Aghadowey Feature Race Victories for McNeice and McCann

Randalstown driver Sam McNeice won the coveted William Cooke Memorial Trophy for Stock Rods at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night, June 8th. On an evening of top quality race action across all the formulas on show, Loughgall’s Jamie McCann won the other big race of the night, the Superstox King of Aghadowey.
Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett was the winner in the Campbell Commercials sponsored Ninja Karts, whilst other final winners were Strabane’s Adam McKinney in the Thunder Rods and Crumlin’s Matthew Milliken in the 1300 Stock Cars.

The random draw for the opening qualifying heat for the Stock Rods William Cooke Memorial Trophy placed World Champion Dan Shannon on pole position, and he raced home to win ahead of Sam McNeice and Joe Largey. The second heat saw top runners Sam Wilson and Mark Crawford clash, with Mark Foster making the most of it to slip through the chaos to win over Crawford and defending champion Jonny Cardwell.
Foster qualified on pole for the final, and he quickly settled into top spot. McNeice was tracking his every move, and found the smallest of gaps into the Brown Trout Bend to take up the running, with Cardwell chasing him through. Cardwell then grabbed the lead in a similar move, but he attracted a warning from Race Control for contact. Jonny went on to take the flag, but was demoted two places in the final result by the Steward which elevated a deserving McNeice to the winners enclosure. Foster was classified in second ahead of Cardwell.

The Superstox formula were contesting the King of Aghadowey title, with Lee Davison setting a blistering pace to win heat one, smashing the lap record which had stood since 2017 in the process. David McMenemy and Troy Crawford chased him home. Jordan Robinson was the one to make the break in the second heat, and he took the win with the placemen the same as in heat one.
The closed grid format saw an explosive start to the King of Aghadowey final. McMenemy and Crawford as front row starters lost out, with defending champ Robinson hitting the front and stretching clear. Disaster then struck for Jordan as his engine went sick, which saw the flying Jamie McCann burst through to the lead and a well deserved victory. The three NI Points Championship protagonists, Davison, Craig McConnell and Steven Haugh had a great scrap for the places, which fell the way of Haugh as he took second ahead of Davison and McConnell.

Another big grid of Ninja Karts came to the line for three races sponsored by Campbell Commercials. Jaxon Cairns impressed out front in the first heat, surviving two restarts only to pipped at the end by Jake Barnett who won over Cairns and Lewis Hazlett. Heat two saw Cairns again set the pace, but this time he made no mistake as he led all the way home to take his first ever win in some style too! Barnett and Hazlett filled out the top three with storming drives from the rear of the line up.
The final saw William Brown impress as he raced into the lead, as heat two winner Cairns unfortunately spun out of contention. The star drivers were again racing through from the rear, and this time who was Hazlett who took a decisive win ahead of Barnett and Ollie Williamson. All the young drivers received goodie bags and awards from sponsors Campbell Commercial, whilst the LJN Motorsport lower grade awards went to Williamson and Luke Grattan.

The all action 1300 Stock Car entertained as always, with returnee Davy Morrison taking the opening heat win ahead of Curtis Greer, after Curtis had got the best of a big scrap with Jonathan Brown and Matthew Milliken. Former ProStocks British Champion Morrison repeated the feat in heat two, again taking the win to earn himself an upgrade for the final. Davy Wilson took runner up spot in that one after a blistering last lap that saw the bumpers flying in.
The final was arguably the race of the night, with the destiny of the trophy never clear until the very end. Gary Freeburn, Greer, Jon McQuillan, Gareth Halliday and Milliken all had their noses ahead within the closing stages, as the bumpers were exchanged for fun! Milliken broke clear on the last lap and survived a last bend assault from McQuillan to land a well deserved win with Greer in third.


Newcomer Johua McCahon led the opening Thunder Rods heat before Adam McKinney raced through to win over a rapid looking James Goldie. McCahon again impressed in heat two, this time leading all the way to take his maiden win on the ovals. Liam Wilson and Josh Goligher got the better of a monster scrap in the pack to take second and third.
The final saw McCahon and McKinney have a fight for the top spot, before Strabane man McKinney broke clear and extended his lead out front. As Adam took the win, Daniel Rodgers came on very strong late on to take second after a great drive, with Zack McCombe and Jason Darragh next home.

Big Banger Wins For Bowman & Goligher

Banger racing took centre stage at Tullyroan Oval on Sunday afternoon, June 2nd, with the much anticipated Shamwreck meeting. English ace Kieran Bowman took victory in the main Shamwreck 2024 title race for the Unlimited National Bangers, whilst Limavady’s John Goligher was victorious in the 1600 Rookie Bangers Irish Open Championship. Other feature race wins went to Waringstown’s Ross Houston in the Lightning Rods and Richhill’s Jake Barnett in the Ninja Karts.

