Maxwell Stars At Tullyroan Oval Speedweekend

National Hot Rods ace Adam Maxwell was on tip-top form during the Tullyroan Oval Speedweekend, the Crumlin driver claiming victory in both the British Championship and the Leslie Dallas Memorial Trophy. On a weekend full of title races, Glenavy’s Joe Largey won the Stock Rods European Championship, England’s Chris Bradbury won the Superstox British Championship and the Classic Hot Rods Best in Britain fell to Meath’s Anthony Morgan.
The coveted Keir Millar Memorial Trophy was up for grabs for the young Ninja Kart stars and it fell to Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett, whilst Antrim star Conor Hughes won the Irish Masters for the 2.0 Hot Rods.

A quality grid from right across the British Isles descended on Tullyroan Oval for the British Championship for National Hot Rods. The heats fell to defending champion Shane Murray from Galgorm, Crumlin’s John Christie and County Waterford’s Dave Casey .
On aggregate points another Crumlin star, Adam Maxwell, had annexed pole position for the British Final, and despite the weather having now turned very wet Maxwell led the field all the way to claim the victory. Adam even survived a number of restarts on his way to a very deserving win, with England’s Billy Wood in second and Portadown’s Glenn Bell in third.
The second day of action was for the prestigious Leslie Dallas Memorial Trophy, with a superb prize fund to go with it. Maxwell picked up exactly where he left off with a win in heat one. It came in the most dramatic fashion, as a late burst on the outside of leader Wood saw Adam snatch the win on the line by just 0.019 seconds. Heat two then went the way of current European and National Champion Robert McDonald from Scotland, with Maxwell again impressing in second.
Maxwell again pulled clear right from the off in the final, and was never headed as he stormed to a very emotional win, as his partner Hannah is the niece of Leslie Dallas, and she was on hand to help present the magnificent trophy. Bell took the runner up spot ahead of McDonald in third.

The qualifying heats for the Stock Rods European Championship were shared by World Champ Dan Shannon and Joe Largey (both Glenavy) and Nutts Corner’s Mark Crawford. The competition was ferocious throughout, and there was no let up in the final either.
Polesitter Sam McNeice went out right at the start when he lost his bonnet, and that then saw Sam Wilson and Stevie McNiece have turns out front. But coming like the proverbial train was Largey, closing right onto the leading McNiece before slipping under him to take the biggest win of his career to date. Stevie McNiece and Scotland’s Stewart Aitken completed the podium places.
Sunday’s Irish Masters saw Largey and Sam McNeice share the heat wins, before Randalstown ace Sam made amends for that early European exit on the previous evening by taking the title ahead of Largey and Shannon.

The Superstox were hard hitting and exciting throughout the weekend, with Londonderry’s Neil Hyndman the winner of their opening British Championship heat, before heat two went the way of Surrey driver Eric Walker. The rain returned for the British final, and there was a great battle between Irish Champion Steven Haugh, English Champion Chris Bradbury and World Champion Craig McConnell. They exchanged blows and places, with Berkshire ace Bradbury coming out on top ahead of McConnell, Jordan Robinson and David Beattie.
The Irish Open was contested on Sunday, with Bradbury going through the card unbeaten by winning both heats and the final. Michael Green had to make do with second in the Irish Open final, with Martyn Coles getting the best of a late race tussle with Curtis Greer to sensationally snatch third spot.

The cars of yesterday in the Classic Hot Rods rolled back the years for many over the weekend, with Co Meath’s Anthony Morgan and England’s Kev Gooding sharing the Saturday heat wins. A fantastic Best in Britain final saw Gooding ahead, before Morgan executed the perfect outside line pass to win over Gooding and Tommy Graham.
Sunday’s Irish Open saw Somerset star Gooding take the win in both heats and the final to land the title, with Morgan in second.

The coveted Keir Millar Memorial Trophy for Ninja Karts saw an excellent entry on hand, with the heats shared between Scotland’s Christopher Lattka and English drivers Charlie Weston and Mason Carberry.
The final was run in very wet conditions, and produced a fantastic race. Lewis Hazlett, Jake Barnett and Riley Dawson-Stirling were battling hard for much of the distance, with Hazlett ahead when it mattered most to take the superb trophy back to Ahoghill for the next twelve months. Irish Champion Charlie Johnston nipped home to grab second ahead of defending champion Stuart Shevill and Keegan Turtle.

The 2.0 Hot Rods joined the fray on Sunday for their Irish Masters, with the heat wins going to Ally Neill and Adam Heatrick. Antrim ace Conor Hughes hit the front in the final and never looked back, Conor taking the victory over Neill, Heatrick and Drew McKeown.

Many thanks to our Speedweekend sponsors, Mk2 Escort Shells & Spares

Adam Is Best In Hoosier Series Grand Final

A closely fought Hoosier Racing Tyres Challenge Series Final for 2.0 Hot Rods at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night saw Aughnacloy’s Adam Best take the victory after a very tight finish. There were also two King of Aghadowey titles up for grabs on the race programme, with Ballycastle’s Andrew McLean victorious in the Thunder Rods whilst Letterkenny’s Andrew Russell raced to the Junior Productions version. The other feature race wins fell to Ballymena’s Aaron Ward in the all-action 1300 Stock Cars and Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett in the Ninja Karts.

The opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat saw recent newcomer Peter Henderson lead for much of the distance, only to lose out in the closing stages to a fast charging Adam Best. Henderson held on for second ahead of British Champion Wayne Woolsey. Henderson again led heat two, but this time it was Ryan McCrory who charged ahead to victory over Best, with Irish Champion Drew McKeown in third.
The Hoosier Challenge Series Final was gridded on points scored during the series, with Best and McKeown sharing the front row. It was a feisty race with no quarter given, and certainly none expected, throughout the distance with places exchanged constantly. Best kept his nose ahead all the way to take the win, ahead of Allen Cherry and Michael Woods after a tremendous race. The top three all received new race tyres courtesy of Hoosier UK.

Irish Champion Jason Darragh drew pole spot for the opening Thunder Rods heat, and duly led all the way for a clear win over Adam Graham and James Goldie. Heat two saw a welcome win for Ballymena man David Reynolds, who was chased home by Samuel Montgomery and David Wilson.
Darragh set the pace early in the final, until he ran wide on the Brown Trout Bend. That slight lapse saw Andrew McLean pounce, and he went ahead and on to the King of Aghadowey title in some style. Goldie’s attempts at a fifth straight title only just failed as he finished second, ahead of Wilson and Joshua McMullan.

The second King of Aghadowey title of the evening was for the teenage aces in the Junior Productions. Andrew Russell drew pole for heat one and took a clear victory over Matthew Weir and Robbie Dallas, with Harry Minish then taking victory in heat two after relegating early leaders Andrew Hawe and Lacey Bevan.
The final saw Russell and Callum Doak share the front of the grid on aggregate points, with Andrew quickly settling into the lead. Minish soon worked his way to second, but try as he might he couldn’t close on Russell as the Donegal driver took a very impressive win. Minish and Dallas completed the podium ahead of Doak and Leyton Hughes.

Arguable the formula of the night were the 1300 Stock Cars, with a very impressive 21 car grid producing action galore in each and every race. A very lively heat one saw exchanges of bumpers on each and every bend, with white grader Aaron Ward continuing his good recent run to take the win over Josh McKinstry and Davy Wright. McKinstry’s evening came to a spectacular finish in heat two, as he went for a huge rollover down the back straight as a pack of 10 cars all tried to claim the same piece of tarmac. Ward again led another bruising encounter, only for Matthew Milliken to strike superbly on the last bend to come through and take the win. Ward and Ivan Elliott completed the top three.
Ward again made his break in the final, and the Ballymena teenager claimed the win to complete his double for the evening and earn a rise in grading for his next meeting. Milliken came across the line in second but was docked two places for jumping the start, which saw Gareth Halliday and Wright claim the final podium places.

Completing the programme were the Ninja Karts, where Ethan McQuillan led heat one until a mid race caution brought out the yellow flags and closed the field up. NI Points Champion Riley-Dawson Stirling came through to grab the win ahead of Jake Barnett and Lewis Hazlett. McQuillan again impressed in heat two, but this time after a caution it was Alan Beattie who raced past to take a great victory over Barnett and McQuillan.
On his best showing to date, McQuillan again set the pace in the final, even surviving a mid-race caution to still hold onto the top spot. The star men were catching though, and an opportune move from Hazlett saw him work a gap down the inside into the final bend to take the win at the line. McQuillan could be more than pleased in second, ahead of Irish Champion Charlie Johnston and impressive debutant Austin Grattan.

Mainland Drivers Take Two Big Wins At Tullyroan

There were mainland UK victories in two of the feature races at a baking hot Tullyroan Oval on Saturday night (September 9th). Perthshire driver James Mooney came out victorious in the third round of Diemens.com National Hot Rods World Series NI, whilst Berkshire ace Chris Bradbury won both the Superstox meeting final and the NIOvalTV/Spedeworth TV Shootout.
Glenavy’s Jonny Cardwell took the win in the Stock Rods Tullyroan Challenge Cup, with Garvagh’s William McFaul claiming the Tullyroan Challenge Cup for the Rookie Bangers. Portadown star Nigel Jackson took yet another Lightning Rods feature race win.

A sensational start to the night for the National Hot Rods saw a blanket finish to heat one amongst 10 or more cars, with Simon Kennedy getting the nod for a great win ahead of Podge McQuaid, James Mooney and John Christie. Heat two saw a tricky surface after a shower of rain, with former World Champion Keith Martin mastering the conditions to steer his Tigra to the win over Derek McMillan and Jeff Riordan.
The final of Diemens.com World Series NI Round 3 saw Scotsman Mooney relegate early leader Kenny McCann to take the lead, and as the rest squabbled over the places James made good his escape. That lead was eroded though due to a mid race caution period for a turn two incident, but James got the head down on the restart and once again edged clear of the pack to take an impressive win. Martin, Christie and Dean McCrory filled out the top four places.

The Superstox entry once again broke the 20-car barrier, with newly crowned World Champion Craig McConnell christening his gold roof with a win in the opening heat from the back of the grid. Conor Murphy just couldn’t withstand the last lap challenge but took second, ahead of Andrew Murphy and Jamie McCann. Heat two saw a huge battle between the superstar drivers which thwarted their progress, with Alan Haugh celebrating his return to racing with a great win ahead of Dean Catherwood and Graham Meek.
The final was run in damp conditions, which suited welcome visitor Chris Bradbury to a tee. He worked his way through the pack effortlessly, the former World Champion taking a clear win over Steven Haugh and Meek.
To round off the meeting we had a six car Shootout Final for the NIOvalTV/SpedeworthTV Series. Bradbury crept onto the back of the grid thanks to his final win, and after Jamie McCann skittled the pack on the first corner Chris accepted the gift of the lead and the win. David Beattie and David McMenemy followed Bradbury home, with all three receiving Trackshop vouchers from the sponsors.

