Lotus Ace Riordan On Top At Tullyroan

County Cork driver Jeff Riordan drove superbly to win the National Hot Rods final at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening. On a night of red hot action on track, Portadown’s Wayne Woolsey won the coveted Lee Cherry Memorial Trophy for 2.0 Hot Rods and Birches star Steven Haugh took the Moffett Shield for Superstox. Other feature race winners were Portadown’s Ryan Jackson in the Junior Productions and Garvagh’s Stephen Boyd in the Rookie Bangers Ulster Championship.

An excellent entry of seventeen National Hot Rods came under starters orders for the third round of World Series NI. The opening heat fell to Mark Heatrick in his stunning Fiesta, with Jeff Riordan impressing in second from the red grade. Heat two saw an early caution which brought the new-style NASCAR restart into play, with Adam Maxwell benefitting most to swoop ahead to the win, with Riordan again in second and Derek Martin third.
Heatrick set the pace once the final had settled down, but it was no surprise when he soon had his mirrors full of Riordan’s Lotus. Jeff wasted no time in sweeping right around the outside to take a commanding win, his second in a row in the series. Shane Murray came through for second spot ahead of Maxwell, Heatrick and Nigel McCauley.

The 2.0 Hot Rods were racing for the coveted Lee Cherry Memorial Trophy, held annually in memory of the popular former racer. Wayne Woolsey took the opening heat win having found a gap under World and National Champion Adam Heatrick into turn one late on. Jordan Rochford and Drew McKeown filled the places. Heat two saw a tense battle for the lead, with the returning Adam Best taking the win having held off a stiff challenge from Irish Champion Conor Hughes.
Woolsey and Hughes shared the front row for the final for the stunning Lee Cherry Memorial Trophy. Woolsey ran deep into the first bend, enticing McKeown up the inside of the front row duo. With all three vying for the same piece of tarmac down the back straight something had to give, the ensuing melee seeing Woolsey move ahead into the lead. He kept the gap all the way to the chequered flag to take the title, ahead of Hughes, Rochford and Allen Cherry.
The Superstox racing for the Moffett Shield got off to a great start with a popular win for Brian Lammey in the opening heat that almost brought the house down. It was Brian’s first ever win, and he received a great reception from the crowd for his efforts. Steven Haugh took second ahead of Jamie McCann, before Dean Catherwood staved off a last bend attack from Haugh to hang on for the second heat win in a tremendous finish.
Haugh was dominant in the Moffett Shield final from pole position, stretching clear to take the win over McCann and Catherwood, with Gerard Hartley receiving the best white/yellow grade award.

Another excellent entry of 18 Junior Productions took to the grid, with Belfast’s Caolan Fegan taking the honours in the opening heat over Jamie Hadden, as the novice grade dominated. Hadden made it two in a row for the novices in heat two, as he took a great win over Fegan and Alfie Litter and ahead of a huge scrap for the minor places in the pack.
The final turned out to be a controversial affair, with the first two over the line both picking up penalties from the Steward. Litter was first home but he was docked for jumping a late restart, whilst Charlie Johnston was demoted for contact. That elevated Ryan Jackson to a deserved victory to make it a clean sweep for the evening for the novice grade! Hadden inherited second place ahead of Litter and Johnston in the final analysis.

Phillip Farrell was the man to beat during the Rookie Banger heats, taking both wins. The first heat saw a smashing opening lap as Phillip headed home Stephen Boyd and Ryan Nixon, before Josh Goligher and Gavin Gamble chased him home in heat two.
The Ulster Championship final saw Farrell lead only to be spun out by the chasing Boyd. As they clashed, Lucas Goligher tried to pounce for the lead, but he only got collected by the spinning Farrell! Boyd cleared the carnage and went on to win the title ahead of Josh Goligher and the recovered Farrell.