A pleasing grid came under starter’s orders for the Shamwreck 2024 race for the Unlimited National Bangers, with Gordy McKee the first to show out front. He was spun out of contention, handing the lead to local man Dave Haugh before he too encountered trouble amongst the backmarkers. That opened the door for Norfolk’s Kieran Bowman to power through for the win over Haugh and the recovered McKee.
The chaos on track continued in the opening Allcomers race, with McKee this time taking the chequered flag ahead of Leonard Dunn. The second Allcomers race saw a late stoppage as the action continued all around the track, and it was Haugh who this time held on to win ahead of McKee.
The James ‘The Cat’ Smith Memorial Destruction Derby was a bruising affair as Stevo McGrath, Bowman and Deano McGrath set about destroying Seanie Bell’s Limousine. In the end it was Deano McGrath who took the honours to end an enjoyable day of crashing.

Gavin Gamble and Ryan Nixon enjoyed a great battle out front in the opening 1600 Rookie Bangers heat, before they lost out to a flying John Goligher. The former World Champion went on to win ahead of Stephen Boyd and Nixon. The second heat saw more great action to keep the big crowd entertained, with Josh Goligher taking the win ahead of his Dad John and Boyd.
The Irish Open Championship final saw an early stoppage as Hampshire ace Harry Botfield found himself upside down on the home straight. At the resumption Josh Goligher and Boyd disputed the lead, before tripping over each other amidst their battle. That put London’s George Baker ahead but he lost out to Josh Goligher as the excitement continued. Even a late restart and a huge effort from Baker couldn’t stop John, and he took the Irish Open win over Baker and Lucas Goligher.
The Allcomers race saw Lucas Goligher continue the Limavady family’s domination with victory over his Dad John and Botfield, whilst Marc Morrell was gifted the Destruction Derby win as the only car to come to the line.

Jake Morgan’s superb looking BMW headed the opening Lightning Rods heat, only to lose out late on to a great effort from Conor Doherty who took the win over a hard charging Mark Corry and Ross Houston. Morgan again led heat two, but this time the race developed into a scrap between Houston and Tam Agnew. Agnew took the flag only for the pair of them to be docked two places each by the Steward for contact on each other, which handed victory to Doherty once again.
Morgan was again the pacesetter in the final, but this time the big challenge came from Houston, who swooped past into the lead. Ross cruised to the chequered flag and the trophy despite Agnew closing near the end, with Corry in third.

The young aces in the Ninja Karts completed the programme, with a great finish to the opener as the top four raced to the line in a pack. Jake Barnett got the nod over long time leader Jaxon Cairns, with Lewis Hazlett in third. Heat two saw an even closer finish, with Jack Murphy just nipping past leader Ollie Williamson on the run to the flag to win by a hair’s breadth over Williamson and Hazlett.
The final saw Cairns out front once again as the race settled down, but despite his great showing all afternoon Jaxon had no answer to the star drivers who raced through from the rear of the field. Barnett came through in style to take his second win of the day ahead of Hazlett and the impressive Cairns, with Williamson and Murphy next home.

Weir Takes Irish Open Title After Stunning Race

Killyman teenager Matthew Weir drove the race of his life to take victory in a dramatic Irish Open Championship for Junior Productions at Tullyroan Oval on Sunday afternoon. An action packed programme also saw Manchester’s Joelan Maynard take victory in the National Ministox Irish Masters, whilst the Moffett Family Trophy for Ninja Karts fell to Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett. Other final winners were Dungannon’s Ally Neill in the 2.0 Hot Rods and Portadown ace Lee Davison in the Superstox.
Junior Productions
The first qualifying heat for the Junior Productions Irish Open Championship saw the new British Champion Casey Cherry take the win over Harry Minish, before the reversed grid second heat went to defending champion Leyton Hughes ahead of Callum Doak and Scotland’s Lewis Dickson.
The final turned out to be one of the best races witnessed at Tullyroan Oval for some time, as pole man Matthew Weir and second placed starter Hughes raced the whole of the 20 lap distance side by side. Time and again Hughes was a fraction ahead on the line, but on the last lap when it mattered most it was Weir who took the title by the smallest of margins over Hughes. It really was a treat to watch and both drivers deserved great credit, as did third placed Callum Doak who raced on their tail for the whole duration of the race.
National Ministox
Three qualifying heats for the National Ministox Irish Masters saw the opener fall to Freddie Hunter-Johnson ahead of Caitlin Morrison, before Savannah Montgomery-Brown led most of heat two before the star drivers bundled past late on. Hunter-Johnson again got the nod, this time over Joelan Maynard for the win. Heat three was another excellent race as Finley Kew from Oxfordshire took a fine win over Hunter-Johnson.
The final showcased the formula at its very best, with Maynard losing out to Mason Whittle but tracking his every move for the remainder of the race. On the last bend Maynard went back in with a big hit, nudging Whittle wide to power through to the title win. Jamie Hanson and Whittle completed the top three, ahead of Hunter-Johnson and Morrison.