The Tullyroan Challenge Cup was the first meeting for the Stock Rods on their new control Hooiser tyre, and it was quite fitting that the newly crowned World Champion Dan Shannon took the win over Stevie McNiece and Mark Foster. The reverse grid second heat saw Jonny Cardwell take the victory, with Sam Wilson and Sam McNeice chasing him across the line.
Sam McNeice was on pole for the final on aggregate points, and he grabbed the lead right from the off to control the race ahead of Cardwell. Just when Sam looked all set to record the victory, he was taken out of contention by an errant backmarker at half distance, and heartbreakingly was out of the race. Cardwell took up the running and took the Challenge Cup win over Stevie McNiece and Shannon.

The Rookie Bangers entertained all evening with some top class action. William McFaul won the opener ahead of Stephen Boyd and Josh Goligher, with a very lively second heat falling to Boyd ahead of Aaron McGraw and Marc Morrell.
McFaul led the opening laps of the Tullyroan Challenge Cup, but he got mixed up with backmarkers which allowed Morrell to hit the front. McFaul fought back with gusto though, retaking the top spot to claim the win over Morrell and Boyd.

There was a flag to flag victory in the opening Lightning Rods heat for Ian Hobson, as he just held off Mark McCambridge at the flag. McCambridge went one better in heat two, taking a deserved win ahead of James McKinney.
The final saw a damp track, and that’s where World, European and National Champion Nigel Jackson comes into his own. With ease he worked his way through the field to take the lead and the win, with McKinney and welcome Tipperary visitor Keith Kirwan in the podium places.

Big Tullyroan Wins For Hylands and Hughes

There’s always something special about stock car racing under the floodlights, and that was certainly the case at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday night. All five divisions on show were on top form, with Portadown’s Adam Hylands coming out victorious in the second round of Diemens.com World Series NI for National Hot Rods as he took a heat and final double.
The coveted Lee Cherry Memorial Trophy for 2.0 Hot Rods fell to Antrim’s Conor Hughes, whilst Crumlin’s Matthew Milliken took the honours in the Irish Masters for 1300 Stock Cars. The other feature race wins fell to Kilmore’s Lauren Berry in the Junior Productions and Cullybackey’s David Wilson in the Thunder Rods.

A quick shower made the track very greasy for the opening National Hot Rods heat, and that led to a superb race. Keith Martin led early on from Scotsman James Mooney, but the star men were finding grip out wide and were flying towards the front. Recently crowned World Champion Derek Martin marked his return to his home track with a fine win, ahead of Adam Maxwell and Keith Martin. Heat two saw a runaway victory for Adam Hylands, the multi-championship winner cruising home ahead of Keith Martin and Nigel McCauley.
Keith Martin led the opening laps of the final, as there was a huge places battle between Hylands and McCauley for the opening few tours. They were all brought up short by a caution period for the stricken Phil McCloy, which closed the field together for the restart. Hylands quickly hit the outside line to power ahead to the lead, and despite Derek Martin, Shane Murray and Glenn Bell giving chase, Adam was more than able to hold his advantage to make it a double for the evening as he visited the Diemens Hot Sauces Victory Lane.

The 2.0 Hot Rods were racing for the stunning Lee Cherry Memorial Trophy, with a very healthy field in excess of 20 cars on the grid. Irish Champion Drew McKeown took a fine win in the opening heat from the front of the drawn grid, ahead of Conor Hughes and Gary Butler. Heat two was another very, very busy affair, with Adam Heatrick taking a deserved win ahead of Cork’s Ian Riordan and local man Allen Cherry.
Hughes got the jump ahead of McKeown at the start of the feature race, and Conor duly raced home to take arguably the prettiest trophy in Ulster oval racing. McKeown and Heatrick completed the delighted podium finishers, ahead of Riordan, Jordan Rochford and Scott Cochrane.

The contact element of the evening was provided by the 1300 Stock Cars, with Aaron Ward leading the opening qualifying heat for the Irish Masters until a mid race caution period for debris on the raceway. That brought the pack together and Aaron got bundled into the wall, which allowed Matthew Milliken to take the win over Ivan Elliott and the returning Dan Feeney. Ward made amends in some style in heat two, the former star of the junior formulas taking a commanding win over Elliott and Milliken.
There was drama ahead of the final as Milliken only just made the grid after pit lane issues, but he duly took up his pole spot for the feature event with only moments to spare. There was an explosive first corner as most of the field got the bumpers in, but Milliken rode it best of all and pulled clear. He would never be challenged again and took the chequered flag for an emphatic win. Elliott and Feeney completed the podium top three.

As they regularly do at Tullyroan Oval, the Thunder Rods put on some great racing all evening. Matthew Nicholl took a great heat one win over David Wilson and David Reynolds. Nicholl came close to repeating the feat in heat two, but a spirited defence from Ryan Nixon over the final laps saw him just hang on for the win. Nicholl and Joshua McMullan completed the top three.
Tom Archibald led the opening laps of the final, but as the pack came together it was Wilson who took the gamble on the wide outside line. In a great effort, David dragged himself ahead and on to the victory. Daniel Rodgers and James Goldie impressed on their way to second and third, ahead of Steven McKane and Reynolds.

