McMillan Dominates With Aghadowey Treble

Kells driver Derek McMillan was the man on form at Aghadowey on Holiday Tuesday, taking a faultless hat-trick in the headlining National Hot Rods division. Young Jack Jones from Hampshire took a hotly contested Stars of Tomorrow Challenge for Ninja Karts, whilst the other feature race winners were Co Meath’s Shane O’Connor (Stock Rods), Portadown’s Nigel Jackson (Lightning Rods) and fellow Portadown man Rab Preston in the Thunder Rods. A fantastic Caravan Destruction Derby completed the festive meeting, with Ballymoney’s Ian Bolton taking the honours.

A healthy field of National Hot Rods arrived to contest Round 6 of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. Former Stock Rods multi-champion Derek McMillan has steadily been improving over the past year since his graduation to the premier class, and he set down a marker with victory in the opening heat of the day ahead of Glenn Bell and Adam Maxwell, after John Christie was docked from second to fourth for contact.
Heat two saw McMillan again making good use of the grading system to hit the front early on, and he took the chequers for the second time with Christie and Derek Martin the chasers in this one. That third spot was enough to seal victory for Martin in the Cirrus Plastic DMC Points Championship for 2022.
The final was always going to be much tougher for McMillan with the longer race distance, but he again hit the front before the half distance mark. This time though Martin, Christie and Gary Woolsey were bearing down on him hard. Martin hit trouble and went out, with Christie and Woolsey soon challenging for the lead. Despite the very tricky track conditions, McMillan kept his nerve to hold them all at bay to seal an emphatic and well-deserved hat-trick, with Christie, Woolsey, Adam Maxwell and Ben McKee filling the places after an excellent afternoon’s racing.

Visitors from England and Scotland joined the local youngsters in the Ninja Karts for the Stars of Tomorrow Challenge. Local girl racer Kori Curran impressed in her new kart as she built up a healthy lead in the first heat only to spin out of contention late on. That handed the win to Hampshire’s Jack Jones ahead of fellow English driver Mason Carberry.
Keegan Turtle then restored local pride as the Cullybackey lad won heat two by the slenderest of margins from Jones and Carberry. The final was lined up in points order from the heats and produced an absolutely fantastic race. The battle for the top places was immense throughout, with Jones just taking the honours ahead of Carberry, with Turtle snatching third from Charlie Weston and Saxon Thompson right at the line.

Welcome Republic of Ireland visitor Ronan O’Brien took first blood in the Stock Rods formula, taking the opening heat win ahead of Samuel Wilson and Dan Shannon. Ronan led once again in heat two, only for Joe Largey to power past at half-way to record the win over Stevie McNiece and Sam McNeice.
O’Brien once again set the pace in the final, and his long trip from Tipperary looked like it would pay off until he unfortunately retired with electrical troubles with just three laps to go. That handed the lead and the win to teenager Shane O’Connor, with Adam Sloan, Shannon and McNiece filling the places.

Before the opening heat the Lightning Rod drivers and the fans paid tribute to their former European Champion Mervyn Emerson from Antrim, who tragically passed away at a very young age recently. Once racing commenced it was James McKinney who took the opening heat win ahead of Nigel Jackson and Vince Litter. Jackson then took victory in the second heat ahead of Dean Catherwood and McKinney, before Nigel repeated the feat in the final to complete his double for the afternoon. First across the line Stuart Agnew was docked two places to third by the Stewards for contact, elevating Jackson and Catherwood to the top two places.

The racing from the budget Thunder Rods formula was close and competitive as always, with Adam McKinney just holding on to win the opener in a blanket finish with Rab Preston and Adam Graham. Heat two saw Tom Archibald take the honours with a fine driver over McKinney and Preston.
The final saw Archibald again setting the pace, but coming under some severe pressure from behind. There was heartbreak for him with less than three laps to go as he ground to a halt on the back straight, his chances gone! Preston duly accepted the lead and the win, with Graham, Irish Champion Jason Darragh, Lee McCloy and Marc Morrell next over the line.

The Caravan Destruction Derby rounded off proceedings in front of the Bank Holiday crowd, with carnage around the raceway early on. Ballymoney’s Ian Bolton came through to take the win, although he did finish the event inside a caravan as he tried one last glory hit to take the trophy!

Sad News - Mervyn Emerson

Everyone at DMC Race Promotions were shocked to learn of the sudden passing of our 2.0 Hot Rods driver Mervyn Emerson.