Scottish youngster Rory Wilson drove a great race to win heat one of the Ninja Karts from the star grade, ahead of Lewis Hazlett and Austin Grattan. Heat two saw Jake Barnett grab a last gasp win over Rowdy Grattan and Hazlett.
The Moffett Family Trophy Final saw another great race, with Hazlett sneaking inside Rowdy Grattan late on the take an amazing win, with Rowdy in second ahead of Barnett and Keegan Turtle.
Superstox
The biggest field of Superstox so far this year provided some great racing. Prior to heat one there was an emotional tribute to young Jack Morrow, the Superstox ace who was tragically killed in a road accident just a few days earlier. Conor Murphy went ahead in heat one before losing out to Dean Catherwood who went on to win ahead of Curtis Greer and Lee Davison. Heat two again saw Murphy ahead, and this time Conor held on to win ahead of a great places scrap between Davison, Catherwood and Jamie McCann.
The final had Jonathan Crawford out front for the first half of the race, before National and Irish Champion Lee Davison showed his flair to race through to take the win and the silverware in style over McCann, Craig McConnell and Steven Haugh.
2.0 Hot Rods
A great finish to the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat saw Andy Best squeeze around the outside of Chris McCloy to take the win over Ally Neill, before in heat two Adam Heatrick relieved McCloy of the top spot to take the chequered flag over Neill and Best.
McCloy again set the pace in the final, but this time had no answer to the pace of Neill, as Ally powered past to take a very welcome feature race win ahead of Scott Cochrane, Best and Heatrick.

Cherry On Top In British Title Showdown

Young Tullyroan driver Casey Cherry was the toast of Aghadowey Oval on Saturday evening when he was victorious in the Junior Productions British Championship. On an evening of fantastic race action, Galgorm’s Shane Murray sealed the Northern Ireland Championship title in the elite National Hot Rods with yet another feature race win in the final round of Diemens.com World Series NI.
The National Ministox formula from England thrilled on their annual visit, with Freddie Hunter-Johnson taking the spoils in the Irish Championship after a fine drive. The other feature race wins fell to Ballymena stalwart Victor McAfee (Stock Rods) and Rasharkin’s Jason Darragh (Thunder Rods).

A healthy and competitive field of Junior Productions contested three qualifying heats ahead of their British Championship. Donegal’s Andrew Russell won the first heat ahead of Casey Cherry, before heat two fell to Harry Minish from Matthew Weir. The final qualifier saw Leyton Hughes take the win ahead of Dylan Fegan.
Before the British Championship an emotional tribute was paid by everyone in the stadium to the 2022 British Champion Jack Morrow, who sadly lost his life earlier that day in a road accident.
Cherry and Minish shared the front row for the British showdown, with Casey immediately grabbing the lead ahead of Callum Doak. Cherry controlled the pace throughout, with Doak just unable to mount a serious challenge despite staying close all the way. As Cherry took a triumphant win and the British Championship crown, Doak, Weir and Hughes filled the places after a superb race.

The final round of Diemens.com World Series NI for National Hot Rods saw the Northern Ireland Championship title up for grabs as well as the final qualifying spot for the World Championship Final at Ipswich in July. Both heats fell the way of Co Armagh’s Drew McKeown, as he took the opener ahead of Dean McCrory. Fifth position in this one was enough for Murray to seal the NI Championship crown.
Heat Two again saw McKeown victorious, with McCrory this time in second and Murray in third.
Going in to the feature final, McCrory was just one point behind Kenny McCann for the tenth and final Ulster qualifying slot in the World Championship. As Murray raced clear to take the win from pole position ahead of British and European Champion Adam Maxwell, McCrory raced to third to seal his ticket to Ipswich in July. The top three finishers in the series all received race tyres from sponsors Diemen’s Hot Sauces.

The teenagers in the National Ministox formula thrilled the local crowds as they annually do, with Freddie Hunter-Johnson taking the opening heat over Joelan Maynard, before heat two went the way of Tom Holcroft over Hunter-Johnson after a fantastic last few laps.
Heat three was the race of the day, with Boden Murfin riding the wall on the last bend to just snatch the win by the finest of margins in a three abreast race to the line. The Irish Championship saw Hunter-Johnson hit the front, but he had Holcroft bearing down on him as the laps dwindled away. Holcroft went for the kill on the final bend, but Hunter-Johnson withstood the attack to take the Irish title ahead of Holcroft and Murfin.

A healthy field of Stock Rods saw Rab Preston overcome his recent bad luck to take the opening heat over Ethan Dilly and Darragh O’Shea, before Callum Magill impressed on his way to the heat two spoils ahead of Preston and Victor McAfee.
McAfee wasted little time hitting the front in the final, holding his own ahead of Preston to take a very popular win. Jonny Cardwell got the better of a huge places battle to take third ahead of World Champion Dan Shannon.

Completing the programme were the Thunder Rods, with Zack McCombe claiming the opening heat win ahead of James Goldie, before Adam McKinney took heat two over Goldie and Josh Goligher.
The final saw McCombe and McKinney set the early pace out front, but both attracted warnings from Race Control early in proceedings. In the final analysis both were demoted two places each, which elevated a delighted Jason Darragh to the win over Daniel Rodgers.