Lauren Berry produced a great drive to take a clear win in the opening Junior Productions heat of the night, leading home Dylan Fegan and Andrew Russell. Heat two saw a first ever win in the formula for Ryan Abernethy Jnr, as he capitalised after first across the line Robbie Dallas was docked to third for jumping the start. With Abernethy promoted to the win, Callum Doak took second after a fine drive from the rear of the grid.
The final was once again all about Berry, as Lauren raced clear of the field early on and never looked back. She took her second final win on the trot in great fashion, with Abernethy taking the runner up slot. A late burst around the outside from Leyton Hughes netted him third spot ahead of Matthew Weir, with Leyton smashing the lap record into the bargain.

Butler Crowned 2.0 Hot Rods King of Aghadowey

Dublin driver Gary Butler was crowned 2.0 Hot Rods King of Aghadowey after a thrilling encounter at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night. Cullybackey’s David Wilson was also on top form, as he drove a blinder to win the Thunder Rods final, whilst young Scottish star Christopher Lattka took his first ever race win as he was victorious in the Ninja Karts feature race.
Glenavy’s Mark McCambridge won the Lightning Rods final with World Champion Stevo McGrath crowned King of Aghadowey in the Unlimited National Bangers.

The opening qualifier for the 2.0 Hot Rods saw Gary Butler take the win as he just held off Irish Champion Drew McKeown at the flag. The second encounter saw British Champion Wayne Woolsey take the victory, with Feargal McNally and World Champ Jordan Rochford next home.
There was a dramatic start to the King of Aghadowey final with Woolsey the first to show amongst a huge gaggle of cars squabbling over the top places. Somehow Butler found a way to the front ahead of defending champion Conor Hughes, with Woolsey coming back strong in third. He quickly went second and chased down Butler’s lead, but try as Wayne might it was Gary who held on to take the win. Woolsey, McKeown and Hughes filled out the places.

The Thunder Rods were once again on top form, producing three excellent and closely fought races. Ballymena driver Gary Freeburn took both heat wins, the first ahead of David Wilson and Matthew Nicholl in a superb dice. Heat two saw Gary head home Chris McNeill and David Reynolds for his second chequered flag of the night.
The final was a fantastic race, with a lead battle containing over a dozen cars at one stage. McNeill was leading the way and fending off allcomers, with Freeburn, Reynolds and Nicholl all attempting to get past him without success. Step forward Wilson, and the Cullybackey star swooped right around the outside line to take the win in fantastic fashion. A messy last lap saw a whole host of penalties handed down, with Reynolds eventually taking the runner up spot ahead of Daniel Rodgers.

Once again the 6-11 year old stars entertained all evening with some spectacular racing. Front runners Christopher Lattka and Tommy Johnston tripped over each other on the final bend when within sight of the flag in heat one. That opened the door for Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett to take the win ahead of Cullybackey’s Keegan Turtle. Scottish visitor Lattka looked set to take the heat two glory, only to unfortunately spin out of the lead in the closing stages. That opened the way for a first ever victory for County Down's Alan Beattie ahead of Jake Barnett.
Having come so close in the heats, the final was all about Lattka as he stormed clear early on into a lead he was never going to lose. The son of five-times Stock Rods World Champion Chris ‘Gunner’ Lattka, Christopher powered home to take his first ever win on only his second visit to the Aghadowey circuit. Beattie and Turtle rounded out the top three to end another superb meeting from the youngsters.

Vince Litter took both heat wins in the Lightning Rods, heading home Mark McCambridge in both to earn himself an upgrade for the final. Ian Hobson set the pace in the feature race for some time, before Litter’s attack for the top spot punted Hobson wide and earned a warning from Race Control. Litter went on to take the chequered flag, but he was docked 2 places to third in the final analysis which handed victory to a delighted McCambridge ahead of James McKinney.

A somewhat depleted field of Unlimited National Bangers came to grid, with a close encounter for the King of Aghadowey falling to World Champion Stevo McGrath ahead of Leonard Dunn. Dunn then went on to win both Allcomers races.

Goligher Family Race To Rookie Bangers Teams Title

An action packed meeting of short circuit motorsport was enjoyed at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening. The Rookie Bangers were on great form, and whilst Garvagh’s Stephen Boyd took the final win it was Limavady based ‘Team Hooligans A’, featuring the Goligher family, that were crowned Irish Teams Champions.
Young Lurgan driver Graham Meek took a tremendous victory in the Moffett Shield for Superstox, whilst Portadown’s Wayne Woolsey continued his great run of form with another final win in the 2.0 Hot Rods. The other feature race wins fell to welcome Tipperary Raceway visitor Eogan Burke in the Stock Rods and Kilmore teenager Lauren Berry in the Junior Productions.