Mervyn was one of the most popular drivers around the local raceways, enjoying his racing with us initially in the Lightning Rods formula and more recently in the 2.0 Hot Rods. Mervyn was always one to let his driving do the talking, and he represented DMC both at home and right across the British Isles in the perfect manner for many years.

He was delighted to take a podium place in the final of the Hoosier Challenge Series towards the end of the 2022 season, but his finest hour came back in 2011 when he won the Lightning Rods European Championship in Birmingham.

To his partner Rachel and family, his parents Billy and Eileen, brother Stephen and the wider family circle, everyone at DMC Race Promotions would like to offer our sincere condolences at this sad time.

Shannon & Darragh Take Irish Titles at Aghadowey Season Finale

The curtain came down on the 2022 race season at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday evening, with the fans treated to some great racing as two new Irish Champions were crowned. Glenavy’s Dan Shannon took the Stock Rods Irish title whilst Rasharkin’s Jason Darragh was the winner of the Thunder Rods version.
Rathfriland’s Ivan Elliott took the King of Aghadowey title in the 1300 Stock Cars, with Cullybackey’s Curtis Greer (Superstox) and Portadown’s Nigel Jackson (Lightning Rods) the other feature race winners.

Dan Shannon and defending Irish Champion Jonny Cardwell shared the front row for the Stock Rods Irish title showdown, and as the race settled down it was Shannon who led ahead of former World Champion Stevie McNiece and European, British and National Champion Mark Crawford. Lap after lap they circulated with nothing between them, and at one stage we had a twelve car pack fighting for the lead! Crawford clawed his way past McNiece for second, but he couldn’t unseat Shannon from the top spot as Dan came home to claim the Irish Championship to complete a fantastic season. Crawford, Cardwell, Joe Largey and Sam McNeice completed the top places.
The reversed grid Irish Revenge race saw a win for Ballymena’s Steven McKane over Sam McNeice and Largey.

The Thunder Rods Irish Championship always had the makings of a classic, with Chris Baird and Matthew Nicholl sharing the front row. From row two, Jason Darragh capitalised when Baird left the slightest of gaps into turn one early on to take up the running, but with Rab Preston and Nicholl challenging. Darragh used every ounce of his experience to hold the rest at bay to take the biggest win of his career, with Preston a gallant runner up. A great late battle for third fell to James Goldie over Daniel Rodgers and Clifford Gordon.
The reverse grid Irish Revenge support race went the way of the returning Mark McLaughlin, with Goldie coming through for second ahead of Adam McKinney and Preston.

The all-action 1300 Stock Cars entertained all evening, with bumpers and places exchanged throughout each and every race. Jonny Patterson was the star turn in the heats, taking the opener ahead of Fionn Donnelly and David Wilson, before repeating the feat in heat two with Donnelly again second and Ivan Elliott this time in third.
Patterson broke clear out front again in the King of Aghadowey Final, before faltering which handed the lead to Gareth Halliday. Halliday was well clear by the time Elliott appeared in second, with Ivan chipping into his advantage on each lap. It was nail biting stuff as the laps counted down, and into the Brown Trout Bend for the final time Elliott launched an attack from way back which sent Halliday wide to the wall. That allowed Elliott to steal through for a fantastic win, with Halliday having to make do with second ahead of James Crossett and Thomas McCrory.

The Superstox were lightning fast all evening, with Curtis Greer making short work of those ahead of him to take the opening heat from Craig McConnell and Jordan Robinson. McConnell went one better in heat two, the NI Points Champion taking the chequered flag ahead of Greer and World Champion Kyle Beattie.
Greer once again had the bit between his teeth right from the off in the final, quickly slicing through to the front to go on and complete his double for the night in some style. Irish Champion Steven Haugh, McConnell and Beattie completed the top four.

James McKinney took the opening heat win from a depleted field of Lightning Rods, before British and Irish Champion Stuart Agnew sealed victory in heat two.
The final saw Nigel Jackson get ahead early on, and he took a clear win over Dean Catherwood for a BMW top two. Mark Corry was third ahead of Agnew.

