Electraction TM. Initially I thought this would be only part time but like anything the more you get into it the more there is to do. At the moment it’s basically a full time job and I’m loving every moment.

During the winter I spoke to Nick Craigie who owns Electraction TM about racing for him again. Luckily the timing was right and he set me up with a TM 250 two-stroke. I’m an old school rider at heart so I jumped at the chance to go back to riding two strokes. Straight away I felt at home on the bike. The best bit about riding a TM is that they come pretty much tricked up out of the crate. Aside from getting the suspension set up I was ready to go for the first British Sprint Enduro Championship in Aldershot.

Going into the race I didn’t set any goals as it was my first race and there was some serious talent at it. The first day was gong well and I was pushing for a top five result against guys like Johnny Aubert, Taddy Blazusiak and David Knight. Unfortunately half way through the day I hit a rock and de-railed my chain. It ruined my day but when I managed to set the third fastest time in the last test of the day I knew I could get a good result the following day.

With Aubert and Blazusiak not riding at round two I had a crack at going for the win.. and it worked out for a bit too! Straight away I set the fastest time in the first two tests but as I jumped into a sandy bombhole I got pitched over the bars and crashed hard. I lost a lot of time but was able to end the day in third behind Knight and Tom Sagar, which I was chuffed with.

Jordan's been on a fast track to BSEC success

When I saw the track for round three of the BSEC in Llangrove I was confident of a good result, though I knew it would also suit a lot of other guys. Taddy’s was too fast for us at round three and he won it well but I managed to finish second by beating Ricky Dietrich in the final test of the day. Round four was close all day and after losing out with a couple of mistakes I finished fourth to end the weekend third overall.

At rounds five and six of the BSEC we headed to Saints Well in Wales. On the first day I had a great battle with Daryl Bolter. After the lunch break I began to pull a gap on him and held on to take my first win of the BSEC. It felt so good to get a result like that and my confidence was at an all time high. I pushed hard at round six and came away with another win after a fierce battle with my good mate Tom Church. It was great to reward the team with a result like that as both Nick and Adrian Lappin worked really hard to help me win.

The following weekend we were straight back to work for round two of the British Enduro Championship at Hemsley. I was flying solo for this one though as Nick had to stay at home and walk his dog!

It was ok as the event was close to my parent’s home so it was local enough for me, we also had Jonny Walker staying with us so it was a bit of fun. On day one I had a good ride to finish fourth but the day didn’t end there. Jonny had a nasty crash that result in a concussion and needed to go to the local hospital in Scarbourgh. We were there until 2am getting him sorted and making sure he was ok. And this was after we’d slogged our way through the forest for about seven hours!

I think he owes me some extreme enduro tuition for that act of kindness. After getting up again at 6am it was back in the saddle for another good day to finish fourth. I was tired but damn happy with my results. Maybe I need all nighters more often!

Right now I’m at the EWC is Spain after an eventful and choppy 33-hour ferry from Portsmouth to Spain. The team’s got a busy few weeks ahead with this race and next weekend in Portugal before getting back for the BSEC. I’m really excited to get the chance to race in the EWC and hope with a bit of luck I’ll have a good result.

That’s about it for now but I’ll keep you posted about how I get on. Check me out on Facebook and the twitter thing!

Gracias!

Jordan

@jordanrose40

This week sees the beginning of the month of May, but more importantly it sees the beginning of the Carrickfergus Club’s Adult and Youth Grasstrack Series’ run in association with Norman Watt Motorcycles.

More precisely, Tuesday 1st May sees the opening round of the 2012 Youth Grasstrack Championship kick off, followed a few days later by Round 1 of the Adult Championship on Saturday 5th May. Both rounds will be held on the hillside Dalway’s Bawn circuit, situated a stone’s throw from Carrickfergus on the Dalway’s Bawn Road / Killyglass Road.

The grasstrack series’ which are promoted by the Carrickfergus Club are now into their fifth season and continue to grow in popularity among riders and spectators year on year.

Suitor Brothers/Watt Racing Team Manager, Rowly Suitor has been competiting at the events over the years and now has the full team entered for the adult championship. “The whole team enjoy the Carrick Club grasstracks because they are quite simply, pure fun.” Rowly commented. “From my perspective, they are excellent events for the team to bond while at the same time they are a great way for the guys to build up their race speed. I’m looking forward to getting underway again at the first round.”