Another big field of Rookie Bangers came to grid for the Irish Teams Championship, raced for by 3-a-side teams. ‘Team Hooligans A’ laid down a marker by taking the top three spots in heat one, led by Lucas Goligher ahead of his brother Josh and father John. Heat two saw even more spectacular action, with Lucas Goligher again hitting the front before he encountered major drama on the back straight and rolled onto his side! His brother Josh came through for the win for their team once again, ahead of Marc Morrell for ‘Bad Company’.
The double points final could have changed the standings dramatically, and amidst even more entertainment it was Stephen Boyd for ‘Bad Company’ who took the victory ahead of Phillip Farrell. Lucas Goligher returned to third after his big crash in the previous race, and that was more than enough to net his ‘Team Hooligans A’ the Irish Teams title.

The magnificent Moffett Shield was up for grabs for the Superstox, with Neil Hyndman setting a great pace in heat one before being demoted by Graham Meek. Graham then succumbed to pressure from Jamie McCann late on as he took the win. Meek and Craig McConnell followed Jamie home. The second heat was a tremendous race with David Beattie the first man across the line, only to be docked two places by the Stewards for jumping the start. That handed victory to Meek ahead of McCann.
Under the floodlights the Moffett Shield final was a spectacular affair, with some fantastic exchanges of bumpers amongst the star men early on. That allowed Meek to edge clear once he had hit the front, with Curtis Greer this time leading the charge to catch the flying teenager. Greer tried an ambitious last bend lunge for the win, but he was just too far back as Meek took the flag for the biggest win of his senior career to date. McConnell nicked second on the line ahead of Greer and Lee Davison. Conor Murphy also received a prize from the Moffett Family for being the first white or yellow grade driver home.

Sean Maher from Tipperary Raceway joined the regulars in a bulging 2.0 Hot Rods entry, with Robbie Barnett setting the pace in the opener before losing out to a flying Michael Woods. Woods took the win over Drew McKeown and Adam Heatrick. Heat two saw Feargal McNally put his new car to good use by taking the win, with the crowd kept on their toes by a superb outside line charge by British Champion Wayne Woolsey to second.
The feature race saw Barnett leading the way early on, before McNally worked his way past at half way to take up the running. All eyes though were once again on Woolsey, as one by one he picked off the others to land on the back bumper of the leader with 5 laps to go. Woolsey hit the outside to take the win and yet another trophy in emphatic style, with McNally, Woods and welcome returnee Gary Butler next home.

Welcome Tipperary visitor Eogan Burke led the way in the opening Stock Rods heat, the youngster losing out to Mark Foster at the half way mark. Foster went on to take the win over Adam Sloan and Jonny Cardwell. A great outside line run from Declan O’Connor saw him a very worthy winner of heat two, with Sloan again in second ahead of Burke.
Burke made a superb getaway to lead the final. But he soon was joined at the head of the field by a four car train of Victor McAfee, Sloan, O’Connor and Foster. It turned into a tremendous finish, with novice grader Burke managing to hold on for a very popular victory over Sloan and Foster.

It was a Berry family benefit in the opening Junior Productions heat, as Lauren led early on only to be demoted by her brother Ryan as he took the win. Lauren made it a family one-two ahead of Jake Devlin. Heat two saw a first ever win in the formula for Andrew Hawe, as he held off girl racers Lauren Berry and Maia Thompson at the flag after a fine drive.
The final saw Lauren Berry stamp her authority on proceedings early on, and despite the best efforts of the others she romped home to a great win. Hawe was again great value in second ahead of Matthew Weir and Ryan Berry.

During the meeting the fans were also treated to some demonstration laps by Hot Rod Hero Norman Woolsey as he celebrated his 80th birthday. Norman was behind the wheel of the Davy McCall Chevette Classic Hot Rod and showed he has lost none of his old flair!

Jordan Takes Last Gasp Irish Open Victory

English driver Ryan Jordan drove a storming race at Tullyroan Oval on Sunday afternoon to take a sensational Irish Open Championship win in the 1300 Stock Cars. The Aldershot driver pounced in the closing stages to take a great victory, whilst local Portadown ace Wayne Woolsey continued his great recent form with a win in the second round of the Hoosier Challenge Series for 2.0 Hot Rods .
Donemana’s Leonard Dunn took victory in the Unlimited National Bangers King of Krash whilst other feature race wins fell to Scotland’s Maia Thompson in the Junior Productions, Kildare’s Tommy Graham in the Classic Hot Rods and Irish Champion Steven Haugh from the Birches in the Superstox.

A number of mainland visitors joined the local 1300 Stock Cars for the Irish Open Championship, with the opening heat falling to Josh McKinstry ahead of England’s Jacob Bromley. Heat two saw a dominant win for Ivan Elliott, the defending Irish Open Champion coming home ahead of Jack Kearney and England’s Joe Giles.
The final turned out to be one of the races of the season, with the bumpers and the lead exchanged on numerous occasions. Gareth Halliday looked good out front early on, even surviving a mid race debris caution to hang onto the lead. The action was relentless throughout the field, with Robbie Wright edging ahead before he too was bundled out of contention. Bromley then hit the front only for Elliott to come back to the lead, having looked totally out of it at one stage!
It boiled down to a last lap shoot out between Elliott, Bromley and Ryan Jordan, with Ryan timing his attack on Elliott to perfection to claim the win, just holding off Bromley on the run to the line in the closest of finishes. Joe Giles and Curtis Tebbenham were next home for an all English top four, with Jonathan Brown and Elliott fifth and sixth respectively.