Spectacular Climax To Tullyroan Oval Season

The 2022 Tullyroan Oval racing season finished in style on Saturday evening with a full programme of championship events. Dublin’s Stevo McGrath successfully retained his Unlimited National Bangers Irish Championship, whilst Magheralin’s Stuart Agnew added the Lightning Rods Irish title to the British crown he won earlier in the summer.
In the popular National Hot Rods, Dungannon’s Derek Martin won Round 5 of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI and Portadown’s Adam Hylands took the Ulster Championship victory. Young Jack Jones from Surrey won the Ninja Karts Champion of Champion and Portaodwn’s Jack Morrison took the Individual Achievement Award. The 2.0 Hot Rods final fell to Portadown’s Scott Cochrane.

Before racing commenced, recently crowned Unlimited National Bangers World Champion Stevo McGrath was paraded to his home crowd and he also received a presentation from DMC Race Promotions promoter Davy McCall. Stevo had qualified on pole position for the Irish Championship, and he pulled clear from the start whilst the rest went into self destruction mode! Some of the action was incredible as cars were left littering the track, but McGrath was clear and took the win over Mike Flaherty and Leonard Dunn.
Ballymoney’s Steven Bolton took victory in both Allcomers events, before a huge hit from England’s Curtis Rathbone saw him win the Stephen Bannon Memorial Destruction Derby, even though he did end up on his roof in the crunching finale!

Some rapid National Hot Rod racing under the floodlights was the order of the day, with Johnny McCloy and Thomas Dilly sharing the heat wins. Derek Martin had been making good use of his drop to the blue grade all evening with some good finishes, and over the extra laps of the final he was able to take a fantastic win ahead of McCloy after a great outside pass for the lead. Dilly drove a great defensive race to land third ahead of Shane Murray and Adam Maxwell.
The Ulster Championship race completed the night, using the chose cone challenge rule at 5 laps to go. Adam Hylands had gained pole position thanks to having set the fastest lap time of the night, and he took the title despite having Carl Sloan right alongside him for the final restart. John Christie came home as runner up ahead of Murray and Sloan.

From pole position Stuart Agnew stamped his authority all over the Lightning Rods Irish Championship, the Magheralin man taking the victory in style. Ricky Shaw, James McKinney and Nigel Jackson had a close battle for second but finished in that order.
The reversed grid Irish Revenge race saw a welcome and deserved win for Vince Litter ahead of Jackson and Shaw.

A whole host of mainland UK visitors were amongst an excellent entry of Ninja Karts. The first race of the day was for the local drivers who had not won a race so far in 2022, and it was Jack Morrison who powered clear to win the Individual Achievement Award, with all the drivers getting awards and goodies from the sponsors Midway Autopoint.
The opening heat then saw a great win for England’s Jack Jones over fellow English driver Mason Carberry and Belfast’s Caolan Fegan. The second heat was a Hunn benefit, with Essex based Henry Hunn taking the win over his brother William.
The Champion of Champions Final, sponsored by Hollytree Farm, was a superb race, with little to choose between the front runners throughout. Carberry, Charlie Weston, Jones and Riley Dawson-Stirling battled hard for the full distance, with Jones making the decisive moves to take the win in some style over Carberry and Weston for an all England top three.

A big grid of 2.0 Hot Rods completed the line up, with both heats falling to a rapid Adam Heatrick. In the final 16-year-old Sam Percy, a recent graduate from our Junior Productions, impressed as he led for some distance only to spin just as Michael Woods was putting him under pressure for the top spot with only a few laps to run. With Woods also delayed, that gave Scott Cochrane the chance to launch a challenge for the le ad which gained him the win over Jordan Rochford and Drew McKeown.

Haugh & Morrow Crowned Irish Champions On Dramatic Night At Aghadowey

Despite wet and treacherous conditions all evening, the fans at Aghadowey Oval were served up some exciting racing throughout last Saturday’s championship event. Portadown driver Steven Haugh and Rathfriland’s Jack Morrow both secured Irish Championship titles in the Superstox and Junior Productions, with Glenavy’s Joe Largey (Stock Rods), Portadown’s Rab Preston (Thunder Rods) and Limavady’s John Goligher (Back to Basics Bangers) the other feature race winners.

Craig McConnell and Jamie McCann shared the front row for the Superstox Irish Championship, and what followed was a drama filled event! An action packed opening saw a number of fancied runners fall by the wayside, as McCann sped ahead to lead. Debris on the home straight saw a caution period called, and in the exchanges on the restart David McMenemy and then McConnell had spells out front. McCann was the fastest car on the track however and quickly came back into contention, taking the lead only for McConnell to come back at him and take both cars out of the running in dramatic fashion on the pit bend. For the restart, Steven Haugh had the top spot and he reeled off the remaining laps to take the coveted Irish title and the right to wear the green roof for the next twelve months. Conor Murphy came through for second with Gerard Hartley the only other of the handful of finishers on the lead lap in third.
The reverse grid Irish Revenge race saw World Champion Kyle Beattie take the win on a very greasy track, before the JMC Custom Paintwork Dash for Cash to complete the meeting fell to Curtis Greer.