Sad News - Jack Morrow

DMC Race Promotions were shocked to learn of the sudden passing of Jack Morrow as a result of a road accident at just 17 years old.

Jack was a quiet, unassuming lad who let his driving on the track do the talking. A multiple winner in Ninja Karts, it was when he moved up to the Junior Productions formula that he really stood out. He quickly became the driver to beat in the formula and remained there until the end of his Juniors career. British Champion, Irish Champion, Irish Open Champion, NI Points Champion and Scottish Open Champion were just some of the accolades he gathered during his time in the formula.

In recent times Jack dabbled in the Superstox formula with us and was surely destined for big things in oval racing.

Everyone at DMC Race Promotions would like to send our deepest condolences to Jack’s parents Andrew and Jill, his sister Amy, the wider family circle and all his friends at this very difficult time.

Corry Makes His Mark At Red Hot Tullyroan

Portadown racer Mark Corry was in dominant form at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening, racing to a heat and final double as a very healthy field contested the Lightning Rods Tullyroan Challenge Cup. An even bigger field of 6-11 year old Ninja Kart stars from across the UK contested their Tullyroan Challenge Cup, with Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett taking the title.
Garvagh’s Dean Catherwood took the win in the second round of the Superstox Spedeworth TV/NIOval TV Series, whilst other feature race wins fell to Ahoghill’s Reuben Kernohan in the Stock Rods and Londonderry’s Dean McFarland in the 2.0 Hot Rods.

A very welcome travelling band of drivers bolstered the Lightning Rods grid to over the 20 mark, with James McKinney holding off Mark Corry to land the opening heat win, before Corry went on to win heat two over Kieran Burke.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup Final paired heat winners Corry and McKinney on the front row, and a superb battle ensued between the pair for the early stages. They circulated side-by-side for a number of laps, before Corry made his speed count to edge ahead to a great win. McKinney and Ross Houston completed the top three ahead of Burke and Tam Agnew.

World Champion Mason Carberry from Suffolk kicked off his night in great style by winning the opening Ninja Karts heat, taking the lead on the last lap to lead home Ollie Williamson and Rowdy Grattan. Heat Two saw Austin Grattan from Banbridge take a popular win over Hampshire’s Arthur Ware and Tipperary’s Meabh Shanahan. The third heat once again saw Carberry power through for the win as Ollie Williamson went for a huge rollover down the back straight. Charlie Weston and Lewis Hazlett took second and third respectively.
The final saw a huge battle out front, with Carberry and Hazlett going at it hammer and tongs throughout. Hazlett managed to wrestle the lead at the mid way stage before Carberry unfortunately spun out of contention. English lad Jack Jones came through with a late challenge, but Hazlett came home to take a superb Tullyroan Challenge Cup victory over Jones, Jake Barnett, Ware and Jack Murphy.

A huge field of Stock Rods again included some visitors from the Republic of Ireland, with Jack Maher impressing on his way to the heat one win over stalwart Victor McAfee and Eamon Barrett. Heat two saw a determined drive from Callum Magill earn him the victory despite a late caution, coming home ahead of Cathal McGivern and Maher.
The final turned out to be an absolute cracker, with Maher and McGivern having a superb battle for much of the distance. Barrett joined the party too for a time, before the higher graders arrived on the scene late in the race. Reuben Kernohan found the smallest of gaps inside Maher on the final lap, wrestling through to the lead and a fine win ahead of Maher and McGivern, after World Champ Dan Shannon was docked two places from second for contact.

Dean McFarland raced clear in the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat, only to be run down late on by Allen Cherry. Allen pulled off a superb outside line pass to take the win over McFarland and Wayne Woolsey. Heat two followed a similar pattern, with Ryan McCrory this time chasing down early leader McFarland to take the win over Cherry.
The final saw McFarland again set the early pace, but this time there was simply no catching him as he powered home to a welcome win over McCrory, Conor Hughes and Cherry.

The opening Superstox heat saw a rollover for Troy Crawford on the Tullyroan Bend, as Jamie McCann relegated long time leader Gerard Hartley to win ahead of Jordan Robinson. Conor Murphy led heat two only to lose out to the flying National and Irish Champion Lee Davison, as he took the victory over Dean Catherwood.
The final, the second round of the Spedeworth TV/NI Oval TV Series saw Murphy again in the lead early on, before he was passed just before the 5 laps to go marker by Catherwood. Despite the efforts of McCann and Davison to get on terms, Catherwood held on for a great win which earned him both a trophy and a voucher from the series sponsors.

Hat-Trick Hero Murray at Aghadowey Oval

Galgorm’s Shane Murray continued his recent rich vein of form in the National Hot Rods with a polished hat-trick of wins at Aghadowey Oval on Friday evening. Murray steered his Ginetta to victory in both heats and the final of Diemens.com World Series NI Round 13, taking a major step towards the Northern Ireland Championship title.
A big field of Stock Rods for the King of Aghadowey saw Glenavy’s Jonny Cardwell victorious, whilst young Larne driver Charlie Johnston took a heat and final double in the Junior Productions. The other feature race win fell to Strabane’s Adam McKinney in the Thunder Rods.