Added 19/08/24

Flawless performance for Riordan

Jeff Riordan proved to be man of the moment when the National Hot Rods returned to Aghadowey to contest round 2 of the World Series – NI.
The Cork based pilot got his evening off to a good start with a runaway victory in the opening heat, taking the win ahead of Nigel McCauley and former World Champion Derek Martin. It was almost a carbon copy style performance in heat two with Riordan completing the distance ahead again, this time it was Shane Murray and Glenn Bell next across the line. The meeting final was in its infancy when a caution period was required for the stricken machinery of Gary Woolsey, who had become stranded on the kerb between turns two and three. This would see the cars all bunched up again in anticipation for the restart. While this brought the star graded names closer to the battle in what was only lap two of a thirty-five lap race, it quickly become apparent no one had anything on Riordan. He soon powered clear of his pursuers and went on to take the flag well clear of Murray the runner up, McCauley rounded out his evening with a pleasing third place finish.
The Ninja Karts were out in force with a pleasing domestic entry of over 20 drivers; which included the debut of Eddie Fowler and welcome English visitor Mason Carberry the former World Champion. Alan Beattie held of late pressure from Carberry to claim the opening qualifier before Austin Grattan commanded proceedings in heat two. An early caution period in the meeting final allowed the star names to make it through towards the front in the opening laps. Carberry made his trip very worthwhile taking the silverware ahead of the new World Champion Lewis Hazlett, the opening heat winner Beattie performed well again with a strong third place finish. Beattie’s third place finish seen him take the award for best yellow grade while Fowler pocketed the white grade prize in his first ever meeting.
Jason Darragh and Norman Purdy shared the heat wins in the popular Thunder Rod section. Joshua McCahon set the early pace in the final; it wasn’t too long before he had pressure from behind with the Adam McKinney looking for a way around. While the pair battled the star names edged closer and closer. As McKinney challenged on the outside of McCahon they come together which would spell the end for McKinney, Daniel Rodgers didn’t hesitate in picking up the pieces and moving ahead. From there Rodgers took the win with Purdy and David Reynolds next across the line.
Completing the race card was the Stock Rods. Co Armagh’s Rab Preston withstood a late challenge from Victor McAfee to take the opening heat honours. McAfee was able to go one better the next time around chalking up the heat two victory with Samuel Wilson next across the line. Another Co Armagh man on fine form was Mark Foster, Foster romped well ahead of his challengers to secure the final win ahead of Jonny Cardwell fresh from his National Championship success at Hednesford Hills Raceway last weekend. The final race was a closed grid, dash for cash. Foster completed the distance again to bag the £100 prize.

Added 12/8/2024

Robbie’s Wright National Championship 2024 Win.

A huge field of 1300 Stock Cars kicked off proceedings at Tullyroan Oval, with a strong visiting contingent from HRP & Spedeworth to contest for their National Championship.
Heat One saw a lively start, as Paul Crooks found himself airborne which resulted in an early stoppage that brought the more experienced right up into proceedings. Heat One went the way of Gary Freeburn as he was able to fend off the higher graded drivers.
Heat Two, saw a few missing gaps in the grades as cars fell victim to damages in an intense Heat One. After the restart of Heat Two this allowed 18 Patrick Calderwood to continue to stretch ahead for the win.
The 1300 Stock Cars National Championship went the way of 194 Robbie Wright, with 888 Jonathan Brown coming home in 2nd and 1 Willie Stewart a 3rd spot unsuccessfully being able to defend his crown. This rounded off a Northern Ireland top 3 whilst fighting off some stiff competition from a 30-car field.
Rookie Bangers
Chris McNeil enjoyed a great battle out front in the opening 1600 Rookie Bangers Heat as he collected some strong points for Bad Company B whilst taking the flag. Heat Two saw Stephen Boyd carve his way through traffic like a hot knife through butter, seamlessly taking the win to bag strong points for Bad Company A. The final also went in the way of Stephen Boyd as an early stoppage meant that the field became somewhat depleted from the other teams.
As a result, Bad Company A where victorious in bagging the most points to become the 2024, 1600 Rookie Bangers Teams Champions consisting of Stephen Boyd, Leonard Dunn and Gavin Gamble.

Lightning Rods were on great from all evening, displaying some competitive racing. Conor Doherty in the immaculate e90, stormed the way to take Heat One. Junior Productions graduate Brandon Litter set a head to take a confident win in Heat Two. In the Final, the star graders came challenging through, of which Tam Agnew, Houston and McKinney rounded up the Top 3 to conclude a very competitive nights Lightning Rod racing.

Thunder Rods made a guest appearance to Tullyroan Oval, where they put on a great spectacle around the fast-paced circuit. Heat wins went in the way of 914 Joshua McMullan and 905 Adam McKinney. Whereas the Final fell in Jason Darragh’s hands after a stewards inquiry that saw Adam McKinney docked two places.

Junior Productions delivered some close racing, with a strong number of cars on track. The lower graders settled into race pace well which saw heat wins from Ryan Jackson and Jamie Hadden making his trip worthwhile from the Republic of Ireland. The final went in the way of 718 Caolan Fegan as he comfortably stretched ahead in front of a rather experienced field.

Added 1/8/2024

Summer Speedweekend Round Up - Aghadowey Oval

Congratulations to all the winners from our Summer Speedweekend.

2.0 Hot Rods – 2024 Championship of the World (sponsored by Cherry Pipes): 342 Adam Heatrick, 743 Drew McKeown, 529 Jason Secker.