The Junior Productions Irish Championship saw British Champion Jack Morrow on pole position alongside Daniel Stewart, and it was Morrow who coped best with the tricky conditions to pull clear out front early on. As Jack increased his advantage, Leyton Hughes and Matthew Weir were involved in a great scrap for second. A late caution period for a loose wheel couldn’t stop Jack’s march to the title, and he duly reeled off the remaining laps to take a well deserved win and the coveted Derek McMillan Memorial Trophy for Irish Champion. Hughes took a creditable second spot ahead of defending champion Weir, Callum Doak and Stewart. The reversed grid Irish Revenge event saw Dylan Fegan lead early on before Jake Devlin powered through to take a fine victory

The Stock Rods were joined by welcome visitors John Gray and Paddy O’Dwyer from Tipperary Raceway, with Samuel Murphy claiming the opening heat win after demoting early leader Ryan Dilly. Joe Largey and Samuel Wilson filled the places. Teenager Dilly made no mistake in heat two, taking his maiden win in the formula ahead of Murphy and Largey.
The final was again run in atrocious track conditions, with Murphy stretching out a big lead early on. Largey was the man to watch though, and after finding a way past Wilson he set about reducing the deficit to Murphy out front. Samuel could offer little resistance when the challenge came, and with just five laps to go Largey swept ahead to take an impressive win over Wilson, Murphy and Victor McAfee.

The Thunder Rods opening heat saw a clear win for Ballymena’s Adam Graham ahead of David Wilson and Rab Preston. Heat two saw a big crash when Daniel Rodgers blew an engine and coated the track in oil, something which left the going very tricky for the rest of the field in the already wet conditions. The pace was almost at pedestrian level as the drivers did their best to just keep pointing in the right direction on the restart, with Graham again getting the nod by inches on the line after a drag race from the final bend with Josh Goligher. The final saw Sam Watt out front early on, but Preston soon took the lead and pulled well clear to take an emphatic win. Graham returned to second despite his upgrade after the brace of heat wins, with Wilson, James Goldie and Clifford Gordon next home.

A handful of Back to Basics Bangers once again helped to blood some new drivers to the sport, with Aaron McGraw and William McFaul sharing the heats before John Goligher came through to win an entertaining final.

McKeown & Johnston Take Irish Titles At Tullyroan

On an action packed night of championship race action at Tullyroan Oval, Bleary’s Drew McKeown was crowned 2.0 Hot Rods Irish Champion and young Larne star Charlie Johnston took the Irish Championship victory for Ninja Karts.

There were also a pair of Tullyroan Challenge Cups up for decision, with Glenavy’s Jonny Cardwell taking the Stock Rods title and Donemana driver Christopher Baird taking the Thunder Rods version. A heat and final double for teenager Graham Meek in the Superstox completed the programme.

Lined up on season long points order, Scott Cochrane and World Champion Jordan Rochford shared the front row for the 2.0 Hot Rods Irish Championship. After an unsatisfactory start was called first time around, things were much cleaner at the second time of asking. Cochrane led them off, but recent form man McKeown sniffed the slightest of gaps up the inside on the Annaghmore Bend and he hit the front. From there Drew extended his advantage, controlling the race from the front and speeding home to add the Irish title to the European crown he landed last month. Conor Hughes made good progress to take second ahead of Cochrane, Rochford and Allen Cherry.
The Irish Revenge race saw a clear win for Gary Fowler ahead of Jordan McCann and Adam Heatrick.

Riley Dawson-Stirling and Coalan Fegan shared the front row for what would become a classic race for the Ninja Karts Irish Championship. Jack Morrison got the initial jump from row two to take the lead, which he held until past the halfway mark. A whole bunch of drivers were right in contention in a fantastic dice, with Noah Teggart coming to challenge for the lead. He and Morrison clashed into turn one, and in an amazing move Charlie Johnston swooped right around them both to hit the front. Teggart came back hard to get alongside Charlie on the run to the flag, but the young Larne star held on to land the Irish Championship title after a super drive. Following post race technical checks, the results from second place down remain under appeal.
The Irish Revenge race saw a first ever victory for Jack Murphy after a great drive to hold off the advances of Keegan Turtle.