Kenny McCann set the pace in the opening National Hot Rods heat, but all eyes were on the rapid Shane Murray who charged through to win over McCann and Davy McKay. Murray again scythed through from the rear of the field in heat two, this time heading Scotland’s James Mooney over the line.
The final saw the pristine Lotus of Ballymena’s Davy McKay set the pace, but he had no answer for the pace of Murray, as he powered his Ginetta to the front at half distance and pulled clear. Mooney again came through for an impressive second spot ahead of Antrim’s Dean McCrory.

The Stock Rods King of Aghadowey event saw welcome visitors from both England and the Republic of Ireland in action, with Randalstown’s Sam McNeice taking the opening heat after a huge battle with England’s Dan Rea. World Champ Dan Shannon came through for second ahead of Mark Foster, whilst there was an unfortunate rollover for Rab Preston.
Heat two saw the grid reversed and that saw Darragh O’Shea drive a storming race to take the win over European Champion Joe Largey and Stevie McNiece.The final saw Sam McNeice on pole, and he collected a warning from the Stewards early on for taking off much too early on the rolling start. He went ahead and led all the way, with Jonny Cardwell keeping him honest right to the flag. In the final analysis McNeice was docked two places for his jump start, handing victory to Cardwell over Shannon.

Another healthy entry of Thunder Rods saw Daniel Rodgers survive a Stewards Enquiry to take the win in the opening heat over Adam McKinney and James Goldie. Rodgers then made no mistake in heat two, coming home well clear of Tom Archibald and Josh Goligher to earn his second win of the night and a return to the star grade for the final.
The final saw McKinney hit the front early on, and he made good his escape to take a fine and deserved win over Jason Darragh and David Reynolds.

Young Harry Minish drove superb race to win the opening Junior Productions heat, powering past Ryan Abernethy on the outside to take the flag ahead of Leyton Hughes and Casey Cherry. The second heat was all about Larne newcomer Charlie Johnston, as he raced well clear of the rest to win by a distance over Andrew Russell and Lacey Bevan.
Johnston again controlled the final with ease, leaving his more experienced counterparts trailing in his wake to complete a double for the evening in emphatic style. Minish and Bevan rounded out the top three after another superb evening’s racing from the 10-16 year olds.

Best At The Double At Tullyroan Oval

Former World Champion Andy Best from Gilford raced to a heat and final double in the 2.0 Hot Rods at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening (May 4th), during another excellent meeting from all five formulas on show. The King of Krash title for the Unlimted National Bangers fell to Donemana’s Leonard Dunn, whilst there were Tullyroan Challenge Cup successes for three drivers – Bangor’s Craig McConnell (Superstox), Banbridge star Gareth Halliday (1300 Stock Cars) and Ballymena’s James Goldie (Thunder Rods).

There were over 20 cars on the grid for the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat, with Andy Best powering through the busy field to take the win after both Chris McCloy and Robbie Barnett had enjoyed spells out front. Heat two saw McCloy again the early pacesetter before Allen Cherry swooped around the outside to win in style from Ryan McCrory and Wayne Woolsey.
The final again saw McCloy out front early on once again, before he was caught by a whole bunch of challengers. With the track damp offline it made things very tricky, but Best managed to get underneath McCloy to hit the front. Despite late pressure from Woolsey and Adam Heatrick, Best held on to complete his brace of wins for the evening and claim an upgrade for the next meeting to the red grade.

A pleasing entry produced one of the better Unlimited National Banger meetings for some time, entertaining the fans all evening with some great racing and some big hits! The main event was the King of Krash, which fell to Leonard Dunn after a fine drive ahead of Stevo McGrath and Dave Haugh.
Deano McGrath held the lead in the first Allcomers race before he was spun out of contention, handing Dunn the lead and another win over the recovered Deano McGrath and David Gurney. The second Allcomers event went the way of Matthew Nicholl, who had somehow managed to repair his car after a huge crash earlier in the evening. Deano McGrath and Darryl Gilshennan chased him home before an outstanding Destruction Derby ended in superb fashion as Stevo and Deano McGrath tied for the win after a huge head-on killed both their cars.

Brian Lammey led the opening Superstox heat for much of the distance before Jamie MCcann stole through for a late win over World champion Craig McConnell. The second heat saw Dean Catherwood relegate Gerard Hartley to take the victory.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup final was lined up in points order, with a huge scrap over the opening bends at the head of the field. McConnell made good his escape early on to take the victory in some style, ahead of Steven Haugh and Lee Davison.

The big steel bumpers were put to good use all evening in the all-action 1300 Stock Cars, with Robbie Wright nicking the opening heat win from Ty Richardson after a tremendous finish. Richardson was first over the line in heat two but lost out to a penalty for a jump start, handing the win to Bobbie Johnston ahead of Wright.
Wright had pole for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup final, but he was rattled hard around the wall on the opening lap. Through the carnage and chaos came Gareth Halliday to win from Matthew Milliken and Johnston.