Stock Rods 2024 British Championship (sponsored by Cherry Pipes): 2024 British Championship: 212 John Smith, 698 Mark Crawford, 65 Stevie McNiece.

Ninja Karts 2024 European Championship (sponsored by ABC Recovery): 313 Charlie Weston, 9 Jayden Lee Jeffrey, 483 George Cooper.

2.0 Hot Rods 2024 Northern Ireland Open (sponsored by Cherry Pipes): 743 Drew McKeown, 929 Conor Hughes, 940 Ryan McCrory.

Stock Rods 2024 Irish Masters (sponsored by Cherry Pipes): 47 Jonny Cardwell, 258 Dan Shannon, 84 Robbie Armit.

Ninja Karts 2024 Irish Open Championship (sponsored by ABC Recovery): 75 Jack Murphy, 483 George Cooper, 441 Charlie Major

National Hot Rods - World Series NI Round 1: 960 Mark Heatrick

Thunder Rods – 2024 DMC Gold Cup (Sponsored by McLaughlin Plumbing & Heating): 78 Daniel Rodgers, 29 Zack McCombe, 143 Andrew McLean.

Superstox Final; 914 Lee Davison.

1300 Stock Cars Final: 954 Davy Clarke.

Many thanks to our sponsors, Cherry Pipes, ABC Recovery and McLaughlin Plumbing & Heating.

Added 24/07/24

Superstox Ace McCann Lands Neil Davison Memorial Cup

The Neil Davison Memorial Cup for Superstox was the feature event at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening, June 22nd, and after a great race it fell to Loughgall’s Jamie McCann. The 2.0 Hot Rods final was won by Londonderry’s Dean McFarland, whilst Antrim’s Leyton Hughes won the Junior Productions Tullyroan Challenge Cup.
Dublin’s Stevo McGrath won the 2L National Bangers Tullyroan Challenge Cup, whilst other feature race wins fell to Magheralin’s Tam Agnew in the Lightning Rods and Tullyroan’s Davy McCall in the Classic Hot Rods.


The opening Superstox heat saw the two main NI Points Championship contenders, Lee Davison and Steven Haugh, race to first and second with a scything run from the rear of the field. Heat two again saw the star men on the march from the back, with Jamie McCann this time taking the spoils over Davison and Haugh. Going into the final race of the points season, Haugh now had just a five point advantage over Davison.
Conor Murphy got a great start to the Neil Davison Memorial Cup final, scorching ahead but the pack were chasing hime down as the laps dwindled away. McCann went through to take a fine win from the closing Davison, with Murphy hanging on in third. Fourth for Haugh was enough to seal him the Mk2 Escort Shells & Spares NI Points Championship by the slenderest of margins.

Dean McFarland continued his recent good form with a great run to win the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat, with former World Champion Wayne Woolsey enthralling the fans with a fantastic outside run through the field. He eventually netted second after Andy Best was demoted to fourth for contact during the race. McFarland again set the pace in heat two, but was run down and passed by Ally Neill late on for the victory.
The final again saw McFarland out front, but his advantage was wiped out by a mid race caution period. That didn’t deter Dean, and on the restart he simply drove off into the distance once again for a fantastic win to complete a double for the night. An impressive Aaron Stewart took second ahead of Scott Cochrane and Neill.

The 2L National Bangers thrilled the fans all evening with some big hits and entertainment. Former World Champ Stevo McGrath from Dublin avoided the carnage to win the Tullyroan Challenge Cup from Paul Compelli and Alan Haugh as just four cars went the distance.
The first Allcomers event was a cracker, with McGrath, David Gurney and Haugh chasing the win. Gurney hit the front, but McGrath came back hard on the last bend to just snatch the win on the line. Allcomers 2 saw Gurney this time come back to take the win over Haugh and McGrath, before a superb Destruction Derby saw Noel Anderson’s Mondeo take some heavy damage before McGrath and Gurney fought it out for the win, The fans were loving it, with McGrath getting the telling blow in the finish Gurney off and take the win.

Lacey Bevan drove a superb race to just hold off Jack Morrison in the opening Junior Productions qualifier, eventually claimimg victory over Harry Minish, before Callum Doak controlled heat two to take the win over Leyton Hughes.
From pole position in the Tullyroan Challenge Cup final Hughes was dominant throughout, stretching ahead to take a super victory over the chasing Doak, Andrew Russell and Matthew Weir.

Tam Agnew was the winner of the opening Lightning Rods heat, racing home ahead of a places battle that fell to Mark Corry. Heat two saw James McKinney excel, as the Strabane man won ahead of Ross Houston and Agnew.
The feature race final was all about Agnew once again, the former ProStock World title winner racing clear to complete his double for the night ahead of Houston, McKinney and Gerry Rogers.