Another very healthy field of Stock Rods were present to contest the Tullyroan Challenge Cup. NI Points Champion Dan Shannon wasted little time in stamping his authority all over the opening heat, taking the win over Jonny Cardwell and impressive teenager Declan McGrath. Heat two saw a McNiece benefit, with Stevie taking the win over his brother Colin and then Cardwell in third.
The stand out performer from the heats was Cardwell, and he duly took pole position for the final on aggregate points. Jonny continually edged clear out front, controlling things all the way home to the chequered flag. Colin and Stevie McNiece completed the podium places ahead of recent returnee Adam Sloan and Samuel Wilson.

The Superstox saw a first home appearance at Tullyroan Oval for Aughnacloy’s Kyle Beattie sporting the gold roof of World Champion. Troy Crawford set the pace in the first heat, before Graham Meek slipped past to take the win over Curtis Greer and Craig McConnell. Heat two followed a similar path, with Crawford and Meek out front before this time Greer came through with just one lap to go to take the lead and the win over McConnell and Meek.
Meek again worked his way ahead in the final, but in the latter stages he had a whole host of star drivers chasing hard, headed by Irish Champion Jordan Robinson, Beattie, Jamie McCann and McConnell. Former Junior Productions Irish Champion Meek is made of stern stuff though, and he staved off all their advances to take the win and complete his double for the evening. McCann took second after a late race mix up amongst the placemen, with Beattie, McConnell and Robinson next home.

The opening Thunder Rods heat fell to Ballycastle driver Andrew McLean ahead of David Wilson and Jason Darragh, before the reversed grid second race went the way of Donemana’s Christopher Baird from James Goldie and Ryan Nixon.
Baird and Goldie shared the front row for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup Final, which turned out to be a tremendous scrap. Baird, Goldie, Daniel Rodgers, Wilson and McLean never had much between them in a five car lead battle. Baird held his nerve and the lead all the way home, taking a fine win ahead of Goldie and Rodgers after another great outing for the formula at Tullyroan.

Ninja Karts Champion of Champions

Bookings are now open for the Ninja Karts Champion of Champions event at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday October 29th.

There has been quite a bit of interest in the event already from across the UK. This year the title will be run over 2 reverse grid heats and a final.

At the start of the meeting we will also once again stage the Individual Achievement Award race, for DMC registered Ninja Kart drivers who have not won a race in 2022.

Numbers will be limited to 32 karts - to book in please go through your local promoter and/or contact DMC directly through the usual channels.

Maxwell Delivers in Richard Turtle Memorial At Aghadowey

Former National Hot Rods World Champion Adam Maxwell was on top form at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night, the Crumlin man taking a decisive final win to land the Richard Turtle Memorial Cup. The Ulster Championship for 1300 Stock Cars was successfully defended by Gawley’s Gate driver Chris Hamill after a dominant display, whilst other feature race wins fell to Cullybackey’s Rick Purdy (Thunder Rods), Co Meath’s Declan O’Connor (Stock Rods) and Rathfriland’s Jack Morrow (Junior Productions).

The National Hot Rods were contesting Round 4 of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI and the Richard Turtle Memorial Cup, raced annually in memory of the former Cullybackey racer. Richard Stewart took a clear win on the road in heat one, but was unfortunately disqualified after clashing with a backmarker mid race. That handed victory to Podge McQuaid over Derek McMillan and Adam Maxwell. Heat two saw a maiden victory in the elite formula for Garvagh’s Johnny McCloy, as he led home a huge places scrap which fell the way of Maxwell ahead of Ben McKee.
The final saw an early caution period for a big crash which eliminated Gareth Bevan and McQuaid after what looked like an engine failure in the Bevan machine. Thomas Dilly then took over out front, and for some distance he fended off huge attacks from Maxwell and Glenn Bell. It was a tremendous race which kept the crowd on their toes throughout, with Maxwell getting in front to land a great win after not being outside the top three places all evening. McKee impressed as he grabbed second, with Bell having to make do with third despite his huge efforts on the outside line.

