Category: Club News
Grasstrack 2017 Press Launch
By Stuart Campbell
Charity event history
Ulster Youth MX rolls into Seaforde for Round 4
Round 4 of the Ulster Youth Motocross Championship rolls into Seaforde Moto Park, County Down and a new venue for youth racing.
Saturday 3rd June will be the date for the next round in the Youth Championship series promoted by the Mourne Club on the hillside track at Seaforde. We hope to attract a good turnout of youth riders as the club has not promoted youth racing in County Down for many years.
The club will also be running an Adult Clubman support race on the day, open to the first 45 riders to enter (first come, first served)
Entries are now available to online (paper or online system) We prefer if pre-entry via our online system could be used by everyone, it’s very simple and will massively speed things up on race day. Click here to be directed to the entries page.
Official Press Release… Mayday 2017
By Stuart Campbell
The Mourne Motorcycle Club will host the second round of the 2017 Ulster Open Motocross Championship at clubman Norman Green’s Seaforde MotoPark, on Mayday.
The championship season started at Desertmartin, on Easter Monday, before coming to County Down for the Mourne club’s annual motocross event.
In the MX1 Experts class a shoulder injury has already ended the 2016 Ulster and Irish Champion John Meara’s season before it started. With the Loughbrickland man unable to challenge to retain his Ulster title, Carrickfergus rider Graeme Irwin, who normally races in the British Motocross Championships, set the pace by taking three race wins on the opening day of the season.
The Meara family had better luck in the MX2 class with John’s brother, Jason Meara, starting his season with two firsts and a second-place finish to lead the championship ahead of Mayday.
This year the Mourne club will be holding the event with support from Brennan’s Ice Cream & Service Station, McKibbin Motors, The Stick Restaurant @ Brennan’s, Watsons Flowershop and Cochrane’s Car Spares. The Mourne club will also be helped on the day by the Ballynahinch Lions Club, who are always on hand to help at the Mourne club’s events.
Bikes will be out on the track from 9.30am, with the first race to start at 11am. Entry to the event will cost £5 for adults, while children go free and car parking is also free.
Entries are available by clicking here
Mayday Motocross 2017 here already
Mayday Monday is only just around the corner once again. The wheels are well and truly already in motion for this popular bank holiday event.
We are aware most people event online these days and have our online system up and running. We are keeping the entry fee at £30 for both online and postal entries and would encourage everyone possible to enter online. Paper entry forms will be available in most motocross shops and can also to downloaded from our club website.
Please click here for a link to online and paper download entry forms
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Riders wishing to enter two classes, will be required to pay an additional £10.
- Entries for inclusion in the programme close on Wednesday 26th April 2017 at 6.00pm.
- Entries online close Saturday 29th April 2016 at 6.00pm.
- NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY!
- No overnight parking will be permitted
Prize Giving 2017… Another year wrapped up
By Stuart Campbell
The club held their annual prize giving night at the Temple Golf Club on Saturday 18th February 2017.
Nine trophies were presented on the night and eight were presented to the top finishers at two of the club’s events in 2016 – the second round of the Ulster Championship at Seaforde Moto Park on May Day and the club’s annual charity race at the Millbridge in Ballynahinch.
The first prize winner from May Day was Killinchy man Stephen Gabbey, who won the Seaforde Cup for three race wins in the Clubman MX1 class at Seaforde Moto Park.
The Bertie Campbell Cup was presented to Clubman MX2 rider Nathan Hamilton, from Banbridge. Nathan had a successful day at Seaforde taking two wins and a seventh placed finish, on his way to winning the Ulster and Irish Grade C MX2 classes in 2016.
Loughbrickland brothers John and Jason Meara won the final two awards from May Day. John, who went on to win the Ulster and Irish MX1 Championships, was presented with the John Heron Cup for two firsts and third place finish in the Grade A MX1 class, while Jason received the Harry Palmer Memorial Cup for the overall win in the Grade A MX2 class.
The awards from the club’s charity event, which had been held to raise monies for Camphill Grange House in Kilkeel and the RNLI Lifeboats Newcastle Station, were shared between motocross, quad and sidecar competitors.
The Harry Palmer Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Lisburn sidecar duo Gary Moulds and his passenger Roy Beattie, who won all three sidecar races at the charity event.
There were two quad classes on the day and Newry’s Diane Hillis received the President’s Cup for her top finishes in the Quad Grade B class and Mayobridge man Sean Goss, who won the overall in the Quad Grade A class, received the Mourne Motorclub Cup.
The only motorbike prize winner from the charity event was Ballynahinch man Stephen Kelly, who received the Jim Boyd Cup for winning the combined Grade A and B class overall.