Completing the programme were the Thunder Rods, also competing for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup. Andrew McLean took the opening heat ahead of Samuel Murphy and James Goldie, before Daniel Rodgers scooped heat two ahead of Neil Capper and Goldie.
The Challenge Cup final was dominated by Goldie, who stretched clear to take the win ahead of Capper and Joshua McMullan.

McCann Bounces Back With Tullyroan Final Victory

Fantastic racing was the order of the evening at Tullyroan Oval last Saturday, with thrilling action throughout the meeting. Loughgall’s Jordan McCann bounced back from a huge crash just three weeks ago to land the National Hot Rods final, whilst young Antrim racer Leyton Hughes took the honours in the Moffett Shield for Junior Productions.
Donemana’s Gavin Gamble won the Rookie Bangers Spring Classic, whilst the other two feature races fell to drivers from the Ballymena area, Ahoghill’s Reuben Kernohan in the Stock Rods and Conor Doherty from Cargan in the Lightning Rods.

Round 12 of Diemen.com World Series NI saw a pleasing entry of cars, with Shane Murray getting out of the blocks fast to win the opening heat superbly ahead of Jordan McCann and World Champion Derek Martin. Heat two saw a dramatic finish, as the field had just a one lap shoot out to the chequered flag after a late race caution. Simon Kennedy held on for the win despite huge pressure from Drew McKeown and Glenn Bell behind.
The final saw Jordan McCann quickly work his way to the head of the field, as a huge pack of star drivers hounded him down. As they entered the final laps they were all together, with McKeown and Murray looking for the chance to pounce. McKeown had a serious effort on the last lap thwarted, as McCann held on for a very welcome win after an excellent drive. McKeown, Murray and Bell rounded out the top four.

The Junior Productions were racing for the annual Moffett Shield, with some great prizes on offer presented by the Moffett Family. A number of restarts were required in heat one with Irish Champion Matthew Weir taking the win after first across the line Leyton Hughes was demoted for a restart infringement during the latter stages. Heat two a great win for debutant Owen O’Brien, who held the field off to take the flag ahead of Ryan Abernethy and Tom Hewitt.
O’Brien again led the Moffett Shield final impressively until past the half way mark, but he just couldn’t stave off a superb charge from the flying Hughes. There was just no stopping Leyton, and he powered home to win the superb shield ahead of Callum Doak, who has surged through to second, and Andrew Russell.

There was close, competitive action from the Stock Rods all day long, with the opening heat falling to impressive recent newcomer Darragh O’Shea. There was a great scrap for the places which was led home by Sam Wilson ahead of Reuben Kernohan. Heat two saw O’Shea again victorious, with Wilson once again in second despite heavy pressure from Sam McNeice and Kernohan late on.
With O’Shea upgraded to further back the grid for the final, it was Aaron Dilly who set the pace before O’Shea did manage to work his way to the front but with the pack on his tail this time. Kernohan was able to grab the lead, and he held on all the way home for a fine win ahead of World Champion Dan Shannon and Wilson.

There was a very tight finish to the opening Lightning Rods heat, with Conor Doherty just getting the nod over Gerry Rogers and Ian Hobson. Star man James McKinney then came through to win the second heat, as he slipped under Doherty late on to take the chequers ahead of Mary Corry.
The final was all about Doherty, as he put plenty of daylight between him and his challengers early on. As he took an impressive win to earn an upgrade for the next meeting, McKinney and Corry completed the top three.

The Rookies Banger entertained always with plenty of on track frolics, with Lucas Goligher claiming the opener ahead of Phillip Farrell. Goligher again took the second heat, this time ahead of his brother Josh and Stephen Boyd, the latter two having had a great battle for second.
Farrell led the opening laps of the Spring Classic final, with Gavin Gamble coming through to the front at mid-distance. Despite Irish Champion Boyd putting on the pressure, Gamble held on for the win ahead of Boyd and Lucas Goligher.

McKeown is 2.0 Hot Rods King of Aghadowey

Drew McKeown from County Armagh claimed the 2.0 Hot Rods King of Aghadowey title as the drivers and fans enjoyed a sunny spring evening at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night.
There was action aplenty amongst all five formulas on show, with Portadown duo Steven Haugh and Ollie Williamson taking heat and final doubles in the Superstox and Ninja Karts respectively, whilst there was also a double for Magherafelt newcomer Philip Porter in the Thunder Rods. The stars of the evening were arguably the 1300 Stock Cars, where Lisburn’s Craig Bodenham secured the feature race victory.

The opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat saw a fantastic finish as Scott Cochrane just held off Wayne Woolsey by millimetres on the line after a fantastic battle, before heat two went to Ryan McCrory ahead of Drew McKeown.
Cochrane had pole spot for the King of Aghadowey final and went ahead, before a superb opportunistic move by McKeown saw him find a gap into the Brown Trout Bend. McKeown made off into the distance to secure the win over McCrory and Jordan Rochford, the latter having slipped past Woolsey on the final lap for third.