The Ulster Championship was on offer for the 1300 Stock Cars, with the first of the reversed grid heats falling to Chris Hamill ahead of Jonathan Brown. Heat two was another action packed encounter which saw the sparks fly around the circuit, with James Crossett taking a great win over Hamill and Ivan Elliott.
Hamill and Crossett shared the front row for the Ulster Championship final, with Chris managing to escape the heavy bumper exchanges early on to make good his escape. From there he cruised to a successful defence of his title ahead of Josh McKinstry and Brown.

Tom Archibald held sway out front in the opening Thunder Rods heat, before David Wilson eased past to take the win with Daniel Rodgers in third. Heat two saw recent returnee Chrissy Dempsey grabbing victory, with Archibald and Rodgers again second and third.
The final turned out to be the race of the night, as Rick Purdy hit the front with Adam Graham right on his tail. The two circulated side by side for many laps in a tremendous dice, with Graham’s great efforts coming to nothing after he clipped the wall late on. As Cullybackey’s Purdy took a hard earned victory in some style, Andrew McLean and Dempsey completed the podium. Graham limped home in fourth after his late race dramas.

A fine field of 20 Stock Rods impressed all evening, with some close competitive action. Ballymena’s Steven McKane celebrated his recent return to the tracks with a great win in heat one over multi-champions Mark Crawford and Dan Shannon. Heat two saw teenager Declan O’Connor take the win after a steady drive out front, leading home McKane and Johnny Gillespie.
The final was once again all about O’Connor, as the latest graduate from the Junior Productions formula showed the seniors how to do it with a clear win. McKane just couldn’t get on terms with the flying 16-year-old and had to settle for second ahead of Gillespie.

Tight, competitive racing was again the name of the game in the Junior Productions, with Lexie Crooks continuing her great recent form to take the opening heat win over Jack Morrow and Jake Devlin. British Champion Morrow then took the win in the second heat after eventual runner up Andrew Hawe saw his big lead wiped out by a late caution.
The final once again saw Hawe out front and setting the pace, but a late race shake up once again opened the door for the experienced Morrow to come through for the silverware ahead of Leyton Hughes and Aaron Dynes.

Boyd Wins Rookies Irish as McKeown and Jackson Excel

A fantastic Sunday afternoon’s race action at Tullyroan Oval saw Garvagh’s Stephen Boyd win an exciting Rookie Bangers Irish Championship. There was some top quality racing on show throughout the meeting, with recently crowned European Champion Drew McKeown from Bleary hitting the outside line to win the Grand Final of the Hoosier Tyres Challenge Series for 2.0 Hot Rods.
Local favourite Nigel Jackson was another who pulled off a superb final victory, this time in the Lightning Rods, whilst other feature race winners were Portadown duo Daniel Stewart in the Junior Productions Tullyroan Challenge Cup and Rab Preston in the Thunder Rods.

A full grid well in excess of 30 cars lined up in season points order for the Rookie Bangers Irish Championship. There was a great race out front amongst the top drivers, with polesitter William McFaul and John Goligher both enjoying spells in the lead. There were incidents galore around the circuit for the drivers to avoid, but Stephen Boyd managed to surge ahead in the midway point of the race to land the title after a great drive. McFaul took second ahead of Marc Morrell.
The first support heat saw Gavin Gamble lead most of the way before McFaul nipped past on the final bend to win. Heat two saw another action packed encounter, with Josh Goligher taking the win in this one.

The opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat fell to David Kernohan who took a fine win ahead of a huge places scrap which eventually saw Allen Cherry take second over Colin McFarland. Heat two had Ronan McNally ahead, only for him to be challenged by Ally Neill late on. Neill made a spirited charge on the outside line, with McNally holding on by a hairs breadth at the flag.
The Grand Final of the Hoosier Tyres Challenge Series was lined up in aggregate series order, which saw Scott Cochrane and Mervyn Emerson sharing the front row. Cochrane quickly settled into the lead ahead of Drew McKeown, and after a fantastic first half of the race McKeown was able to haul himself right around the outside to grab the lead. It was a remarkable drive from a teenager who is right on top of his game at present. As Drew took the win, Cochrane and Emerson completed the top three, and they all received new race tyres courtesy of the sponsors Hoosier UK.

Both Lightning Rods heats fell to the BMW of Dean Catherwood, as he led home Nigel Jackson in the opener with World Champ Ricky Shaw second in heat two.
Those wins elevated Catherwood to the star grade for the final, but he was still to be a major player in a superb race. Aaron Brunton led initially before Martin O’Flaherty took over, with Catherwood chasing hard in second ahead of Stuart Agnew and Jackson. With the top four running nose to tail, Jackson wasted little time in hitting the outside line. In a fantastic drive he surged right around the top three to hit the front and take the silverware in emphatic style. Catherwood and Agnew filled the podium spots at the end of a great race.