The final trophy presented on the night was Norman Campbell Cup, with the winner being chosen by the Mourne club Chairman and announced on the night. This year it was presented to Ballynahinch man George Porter, who is a long-serving club stalwart and the current Treasurer of the Mourne Motorcycle Club.
Stephen Gabbey receiving Seaforde Cup from Norman Green
Nathan Hamilton receiving Bertie Campbell Cup from Robin Campbell
John Meara receiving Herron Cup from John Herron
Roy Beattie receiving Harry Palmer Perpetual Trophy from Billy McLarnin
George Porter receiving Norman Campbell Cup from Billy McLarnin
Prize Winner 2017 L to R: Roy Beattie, with his son RJ in front, George Porter, John Meara, Stephen Gabbey, Nathan Hamilton and Club Chairman; Billy McLarnin
Dunmore Mountain XC Writeup
By Stuart Campbell
The Mourne Motorcycle Club kick-started the 2017 off-road racing season on Saturday, by hosting a cross-country racing event at Dunmore Mountain, Spa. The club held the first round of the Foyle/HTM Offroad Cross-Country Championship, which was the first round of the championship ever held in County Down.
There were two races on the day, both lasting for two hours, and the first class to the line was the Clubman class. Eighty riders were taking part in the first race of the day and at the end of the first lap Carrickfergus rider Jonathan Robb led Moira man Gareth Hoare at the front of the pack. Robb held the lead until they approached the halfway stage, when Hoare recorded faster lap times and moved into first position. The front two riders lap times were between nine and ten minutes during the early stages of the race, but on lap twelve Hoare lost three minutes to Robb, which helped Robb to take the win after he had completed thirteen laps. The final rider to complete thirteen laps was Armagh rider Simon Todd, who came home in third position.
The combined Experts and Seniors (for Grade B riders) class was second to the line, with the 2017 Champion Harold Crawford, from Moneyreagh, ready to defend his Experts title. Thirty riders left the line, with the Moneyreagh man in second place behind Omagh rider Barry Donaghy and the two men led the pack throughout the two-hour race. In the first hour-and-a-half of the race the two men changed places as they tried to find faster lines to gain an advantage. At the half-way mark in the race Crawford had moved in the lead, before Donaghy repassed him and pulled away in the final half an hour. Donaghy was the last man to pass the finishing line before the two-hour mark which ended the race, leaving him to complete a fifteenth lap as Crawford earned a second-place finish when he completed his fourteenth lap. The front men were followed home by Comber man David Russel in third position and Crossgar’s Joel Brown who came home in fourth. In the Seniors class Kilkeel man Christopher Cully finished in second place behind Tandragee’s Red Odgers, with Carrickfergus man Josh Caldwell coming home in third position. The front three riders had completed thirteen laps at the end of the race, as Killyleagh man Stephen Simpson finished in 13th position when his race ended after eight laps and Crossgar’s George McMillen came home in 15th position despite his race ending after six laps.
Picture caption – L to R: Ballynahinch man Jim Boyd, Clerk of the Course at Dunmore, David Russell, Omagh man Barry Donaghy who won the Expert’s class, Moneyreagh’s Harold Crawford and Mourne Motorcycle Club Chairman Billy McLarnin.
Picture caption – L to R: Mourne Motorcycle Club Chairman Billy McLarnin with Clubman winner Jonathan Robb.
Round 1 of the Foyle/HTM Offroad XC – Press Release
Merry Christmas from the Mourne Club
The officers and members of the Mourne Motorcycle Club Ltd would like to take this opportunity to wish all our members and everyone associated with the club, a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and safe New Year.
Best Wishes for 2017!
Our first event of 2017 will be Round 1 of HTM Offroad XC Championship on Saturday 28th January. Online entries are now open for this event… Please click here
To view our 2017 dates click here
XC HTM Offroad Championship kick starts the 2017 season
Mourne Motorcycle Clubs 2017 racing season will kick into life on Saturday 28th January at Dunmore Mountain, Spa, Ballynahinch as the club hosts Round 1 of the Foyle/HTM Offroad XC championship.
Due to lack of numbers and poor weather over recent winters the club has not run a Cross Country event for a few years. After some discussions over the last few months, we have taken round 1 of the popular HTM Offroad sponsored XC championship and are bringing it to the brilliant mountain terrain of Dunmore close to the Spa outside Ballynahinch, County Down. This venue offers great scope for a long lap around some fast and some tricky terrain and has been excellent when used previously by the club.
Entries are now available to download and post as well as online at our club website. Where possible we would prefer if riders could enter online as this is the quickest and easier method for ourselves and also yourselves as riders. It only takes a few clicks, payment via most credit cards and you’re done. There is classes for clubmen, seniors and experts. Entry fee is £35.
Get your entries in fast as entries are on a first come first served basis.
Click here for all entry details
Directions and times are available by clicking here