Crossgar Cross Country Review
The Mourne Motorcycle Club held their first cross-country motocross event of 2012 in Crossgar on Saturday, January 7.
The event was a fun-day, rather than a race, and the 81 competitors had the chance to ride for two hours on the track which was almost one and a half miles long.
This is the third year that the Mourne club has held a cross-country event at the start of the New Year. In 2010 the riders had to deal with riding through snow and in 2011 frost had left the ground frozen for the event. But in 2012 with heavy rain leading up to the event riders, such as Killinchy man Adrian Lappin, Crossgar’s James Cuffey, Saintfield’s Tom Lecky and Alan Campbell from Downpatrick, were treated to a slippery track which was to cut up heavily in places.
Thanks must also go to Bells Crossgar for the use of the forecourt on the Saintfield Road for parking vehicles.
Photo © Barry Clarke 2012
(Left to Right): Mark Douglas from Crossgar, Ballynahinch man Arthur McMullan, Downpatrick man Michael Killen and Mark Kirkpatrick from Aghalee.
Charity Grasstrack Cheque Presentation 2011
The Mourne Motorcycle Club is proud to have held its fifth annual charity motocross event in 2011. The event was held at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel (Ballynahinch) on Wednesday, June 22, to raise monies for two organisations that are close to the heart of all motocross riders.
In 2011 the Mourne club chose to raise monies for the British Red Cross and the St Johns Ambulance, who are two of the most important groups in attendance at all off road events, as they are always on hand to help injured riders.
This year the Mourne club hoped to carry on the excellent work from the first four years of the event, which has seen the club collect a total of over £30,000.
Everyone in the club was happy to see that despite the credit crunch, with many competitors unable to take part, we were still able to make a total of £4,500 from the event. This means that we are proud to be able to present the St Johns Ambulance and the British Red Cross each with a cheque for £2,250.
Pictured above are as follows: (left to right) May Kincaid, Jennifer Watson from the British Red Cross, Mourne Motorcycle Club chairman John Bassett, John Williams and Susan Conn from St Johns Ambulance.
In five years of holding charity events the Mourne club has now raised monies for;
• 2007 – Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice in Belfast.
• 2008 – Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
• 2009 – Tiny Life and Autism Northern Ireland.
• 2010 – Montalto Medical Centre and Friends of Cancer Centre.
• 2011 – British Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance.
The Mourne club would like to thank the Ballynahinch Lions, who were out again this year to help to promote and collect money at the event, as they have done since the first charity event in 2007.
The Mourne club was also helped by The Millbrook Lodge Hotel; Keith Cullen from Country Fried Chicken in Ballynahinch, who sponsored the trophies for the event again this year; Michael Taylor from MST Transport, who will brought lorries along for the event; Arthur McMullan and Peak Performance Car Club, who showed off their cars on the night and Ballynahinch United Football Club who provided car parking on their grounds.
Press Release – Charity Grasstrack on 22nd June
The Mourne Motorcycle Club will host their fifth annual charity event at the Millbrook Lodge Hotel, Ballynahinch, on the evening of Wednesday, June 22 2011.
This is the fifth year in a row that the Mourne club will run an annual charity event and we hope to follow on from the success of the previous four years, which have seen the club raise £30,000 for seven different charities.
This year the Mourne club has chosen to collect for local branches of the British Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance. The members of these two worthy organisations are always on hand to help motocross riders and this has already been seen on numerous occasions in the 2011 racing season. The members of St Johns Ambulance and the Red Cross are definitely among the most important people attending motocross races and while nobody likes to see anyone getting hurt/injured at a race, the ambulance crews in attendance always provide fantastic treatment when they are called on.
This year the Mourne club has chosen to use its annual charity event to show our appreciation and admiration for the Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance, who help participants and supporters at all sorts of sporting events throughout the country. The Mourne club will be happy to give everyone the chance to show their appreciation on the night for two organisations that rarely get the credit they deserve.
On the night there will be motocross bikes, quads and sidecar races, along with clowns, face painting, balloon shaping and a bouncy castle to entertain every member of the family.
Once again the Ballynahinch Lions will continue to support the Mourne club’s annual charity event, by helping us to promote and collect at the event.
The Mourne club will also be helped by The Millbrook Lodge Hotel; Keith Cullen from Country Fried Chicken in Ballynahinch, who will be sponsoring the events trophies again this year; Michael Taylor from MST Transport, who will be bringing lorries along for the event; Arthur McMullan and Peak Performance Car Club, who will be showing off their cars on the night and Ballynahinch United Football Club who will be providing car parking on their grounds.
Admission to the event will cost £3, while children go free.
Photo caption: Francie Casement (Ballynahinch Lions), Les Boals (Quad Racing Ireland), Ken Patterson (British Red Cross), Mary Kinkaid (who has been helping the Mourne club with first aid for over 40 years), John Rilley (St Johns Ambulance), John Bassett (Mourne Motorcycle Club Chairman) and Gerry McMullan (Ballynahinch Lions)
Press Release – May Day Motocross 2011
The Mourne Motorcycle Club will host their first motocross race of the year on Monday, May 2nd, when they hold round three of the Ulster Open Motocross Championship at clubman Norman Green’s Seaforde Motocross Park.
The May Day race is an annual event for the Mourne club and this year it will also be the first motocross race of the year at Seaforde Motocross Park.
The press launch was held in the Stick Restaurant in Brennan’s, Seaforde on the evening of Tuesday 19th April 2011 and Roy Neill, the voice of Irish motocross, was on-hand to offer a few words.
Along with Mourne clubmen and sponsors, members of the Ballynahinch Lions Club attended, as they will be collecting for charity on the day. And everyone at the launch was looked after by Louise Kearney from The Stick Restaurant at Brennan’s.
This year the Mourne club is running the event with sponsorship from Noel Cochrane’s Car Sales and Spares, Frenchies Mace in Clough, Brennans Ice Cream and McKibbins Car Sales, Brent Dorman Agricultural Engineer and John Deere Specialist, B.L.R.C. Landrover Specialists in Saintfield, Saintfield Livestock Market, Kane Trailers and with help from Gerard O’Neill of Bore ‘a’ Hole.
With this additional support from all the above sponsors the club is able to pay the following substantially greater amount of prize money to riders who may not have previously received as much, or any at all:
Expert Class:
1st - £120 / 2nd - £100 / 3rd - £75 / 4th - £60 / 5th - £45 / 6th - £30
Semi Expert Class:
1st - £75 / 2nd - £60 / 3rd - £45 / 4th - £35 / 5th - £30 / 6th - £25 / 7th - £20 / 8th - £15
Clubman Classes (MX1 & MX2):
1st - £60 / 2nd - £45 / 3rd - £35 / 4th - £30 / 5th - £25 / 6th - £20 / 7th - £15 / 8th - £10
There will also be one random non prize winner from the above in the last block on Clubman classes, both MX1 and MX2 who will receive a £50 spot prize from further down the finishers list.
On the day the bikes will be out on the track from 9.30am and all spectators are welcome. Entry to the event will cost £5 for adults, while children go free and car parking is also free.