Daniel Stewart took a clear win in the opening Junior Productions heat ahead of Jack Morrow, before Lauren Berry took a popular heat two win over Aaron Dynes.
The final for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup was all about Stewart and Morrow for much of the distance, with Daniel ahead but Jack trying everything he had to get past on both the inside and outside lines. It was a great race for the fans to enjoy, with Stewart just hanging on to win. Matthew Weir nabbed second near the end as the lead pack tripped over some backmarkers, with Morrow having to make do with third having driven a great race.

Jason Darragh was the winner of the first Thunder Rods heat ahead of Adam Graham, before Rick Purdy took heat two ahead of Rab Preston. That was perhaps a sign of things to come for Preston, and he then ran down long time final leader Tom Archibald to take the honours in the feature race. Graham took another second place finish ahead of Archibald and Purdy at the flag.

Beattie On Top Of The World - Big Wins Too for Murray and McKeown

Kyle Beattie from Aughnacloy was victorious in the 61st running of the Superstox Championship of the World at Aghadowey Oval last weekend. With a number of major title races up for decision over the two days of racing, Galgorm’s Shane Murray was crowned National Hot Rods British Champion and Bleary’s Drew McKeown won the 2.0 Hot Rods European Championship

A full field of 34 Superstox came to grid for the Mk2 Escort Shells & Spares World Championship race, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the sport of oval racing. England’s Michael Green was on pole position alongside local star Craig McConnell. As expected the opening laps were hectic, with an early caution for turn one drama quickly followed by another, again for an incident on the Brown Trout Bend.
Green and McConnell both had got their noses in front early on, but it was now Kyle Beattie who hit the top spot. Despite McConnell’s best efforts to get back on terms as the race progressed, it was Beattie who took the chequered flag to tremendous applause all around the stadium. McConnell was a gallant runner up with Curtis Greer coming through for third place, ahead of defending champion Nick Roots and fellow Englishman Green.

Both the Allcomers Heat and Meeting Final on Saturday fell the way of Berkshire’s Chris Bradbury amidst some tremendous racing.
Sunday’s action centred on the Irish Open Championship, and after Green and Ed Davis shared the heats it was Green who came through to win the title for the third time in a row. Beattie and McConnell filled the podium places.

There were three heats to sort out qualification for the big entry in the Cherry Pipes National Hot Rods British Championship, with Scotland’s Gordon Alexander taking the opener before an ankle injury unfortunately sidelined him for the weekend. Portadown’s Gary Woolsey then won heat two with Kells driver Carl Sloan victorious in the third qualifier.
Aggregate points saw Galgorm’s Shane Murray on pole position for the British Championship final following a brace of third place finishes, with England’s Perry Cooke alongside. Murray powered clear at the start and was never challenged as he took a dominant win to land the British title. Adam Maxwell came through for second ahead of David Casey.

Sunday saw the coveted Leslie Dallas Memorial Trophy up for grabs, with a fantastic opening heat keeping the crowd entertained as Waterford’s Casey took the win. The second heat fell the way of Glenn Bell, with Murray again the man on pole position for the final after consistent finishes in both heats races.
Despite the best efforts of placemen Bell and John Christie, Murray was once again unstoppable as he cruised to the beautiful trophy and the handsome prize fund that went with it.

The Cherry Pipes 2.0 Hot Rods European Championship was another event to attract a huge field, with the keenly contested heat wins falling to Portadown’s Adam Heatrick, Scottish star Keith Brown and Bleary’s Drew McKeown.
A shower of rain just before the off in Sunday’s European Championship race just added to the drama, with McKeown the first to show ahead of Conor Hughes. Hughes finally found a way past with a great outside line pass, and he stretched ahead out front. Late in the race McKeown came back with a late surge, getting back on terms and finding a way down the inside of Hughes for the lead. Conor came back and bundled his way past again to take the flag, but after a Stewards Enquiry he was demoted two places for the late contact on McKeown. That gave Drew his first major championship win and at just nineteen years old the youngest ever European Champion, with World Champion Jordan Rochford in second ahead of the demoted Hughes.