Vince Litter set the early pace in the opening 2.0 Hot Rods heat, before losing out to a fast charging Michael Woods who went on to win over Drew McKeown and Scott Cochrane. Recently crowned British Champion Wayne Woolsey then took the second heat with a commanding drive over Woods, before repeating the feat with ease in the Hoosier Tyres Challenge Series Round 2 Final with another outstanding drive to earn himself the trophy and a new race tyre. Ryan McCrory impressed on his way to second, ahead of Adam Heatrick and Woods.

An excellent grid of Superstox produced great racing all day, with the opener falling to Jamie McCann after a late race challenge on Lee Davison. Troy Crawford underlined his excellent recent improvement by leading the second heat for some distance, but he just couldn’t hold off Jordan Robinson as he raced past to take the win.
The final saw Davison setting the pace, before an in-form Steven Haugh bumpered his way past, with the Irish Champion going on to take a great win. Craig McConnell and McCann completed the top three.

The opening Junior Productions heat saw a win for Dylan Fegan after he relegated early leader Casey Cherry. The second heat saw a welcome win for Matthew Weir, as he held off Leyton Hughes and Jake Devlin at the flag.
The final saw Maia Thompson slip under Cherry early on to take up the running, and despite pressure from behind, and the star names looming in her mirrors, she held on all the way home to take her first ever race win. Maia even survived a late race caution period which made the win even more impressive, with Callum Doak taking second after he had a tremendous finish powering around the wide outside line. Weir, Cherry and Fegan were next home.

Six Classic Hot Rods arrived to do battle, although we did lose Thomas Dilly to a blown engine in practice. The drivers raced superbly all afternoon, with the Mk2 Escort’s and Anglia’s a sight to behold. Anthony Morgan took the opening heat win after relegating leader Mark Monaghan, before popular veteran Tommy Graham took the second heat by holding off the challenging Morgan. The final again boiled down to a battle between Morgan and Graham, with Tommy once again coming out on top after an impressive drive in the wet conditions.

A smaller than normal field of Unlimited National Bangers saw Leonard Dunn spun out of the early lead in the King of Krash race by Deano McGrath, only for Leonard to fight back in style by catching and spinning Deano out to take the win.
Leonard then also took the first Allcomers race win too, before Stevo McGrath then took victory in the second Allcomers and the DD.

Super Summer Speedweekend At Aghadowey Oval

Despite some horrendous conditions over the weekend, drivers from right across the British Isles served up some superb racing during the annual Summer Speedweekend at Aghadowey Oval. The main event was the Lightning Rods Championship of the World, with Portadown's Nigel Jackson taking a record breaking fourth title win. The British Championship for 2.0 Hot Rods saw another Portadown driver triumph, as Wayne Woolsey raced to victory. The other major title event of the weekend was the Ninja Karts British Championship, with young Suffolk visitor Max Taylor racing to a tremendous victory.

A great entry of Lightning Rods took to the track in sodden conditions for the first of three qualifying heats for the World Championship. Glenavy’s Mark McCambridge took the win with European Champion Nigel Jackson looking ominous as he grabbed second with a great outside line run. Heat two fell the way of English visitor Ashley Birkin, with Jackson again in second spot.
Heat Three saw Irish Champion Stuart Agnew in victory lane with a win, with British Champ Dean Catherwood and Ross Houston getting the best of a big places scrap in second and third.
Conditions were at their worst for the Cherry Pipes sponsored World Championship, with Jackson hitting the front from pole position early on. Throughout the 40 laps Nigel was just revelling in his favoured wet conditions, and he took the chequered flag to record his fourth World title win and on a fourth different circuit too. It also marked the first World title win for a BMW in the formula. Another great fight for second in the pouring rain fell to Catherwood ahead of Birkin and another English driver, Max Goodier.

In the contrasting sunny conditions on Sunday, Jackson was again on top form as he won the NI Open Championship, ahead of Agnew and Catherwood, following another dominant drive.

The opening British Championship qualifier for the 2.0 Hot Rods saw a remarkable drive from Scotland’s Jason Secker, as he sped through from mid grid to take a fine win ahead of fellow countryman Keith Brown. The second heat again saw Secker catching the eye, as he made it two from two to lay down a marker to the rest in the wet conditions. The final heat saw a popular win for East Anglia’s Damian Wright as he held off Cork’s Ian Riordan to take the chequered flag.

The British Championship final was contested on Sunday afternoon, and consistency across the three heats saw Wayne Woolsey on pole position, with Secker alongside at the head of the grid. Despite Secker’s best efforts in the now dry conditions, Woolsey was able to edge clear and build an advantage he wouldn’t lose. The Portadown driver raced home to a decisive win, taking the second British title of his career having last won it in 2008.

The reversed grid British Revenge race saw a morale boosting win for Broughshane’s Adam Weir, before Riordan took the NI Open Championship trophy ahead of Drew McKeown and Ryan McCrory.

Well over 30 Ninja Karts from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland converged on Aghadowey to contest their British Championship. Ahoghill’s Lewis Hazlett took the opening heat ahead of Cullybackey’s Keegan Turtle, before Heat Two fell the way of another local driver, Rowdy Grattan from Portadown. World Champion Mason Carberry from England was second, in a race that will long be remembered for a huge acrobatic crash for National and English Champion Charlie Weston.
Astonishingly Charlie was back on track for the final heat, which fell to Essex lad William Hunn who just held off Scotland’s Stuart Shevill and Max Taylor from Ipswich at the chequered flag.