The all-action 1300 Stock Cars entertained all evening with the bumpers going in hard. The opening heat was simply superb, which a whole host of cars rattling off the wall late on as they battled for the win. As they went to the final turn it was anybody’s victory, with Gareth Halliday driving superbly to take the chequered flag ahead of Craig Bodenham and Michael Logan.
An equally action packed heat two saw a rollover for James Crossett as Logan took the win from Robbie Wright amidst the drama.
The final just couldn’t live up to the high standards set before, with Bodenham racing clear to record a well deserved victory over David Wilson and Jonathan Brown.

Brian Lammey set the pace in the Superstox opener, before losing out to Dean Catherwood. In an exciting finish Steven Haugh bumpered his way to the lead late on to take a great win over World Champion Craig McConnell.
Heat two again saw Lammey in the early lead, but this time it was Jordan Robinson who powered through to win with McConnell once again the runner up.
Jonathan Crawford and Lammey disputed the early lead in the final before Paddy Murphy took over. He had no answer to Haugh’s pace, the Birches man steaming through to record his second win of the night ahead of Catherwood and Murphy.

A pleasing entry of 20 Ninja Karts took the green flag in their opening heat. With Ollie Williamson leading until a late caution period. Star man Jake Barnett pounced to hit the front on the restart and win from Ollie and Keegan Turtle.
Williamson then starred throughout the remainder of the meeting, taking heat two from Barnett and then driving a superb final to take the silverware in style. After a tense scrap with Kahan Bradley, Ollie edged clear to win ahead of Barnett and Rowdy Grattan. Ollie also received the Best White Grade award from sponsors LJN Motorsport, with Rowdy Grattan taking the Best Yellow Grade trophy.

A busy field of Thunder Rods saw the evening’s racing dominated by the novice grade. Andy Brown raced clear to win the opening heat over Philip Porter while much attention focussed on the huge scrap within the main pack.
Porter then took over for the remainder of the meeting, the Magherafelt novice claiming heat two ahead of Brown and then relegating early leader Jordan McFetridge to win the feature final as the Thunder Rods again produced the goods.

Maxwell Weathers The Storm To Take Tullyroan Win

Despite the howling wind from Storm Kathleen, an excellent evening of Hot Rod and Stock Car racing was served up at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday night, April 6th. Crumlin’s Adam Maxwell took the honours in the feature event, Round 11 of Diemens.com World Series NI for National Hot Rods, whilst Bleary’s Drew McKeown grabbed the spoils in the 2.0 Hot Rods. Dungannon’s David McMenemy won what was easily the race of the night in the Superstox final, whilst the other feature race winners were Limavady’s Josh Goligher in the Rookie Bangers and young Lacey Bevan from Coleraine in the Junior Productions.

Welcome visitor Lauren Judge bolstered the National Hot Rods field, as local driver Jordan McCann grabbed a welcome win in heat one ahead of Nigel McCauley and Gary Woolsey. The rain arrived for heat two and it saw World Champion Derek Martin come to the fore, taking the win over Adam Maxwell and Woolsey.
The drivers were all back on slick tyres for the final as the track dried, with McCauley leading the way for much of the distance. Maxwell found the slenderest of gaps into the Tullyroan Bend and he went on to scoop the spoils of Diemens.com World Series NI Round 11. Shane Murray came through for second ahead of Glenn Bell.

Dean Catherwood looked all set to land the opening Superstox win of the night, only for a caution for debris in the closing stages bringing the pack onto his tail. He was bundled out of the way by the star men, as National and Irish Champion Lee Davison took the victory over Jordan Robinson and Davy Clarke. Brian Lammey led heat two for much of the way and looked a likely winner, until the chasing back caught him in the final stages. Catherwood this time made no mistake to win ahead of Robinson and Steven Haugh.
The final, the opening round of the Spedeworth TV/NIOvalTV Series, was without doubt the race of the night! As they entered the closing stages it boiled down to a battle between Clarke, Robinson and David McMenemy, with the lead swapped numerous times over the last couple of laps. McMenemy entered the final bend in third spot but came out the winner as the bumpers went in, the Dungannon man taking the silverware for the second meeting in succession. Robinson and Clarke helped produced a stunning finish but had to settle for second and third.

The 2.0 Hot Rods were racing in the opening round of the Hoosier Challenge Series, and former World Champion Andy Best just held on to win the opening heat despite the best efforts of Allen Cherry on the outside line in what was an excellent race. Cherry went one better in heat two, taking the win ahead of Connor Hughes and Wayne Woolsey.
The final was another superb dice, as the changing track conditions led to a ding-dong battle for the premier places. Cherry, Hughes and McKeown traded places early on before Cherry settled into the lead. McKeown was tracking his every move and pulled off a superb undercut into Turn 3 to grab the lead, the victory, the silverware and a new race tyre from sponsors Hoosier Tyres UK.