The Ninja Karts impressed all weekend with almost 30 young stars in action from right across the UK. Jack Jones won both heats on Saturday in some style, but it was Belfast’s Caolan Fegan who took the DMC Gold Cup Final after on the road winner Mason Carberry was demoted for jumping a restart. Stuart Shevill took the runner up spot ahead of the relegated Carberry.
Sunday saw the prestigious Keir Millar Memorial Trophy up for grabs, with the heat wins falling to the English duo of Carberry and Clark Ferris. The final turned out to be an absolutely fantastic encounter, with Scottish star Shevill taking the win by the narrowest of margins ahead of Ferris and National & English Champion Charlie Weston.

The Junior Productions completed the line up, with the heats shared between Lexi Crooks and Brandon Litter. But it was Dungannon’s Jake Devlin who powered through to land the final honours for his first ever victory in the sport, and no better time to do it than in front of the huge Speedweekend crowd!

Queen Elizabeth II

As a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the meeting at Tullyroan Oval scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday 10th September) has been postponed.
DMC Race Promotions offer our sincere condolences to King Charles III and the Royal Family at this very sad time.

Woolsey Takes National Hot Rod Double

Scotch Street driver Gary Woolsey was the man to beat at Tullyroan Oval on Sunday afternoon, as he took a polished heat and final double in the National Hot Rods. In glorious sunshine and in front of a large crowd, Loughgall’s Jamie McCann won the Moffett Shield for Superstox whilst Ballykelly’s Matthew Nichol won the Tullyroan Challenge Cup for 2L National Bangers.
Other feature races fell to Chris Hamill in the 1300 Stock Cars and Martin O’Flaherty in the Lightning Rods.

A fine entry of National Hot Rods took to the grid for the third round of the 2022/23 Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. Having been out of action for a time, Gary Woolsey has been easing himself back into the groove over the past few meetings. The experienced former British Champion easily took the opening heat over Dean McCrory, before taking second in heat two as he chased Portadown’s Andrew Stewart over the line.
Woolsey wasted little time getting ahead in the final, with McCrory giving chase. Shane Murray was making rapid progress from the back of the field, and entering the final laps it was a three way dice for the lead. Woolsey used all his experience to complete his double for the day despite Murray’s best attempts on the outside. McCrory snatched back second on the line, with Murray, John Christie and Jeff Riordan next up.

The 2L National Bangers put on a ‘smashing’ display as always, with all sorts of action right around the track. Ballykelly teenager Matthew Nichol powered through to win the Tullyroan Challenge Cup ahead of Stevo McGrath and Mike Flaherty, before Matthew came through again to win the Allcomers race too. An eventful Destruction Derby fell to Stevo McGrath, with Nicholl earning Entertainer of the Day and Jake Macnicol the Best Wreck Award.

Some of the best racing of the day was from another big field of Superstox, with a career first win for Gerard Hartley kicking off the day in heat one. He led home Jamie McCann and Curtis Greer. Heat two was a fantastic race, with Hartley again the pacesetter until the star men moved ahead. A four way dice between Ed Davis, Greer, McCann and Craig McConnell over the last couple of laps was only decided on the last bend as McCann took a super win over McConnell.
The annual Moffett Shield final saw Ross O’Shea leading for some distance before losing out to Davis. A couple of late race cautions only added to the drama, with McCann again pouncing on the last lap to grab the coveted shield ahead of Davis and Jordan Robinson. Neil Hyndman was fourth over the line and he also took the best white/yellow grade award.

Scotland’s Craig Haxton joined the locals in the 1300 Stock Cars, with the big bumpers put to good use as always. A quiet by the usual standards opening heat fell to Gareth Halliday over Chris Hamill, before Robbie Wright went in hard with the bumper on the final bend to take the heat two spoils ahead of Fionn Donnelly and Jonny Patterson.
The final saw Donnelly ahead, with Irish Champion Hamill and Ty Richardson coming into the mix over the last few laps. Hamill went ahead, only for the other pair to come back at him in style, but Chris isn’t an Irish Champion for nothing and he duly brushed aside their challenge to take a fine win. Richardson, Donnelly and Patterson filled the places.

There was a BMW one-two in the opening Lightning Rods heat as Dean Catherwood headed home Nigel Jackson, before World and National Champion Ricky Shaw showed his class to win the second heat over Catherwood and Gerry Rogers.
The final saw Catherwood stretching clear out front before he sadly went out with mechanical issues, which handed the lead to Martin O’Flaherty. He held off the advances of the pack over the last few laps to take a deserved win over Jackson and Shaw.