The British Championship race saw huge spray on the very wet track, with all the young 6-11 year old stars coping admirably. There was a super battle up front throughout, with Taylor taking the biggest win of his career to date as he was crowned British Champion. Shevill and Hunn completed the podium places ahead of Jack Jones.

On Sunday the Irish Open Championship was up for grabs, with three keenly fought heats falling to Jack Morrison, Jaxon York and Taylor. The Irish Open Final was another nail-biting encounter with Taylor taking his second big win of the weekend ahead of Jones and Shevill.

The elite formula of the local racing scene, the National Hot Rods contested the opening round of Diemens.com World Series NI. Amongst the entry was Dungannon's new World Champion Derek Martin, as the road to Ipswich 2024 began in great fashion with a 19-car entry. John Christie claimed the opening heat win ahead of Jeff Riordan, before veteran Andy Stewart drove a superb defensive race in heat two to hold off the pack in the closest of finishes.
The final was all about Christie once again, as he completed his double for the afternoon was a dominant display to win over Carl Sloan and Glenn Bell.

There was some great support racing over the weekend, with Cullybackey’s Curtis Greer taking a heat and final double in the Superstox as he revelled in the wet, whilst the other heat fell to recent returnee to the sport Davy Clarke.

The Stock Rods were also in action in Saturday’s awful weather, and it was Mark Foster from Armagh who grabbed the silverware after the heats had been shared by Dan Shannon and Stevie McNiece.

The Junior Productions fielded a great grid of cars on Sunday afternoon, headed by the new British Champion Joshua Murray. Casey Cherry and Lauren Berry were the heat winners, before Alfie Litter had the drive of his career so far to win the final for his first ever race victory. Matthew Weir and Robbie Dallas completed the podium places.

Many thanks to our meeting sponsors, Cherry Pipes Ltd

New Sponsor ‘Heats Up’ National Hot Rods World Series NI

Diemen’s is proud to announce its title sponsorship of the Diemens.com World Series NI for National Hot Rods, in what is the most lucrative deal the series has seen to date.

The new sponsorship package is worth up to £4,000 for the World Series NI drivers and there will also be promotional offers for race fans throughout the campaign!

Diemens.com has been established to sell Australia’s award-winning hot sauces in the UK and NI, and aims to promote these awesome products though motorsports sponsorship. In recent times the Diemen’s branding could be seen on the National Hot Rod of local driver Dean McCrory, and now the company have taken the step up to become the new title sponsor of the ultra-competitive World Series NI.

Diemen’s will provide fantastic prizes to the winner of each of the 14 rounds of the series, with additional prizes to the top three finishers in the World Series NI standings at the end of the campaign.

The man behind the Diemen’s brand in the UK and NI is Bertie McCrory, himself a former Ulster Hot Rod racer in the 1980’s, and he is very enthusiastic about the deal, “World Series NI is a fantastic way of advertising our products and we are very pleased to come on board as the title sponsor. Hot Sauces for Hot Rods, and with the World Champion in the ranks it’s great to be associated with the very best in the sport.”

Darren Black from DMC Race Promotions was equally thrilled by the new deal, “We are proud to welcome Diemen’s Hot Sauces on board as the new title sponsor for National Hot Rods World Series NI. The valuable deal shows just how much the series has grown in recent years and it is now recognised as the most competitive of them all.”

“All the cars in action in Diemens.com World Series NI will carry the Diemen’s branding throughout the year, as we aim to give them maximum return for their investment in our sport. We would also like to place on record our thanks to the outgoing sponsors, Simpson Race Exhausts, for their invaluable contribution over the past seasons.”

The 2023/24 Diemens.com World Series NI blasts into action this Sunday, July 23rd, at Aghadowey Oval (1pm start), with new World Champion Derek Martin set to receive a hero’s welcome home as he proudly displays the gold roof for the first time.

Morrell Takes Dramatic Ulster Title Win

An action packed race meeting at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday evening somehow managed to stay dry throughout, with Cullybackey’s Marc Morrell being crowned Rookie Bangers Ulster Champion. There was a perfect hat-trick of victories in the Superstox for Bangor’s Craig McConnell, with Ballymena racer Adam Graham winning the Thunder Rods Tullyroan Challenge Cup.
The other final wins went to Crumlin’s Matthew Milliken in the 1300 Stock Cars and Glenavy’s Callum Magill in the Stock Rods.

Two action-packed qualifying heats kicked off proceedings for the Rookie Bangers, with lively action and spills all around the raceway. Limavady’s Josh Goligher triumphed in both with two great drives, the first ahead of Marc Morrell and Stephen Boyd. The second heat saw Josh ahead but suffering from a puncture late on, and as he tried to nurse the car home he, along with Gavin Gamble and William McFaul all came spinning to the line whilst pointing in all sorts of directions! Goligher got the nod by a hair’s breadth over Gamble and Boyd.
The Ulster Championship final saw Goligher edge clear early on, until he was baulked and taken to the infield by a backmarker. Josh sped across the infield to rejoin still ahead, but that attracted a warning from Race Control. He held on to take the chequered flag, but as he was deemed to have rejoined the race illegally he was demoted out of the podium places by the Stewards. That elevated a delighted Morrell to the championship win ahead of David Gurney and Boyd.