The Classic Hot Rods ran alongside the Lightning Rods all evening, with former World Champions Davy McCall and John Murray sharing the heat wins before McCall also took the final.

Added 24/06/24

Tullyroan Title Wins for Heatrick, Cardwell & Hughes

An exciting evening of non-contact oval racing was served up to the fans at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening, June 15th. Portadown’s Adam Heatrick raced to a heat and final success to land the Tullyroan Challenge Cup for 2.0 Hot Rods, whilst the Stock Rods Tullyroan Challenge Cup fell the way of Glenavy’s Jonny Cardwell after a commanding drive. The prestigious Golden Helmet trophy for the Junior Productions was won by Antrim’s Leyton Hughes, whilst the other feature race wins fell to Ross Houston (Waringstown) in the Lightning Rods and Zack McCombe (Kilrea) in the Thunder Rods.

The opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat saw Dean McFarland set the opening pace before Adam Heatrick slipped past to take the win. Behind McFarland in second, returnee Stephen Emerson took third. Another recent returnee to the tracks, Michael Woods, took a great win in the second heat on his first appearance of the season. Scott Cochrane came through for second ahead of Conor Hughes and newly crowned British Champion Drew McKeown.
On aggregate points Heatrick had annexed pole position for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup Final, with McKeown alongside. Heatrick quickly assumed the lead, with McKeown slipping back on the outside line. That allowed Wayne Woolsey up to second ahead of Jordasn Rochford in third. There was no threat to Heatrick’s electric pace during the race, and that was how they finished as he took a morale boosting win.

The Tullyroan Challenge Cup was also up for grabs in the Stock Rods, with the field bolstered by some very welcome visitors from Tipperary Raceway. Reuben Kernohan led the majority of the way in the opening heat, but was outfoxed in heavy backmarking traffic late on which allowed British and National Champion Mark Crawford to take the victory over Jonny Cardwell. Heat two saw a straightforward win for Adam Sloan, as the Kells racer pulled effortlessly clear to win by some distance over Tipperary pair Eoghan Burke and Jack Maher.
Cardwell quickly assumed the lead in the Tullyroan Challenge Cup final, as a puncture in the midst of the leading cars for Sam McNeice saw him go out and hamper the progress of several others. That allowed Stevie McNiece up to second ahead of Crawford. Cardwell meanwhile was clear out front and he raced home to take his third Challenge Cup win in succession, and his fifth in total, after a great night for the Glenavy driver. McNiece, Crawford, Sloan and World Champion Dan Shannon were next home.
A grid of over twenty cars took the green flag for the opening Junior Production heat, with Lacey Bevan working her way to the front late on to take the win over a flying Leyton Hughes and Charlie Johnston. Heat two saw Dylan Fegan take the win on the road, but he was docked two places to third for jumping the start which gave the win to Jack Morrison ahead of Johnston.
Johnston and Bevan shared the front row for the A McKeown and Son Ltd sponsored Golden Helmet Final, which took a second attempt to get going after drama at the first time of asking. Hughes found a way past Johnston early on the edge clear out front once they did get underway, and he went on to take a superb victory over the impressive Fegan in second. Callum Doak inherited third spot after third across the line, Scotsman Charlie Hardie, was docked two places for contact. The top three and the heat winners all received nice bonus prizes courtesy of the sponsors.

The Lightning Rods were on great form all evening, with Tam Agnew claiming the heat one win after Ross Hosuton had been docked for contact on his way to the flag. Houston was in determined mood in heat two, racing side by side with Padraig Palmer for the last number of laps before snatching the win by a nose on the finish line. Palmer and Agnew filled the top three.
The final saw more of the same, with Palmer ahead and Houston chasing him down. Once again it came to a grandstand finish, with Houston again snatching the win by a hair’s breadth on the line from Palmer. Agnew, James McKinney and Conor Doherty completed the top five.

The Thunder Rods made another of their regular visits to Tullyroan Oval, and it was Zack McCombe who claimed the first heat win ahead of Jason Darragh and Andrew McLean. McCombe repeated the feat in the second heat, winning over Irish Champion James Goldie and Darragh.
An upgrade for the final was always going to make things much more difficult for McCombe from further back in the starting line up, but as Tom Archibald set the pace Zack got the head down and reeled him in. At half distance McCombe went ahead, racing clear to complete his hat-trick for the night in fine fashion. Archibald, Adam McKinney and Darragh completed the places.

Added 17/06/24

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.

Added 09/06/24

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.

Added 03/06/24

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.

Added 28/05/24

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.

Added 28/05/24

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.

Added 25/05/24

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.

Added 20/05/24