The Rookie Bangers again entertained as they always do with some fantastic action. Gavin Gamble won an action packed opening heat ahead of Stephen Boyd, before a dramatic Heat Two saw leaders Gamble and Josh Goligher dicing for the top spot before they crashed out. That opened the door for Ryan Nixon to land the win over Boyd.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup Final saw a rollover for David Gurney before we were treated to a fantastic finish. Irish Champion Boyd hit the front but he had Josh Goligher tracking his every move. Josh played the waiting game before pouncing into the final bend, lunging to send Boyd out wide to the wall and allowing him to nip through and steal the win. Boyd held on for second ahead of Marc Morrell in third.

Jack Morrison was the winner of the opening Junior Productions heat of the night, ahead of Leyton Hughes in second. In the very wet second heat it was Lauren Berry who coped best to take the chequered flag ahead of Hughes and her brother Ryan Berry after a great drive.
The final on a drying but greasy track was all about Lacey Bevan, the former Ninja Karts Irish Champion getting the hammer down right from the off. She left the pack trailing to chase down early pacesetters Tom Hewitt and Morrison, before sweeping ahead and onto a very impressive victory. Hughes was next home to complete a full set of runner up slots for the evening, with Hewitt and Morrison next home.

Big Easter Monday Wins for Murray, McNiece and Carberry

Ace Galgorm National Hot Rods star Shane Murray continued his excellent start to the 2024 race season by taking victory in the tenth round of Diemens.com World Series NI at Aghadowey Oval on Easter Monday. The other big event on the programme was the coveted Alan Connolly Memorial Trophy for Stock Rods, which went to Enniskillen’s Stevie McNiece. Suffolk ace Mason Carberry won the King of Aghadowey in the Ninja Karts whilst 16-year-old Dungannon lad Jake Devlin impressed as he won the 2.0 Hot Rods final. Garvagh’s Zack McCombe was the other feature race winner in the Thunder Rods.

The National Hot Rods were superbly fast all afternoon around the Aghadowey circuit, as Gilford’s Nigel McCauley and Scotland’s James Mooney shared the heat wins.
The final was a dramatic encounter, with Mooney leading Cork’s Jeff Riordan as they entered the second half of the event. Mooney then blew his engine which spun him out of the race and led to Riordan losing a lot of ground. Glenn Bell took over out front as they resumed, but with just three laps to go he then succumbed to a puncture. That opened the way for Shane Murray to power through to the win, ahead of Derek Martin and a recovered Riordan.

Twenty seven Stock Rods took to the grid for the Alan Connolly Memorial Trophy, in memory of the former World Champion from Ballymoney. Adam Sloan won the opening heat after a great drive, ahead of Mark Crawford and Stevie McNiece after a number of penalties were handed down. The second heat saw a flag to flag win for Glenavy teenager Callum Magill ahead of Scottish stars Siobhan Martin and Gary Dean.
The big money Alan Connolly Memorial Trophy final saw McNiece the first to show in the lead ahead of Sloan, but Sam McNeice soon worked his way up to second and looked the fastest car on track. But Stevie McNiece used every inch of his experience to hold on out front, the Enniskillen ace taking the win and the superb trophy ahead of Sam McNeice and World Champion Dan Shannon.

A superb entry of 35 Ninja Karts from right across the UK arrived to battle for the King of Aghadowey crown. Eight-year-old World Champion Mason Carberry from Suffolk grabbed two of the three heat wins, with the other going to Hampshire’s Charlie Weston.
The King of Aghadowey final started with a huge rollover for Alan Beattie, from which he thankfully emerged unscathed. Carberry controlled the lead over the remaining distance to take the win, ahead of Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett, Hampshire’s Arthur Ware and Fife driver Rory Wilson.

Veteran Londonderry driver Colin McFarland rolled back the years with a fine win in the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat ahead of Ally Neill and Scott Cochrane, before Cochrane improved in heat two to take the win in style ahead of Peter Henderson and Adam Weir.
The final turned into an almighty scrap for the lead, as recent Junior Productions graduate Jake Devlin fought a rearguard battle against a whole gaggle of cars. McFarland managed to drag himself alongside Devlin to take the flag by the closest of margins, but Colin was unfortunately demoted for contact earlier in the race. That elevated delighted teenager Devlin to the victory, with Andy Best taking the runner up slot.

The Thunder Rods saw a host of impressive newcomers on display, and it was one of those in Tyler McMaster who drove superbly to lead much of the way in heat one. He couldn’t hold off a charging Neil Capper though, as Neil surged ahead to take the win over McMaster and another impressive debutant in Jordan McFetridge. Capper again shone as he also won heat two ahead of another rapid novice in Philip Porter and McFetridge.
In his first ever race meeting, Porter looked good again in the final by edging ahead right from the off. With five laps to go David Reynolds bundled past to the lead, but whilst he was first to take the chequered flag he was docked by the Race Stewards. That handed victory to Zack McCombe over Josh Goligher and the demoted Reynolds.