The second round of the Spedeworth TV/NIOvalTV Series for Superstox saw Troy Crawford lead for much of the distance in heat one, before NI Points Champion Craig McConnell muscled his way past on the final lap to grab the win. Heat two saw Crawford again out front before he was relegated by Paddy Murphy. Curtis Greer then hit the front before McConnell again nudged his way through to the victory over Steven Haugh.
The final saw Gerard Hartley build up quite an advantage out front, before that man McConnell came calling once again. Craig burst ahead to complete his faultless treble for the evening over Jamie McCann, Greer and Haugh.

The budget Thunder Rods division served up some great racing throughout the meeting, with Matthew Nicholl pulling off a superb outside line pass on James Goldie to win the opening heat in some style. Heat two saw yet another outside line surge from Davey Wilson as he took the flag over Adam McKinney.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup saw Nicholl set the early pace before Adam Graham found a gap down the inside on the back straight. He quickly made the lead his own, and held on for the win despite the close efforts of runner up Goldie, with Nicholl taking third place.

A trio of very welcome Tipperary Raceway visitors boosted the Stock Rods grid, and it was one of them, Eogan Burke, who took the opening heat win over a fast charging Mark Foster and Irish Champion Dan Shannon. Heat two saw a fantastic drive from European, British and National Champion Mark Crawford, as he powered around the outside of Joe Largey on the final lap to take a sensational last gasp win on the line by inches.
Burke lead for much of the final but had Declan O’Connor chasing hard throughout. With five laps to go O’Connor launched his bid for the lead, but only succeeded in bundling Burke wide. Declan took the lead but the move would cost him dear after the race. He was unfortunately demoted two places to third for the contact by the Stewards, handing the win to Callum Magill ahead of Crawford.

Plenty of hard racing and contact was the order of the day in the 1300 Stock Cars, with veteran campaigner Tommy McCrory rolling back the years to win the opener ahead of Fionn Donnelly and Ty Richardson. Heat two was all about Alan Milliken, the novice grader taking a great win over his son Matthew with Donnelly in third.
It was a family affair in the feature race final too, with Alan Milliken leading and Matthew moving through into second place with just a couple of laps remaining. Would he let his Dad take the glory? Not a chance said Matthew, as he went in with the bumper to move his Dad wide and race past to take the trophy in a family one-two finish. Ivan Elliott and Jonathan Brown were next home in another great race from the 1300’s.

Important Fixture Changes

With National Hot Rods World Champion Derek Martin and Ninja Karts NI Points Champion Riley Dawson-Stirling both heading to South Africa to race in the coming weeks, we have had to make some changes to our fixture list to facilitate this.

National Hot Rods
The National Hot Rods will now not feature at the Tullyroan Oval meeting on Saturday 12th August, and they have now been added to the fixture on Saturday October 28th at the same venue.

Ninja Karts
The Ninja Karts 2023 Champion of Champions and Individual Achievement Award will now take place on Saturday October 7th at Tullyroan Oval, and not on October 28th as previously scheduled.
The Ninja Karts 2023 Irish Championship which was scheduled for October 7th, will now take place at Aghadowey Oval on 4th November.

Junior Productions
To facilitate the above changes, the Junior Productions have been added to the fixture on Saturday 12th August at Tullyroan Oval, and removed from the meeting at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday 4th November.

All the above information has now been changed and updated on our website fixture list. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Saturday Night Race Action at Tullyroan Oval

After a short mid-summer break, short oval racing on the DMC Race Promotions circuits resumes this Saturday night (July 15th) at Tullyroan Oval.

Heading the line up is the Ulster Championship for the Rookie Bangers, where the action is sure to come thick and fast from an expected 25+ car field. Garvagh's Stephen Boyd is the defending champion and he will be hoping for another top display. World Champion John Goligher from Limavady is another to watch out for amongst what will be chaos on track, whilst John's son Josh is another contender and is indeed a former Ulster Champion.

The open-wheeled Superstox will be contesting the second round of their NIOvalTV/Spedeworth TV Series. Irish Champion Steven Haugh from the Birches, Bangor's NI Points Champ Craig McConnell and recent form man Lee Davison will be the ones to watch, alongside Jamie McCann, Curtis Greer and Jordan Robinson to name a few. The racing from the Superstox is always entertaining and exciting.

The Stock Rods will see Mark Crawford back in action on home ground having just successfully defended his British Championship title at Ipswich Spedeweekend at the start of the month, and he will be keen to grab more silverware. Jonny Cardwell has also been on top form so far in 2023 and is sure to go close, as will World champion Colin McNiece, his brother Stevie and Irish Champion Dan Shannon. Making a visit north from Tipperary Raceway will be John Gray, Paddy O'Dwyer and Eogan Burke.

The 1300 Stock Cars will also provide some fantastic entertainment as the bumpers are put to good use, with the higher grids this season really bringing the formula to the forefront. Irish Open Champion Ivan Elliott and Irish Champion Jonathan Brown will be amongst the pacesetters as always, but stand well back as the sparks and concrete are sure to fly!

Completing the line up are the budget racers in the Thunder Rods as they contest the Tullyroan Challenge Cup. Sam Preston from Portadown was the winner last time out at Tullyroan and he will be keen for more glory. He will face stiff opposition from flying Ballymena duo of James Goldie and Daniel Rodgers, who are often the class of the field. Zach McCombe, Andrew McLean and Irish Champion Jason Darragh will be other challengers.

The first race leaves the grid at 6.30pm