By Stuart Campbell
THE Mourne Motorcycle club hosted the third round of the 2019 Adult Ulster Motocross Championship at Seaforde Motocross Parc on May day.
The Clubman MX1 class was first to the line with Dromore man Richard Greer and Saintfield’s Jamie Freil. In the first race Greer took the holeshot and Freil started close to the front before a fall on lap one left him in 41st position. Greer held the lead for two laps before he was passed by the race winner Lee McGrath, finally finishing in fourth, as Freil came home in 18th position. McGrath won again in race two, as Freil battled for a top three position before dropping back to finish in eighth position and Greer came from seventh on lap one to finish in third place. McGrath took a hattrick of wins in race three, with Greer taking fourth and Freil coming home in seventh position.
In the Clubman MX2 class Ardglass man Eoin Duffy had a day of mixed fortunes. In race one Duffy was in third position before a fall on lap two ended his race, as Robert McCauley won the race. In the second race Duffy moved into first position on lap one and took the chequered flag after seven laps. In the final race Duffy came from seventh to second position on lap one and then moved into first position on the final corner of lap two, which he held to take the chequered flag.
Next out was the combined Semi Expert MX1 and MX2 class with Seaforde’s Nathan Green and Bells Hill rider Connor Mullan in the MX2 class, while Downpatrick’s Jordon Wade was challenging Australian brothers Aaron and Jordon Ashton in the MX1 class. In the first race Mullan came from seventh position on lap one to take the chequered flag, ahead of Green in second, Aaron Ashton in third and Wade in fifth position, as Jordon Ashton’s race ended on lap one. In the race two Mullan took his second victory of the day, with Green coming from eight on lap one to finish second, with Aaron and Jordon Ashton finishing in third and fourth places, as Wade came 22nd to finish in 12th position. In the final race Green led from lap two to take the honours ahead of Jordon Ashton in second, Mullan fought back from 16th position to take third and Aaron Ashton came home in seventh, as Wade didn’t start the race.
In the Veterans class Temple rider Richard Watt and Comber man Jonathan McBride led the way all day. In the first race McBride led until the final lap when Watt passed to take the chequered flag. Watt led race two from start to finish, taking his second victory ahead of McBride. In race three Watt led off the line, before falling back to seventh position. McBride fought at the front of the pack, taking the lead on lap six, before taking the win, as Watt finished in second position.
The final racing came from the combined Expert MX1 and MX2 class. The first race was won by Loughbrickland rider John Meara, with his brother Jason in third and championship leader James Mackrell, from Dundonald, sixth in the MX1 class after a first lap fall left him in 28th position. Ballyclare man Martin Barr was the top MX2 finisher ahead of Glenn McCormick, from Glenoe, in second. In race two John Meara took the chequered flag ahead of Mackrell and Jason Meara in third, as McCormick won the honours in the MX2 class ahead of Barr. In the final race Mackrell won the race, less than one second ahead of Jason Meara and John Meara taking third in the class. The first MX2 rider home was Jake Sheridan, ahead of Barr and McCormick in third place.