The Dalway’s Bawn circuit itself has had a number of alterations since previous years track layout so there will be no advantage to those who have raced the venue before. Although sections of the old layout still exist the track map has changed significantly to provide a fresh circuit which will allow for close, fast and exciting racing.

Tuesday evening will see the Youth stars of the future christen the new track with practice at 6pm and racing at 6.30pm. Youth from six years old on 50cc automatics right up to the seniors (Age 14-18) on 125cc and 250 four stroke machines will all get their turn to take the spotlight on track alongside the two junior quad classes that complete the line-up for the evening. Entries for the youth will be taken on the night of the event or you can pre enter by printing a form off the club website.

After the Youth will have nicely bedded the circuit in on Tuesday, attention will turn to the main event everyone has been waiting for, the Adult Championship commencing on Saturday. The action is to get underway with practice sessions at 9.30am before the gate drops for racing at 10.30am.An explosive schedule of racing is on the cards with two, three and four wheeled machines all set to do battle in their respective classes.

Taking centre stage of the two wheeled action is the Expert Championship Class. Reigning Expert Champion, Richard Bird will have only one objective on his mind when he goes to the line on his Suitor Brothers/Watt KTM, to begin his title defence with maximum points as he did at the same venue this time last year. Unfortunately a broken collarbone suffered at Desertmartin on Easter Monday has put Bird’s closest 2011 challenger Drew Goudy, out until the end of June but local men Niall McAuley and William Logan will no doubt be hoping to put a dent in Bird championship aspirations right from the off.

The clubman classes are always tightly contested affairs and this season should be no different. Mixing it at the top end of the Clubman MX1 class should be Paul Atkinson and Scott Leaney who currently sit side by side, third and fourth in the Ulster Motocross Championship so these young men will be ones to watch out for come Saturday.

Chris Kennedy will look to improve on fifth overall last season in the Clubman MX2 class starting with a good set of results on Saturday, though he could have his work cut out looking at the entry list. Dollingstown rider, Darren Beattie could also be a fair shout to push for the points after he took his KTM onto the podium at Dalway’s Bawn in 2011.

One point separated Gary Dickinson and Michael McBride after twelve races last year but with Dickinson not yet entered for Saturday; Michael McBride has been labelled heavy favourite to take the Veterans crown in 2012. Incidentally Michael failed to win a race at Dalway’s last year; it was John Guy, Stephen McBride and Michael Gibson all taking a race win a piece, so maybe this year things will be different Either way it will be a furious sprint to the line for the sports more seasoned competitors.

Coleraine’s Richard Toye was the four wheeled King of Dalway’s in 2011, winning three races from three starts, which makes it hard to look past Toye to do the same again this year, though anything is possible in racing. Stephen Toye and Geoff Ingram Jnr. are no strangers to grasstracks and if they get away with Richard they won’t be giving in too easily I can assure you.

Unfortunately current holders of the Robert Blair Memorial Sidecar Trophy, Neil Campbell and Ross Graham are unable to defend their crown due to other racing commitments in England at the weekend therefore the trophy will definitely be changing hands on Saturday. The team of Gary Moulds & Shane Taylor are the highest placed of the teams entered if you look at the Ulster Sidecarcross Championship, but they only sit two points ahead of Lisburn men Richard Portis & Roy Beattie. It will be interesting to see whose form transfers over to a grasstrack from motocross; you’d be a brave man to pick a winner in this class!

If all those classes aren’t enough for the keen spectator then to top it off there is a new ‘EVO’ class included in the programme for Dalway’s. For those who don’t have a clue what that is, the ‘EVO’ class is somewhere in limbo between modern and classic machinery. One thing is for sure with this new class, the bikes will definitely be a show in itself, well worth a watch.

A full race programme of a minimum of twenty one thrilling races is in store starting at 10.30am on Saturday, so make sure you don’t miss out on the action and make the trip to Dalway’s Bawn for the opening round of the 2012 championship. Admission is priced at just £5.00 for Adults which includes a free official programme (while stocks last) and free parking within the venue. Families are encouraged to come along as children under 16 years of age can gain free admission when accompanied by an adult.

For more information on the upcoming events you can visit the Carrickfergus Club website at www.carrickfergusmcc.co.uk, or alternatively you can find them at facebook.com/carrickfergusmcc or on Twitter, @carrickmcc.

Entry List: GT_5th_May_Provisional_30_April_EntryList.xlsx