Ipswich Spedeweekend Winners!

Congratulations to our big winners at the recent Ipswich Spedeweekend, and many thanks to all the drivers and fans who made the effort to represent us so well at Foxhall Stadium.

2023 National Hot Rods World Champion - 20 Derek Martin

2023 2.0 Hot Rods World Champion - 977 Jordan Rochford

2023 Stock Rods British Champion - 698 Mark Crawford

Spedeweekend Classic Hot Rods Final Winner - 128 Anthony Morgan

Emotional Victory For Davison at Tullyroan

A fantastic mid-summers evening of Stock Car racing thrilled the race fans at Tullyroan Oval on Saturday. There were emotional scenes as the feature event, the Neil Davison Memorial Cup for Superstox, was won by Neil’s brother Lee, whilst Coagh teenager Robbie Dallas took victory in The Moffett Shield for Junior Productions. The Tullyroan Challenge Cup for 2L National Bangers fell to Londonderry’s David Gurney, with other feature race wins going to Portadown’s Sam Preston in the Thunder Rods and Dundrod’s Willie Stewart in the 1300 Stock Cars.

From an excellent field of Superstox, it was former World Champion Lee Davison who took victory in the opening heat over David Beattie and Conor Murphy. Davison looked set to take heat two as well, only to hit trouble in the closing stages. That opened the way for Jamie McCann to take the win over Steven Haugh.
The Neil Davison Memorial Cup final set off at a tremendous pace, with Davison soon hitting the front once again. A mid-race caution period brought McCann onto his bumper, but Lee edged clear at the resumption to take an emotional victory, his second success in the three years of the event. A huge battle for second went right down to the last lap, with Craig McConnell taking the place ahead of Haugh and McCann as the latter spun across the line. The Best White/Yellow Grade award went to Murphy.

Lexi Crooks showed great pace to win the first heat for the Junior Productions, leading from flag to flag ahead of Robbie Dallas and Casey Cherry. Heat two saw another runaway win, this time for Brandon Litter as he cruised home ahead of Daniel Stewart and Lauren Berry. The young drivers really did impress during the heats with some great racing.
The Moffett Shield final was an action packed event, with Dallas stamping his authority on proceedings right from the off. Crooks was closing towards the finish, but Robbie had all under control to take his first ever race win. Stewart and Leyton Hughes filled out the top three, with Crooks having to settle for fourth and the top White/Yellow Grade award.

The entries continue to impress in the 1300 Stock Cars, which led to some fantastic action on track as the bumpers were exchanged lap after lap. Jonathan Brown worked his way to the front in a superb opening heat, only for Ivan Elliott to land a telling blow on the final bend to snatch a sensational win. Heat two saw Willie Stewart edge clear early on, and he romped home to a decisive win over Matthew Milliken and Craig Bodenham.
Stewart was again the man to watch in the feature race final, relegating initial leader Fionn Donnelly to race home to complete his double for the evening. James Crossett withstood a last bend hit from Ivan Elliott to hang onto second with Robbie Wright in fourth.

The Thunder Rods made another welcome appearance at Tullyroan, with the first heat seeing a great outside line run from David Wilson to take the win over Gary Freeburn. Freeburn then went one better in heat two, the Ballymena man holding on to take the flag ahead of Rab Preston and Wilson.
Freeburn led the final until Sam Preston nipped by, and despite heavy late pressure from James Goldie it was Sam who took home the silverware. Goldie, Daniel Rodgers and Wilson completed the top four.

A smaller than usual field of 2L National Bangers saw David Gurney win a tame Tullyroan Challenge Cup over Paul Compelli and Kieran McIvor. The support heats then fell to McIvor and Deano McGrath, with McGrath also taking the Destruction Derby win. McIvor picked up the Entertainer of the Meeting and Best Wreck Awards.

Cardwell, Carberry & McKinney Claim Aghadowey Title Victories

Glenavy’s Jonny Cardwell dominated the Stock Rod racing at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night, taking a heat and final brace of wins on his way to the William Cooke Memorial Trophy. England’s World Champion Mason Carberry won the Golden Helmet Award in the Ninja Karts, whilst Strabane driver James McKinney came home victorious in the Lightning Rods King of Aghadowey. Other feature race winners were Aughnacloy’s Kyle Beattie with a double in the Superstox and Kilrea’s Zack McCombe in the Thunder Rods.

The opening Stock Rods heat saw a clear win for Jonny Cardwell, with Sam McNeice and Stevie McNiece next home. The reversed grid heat two saw Mark Foster claim the win ahead of Mark Crawford and McNiece.
Cardwell and defending title holder McNiece shared the front row for the William Cooke Memorial Trophy final, with Jonny quickly building an advantage out front. As he romped home to the silverware, McNiece held on for second despite the advances of Crawford who took third from well down the grid.

A number of mainland visitors joined the local Ninja Kart stars for the Golden Helmet, with Hampshire’s Jack Jones claiming the opening heat win after William Hunn was disqualified for spinning a fellow competitor late in the race. Jack Murphy and Tommy Melrose filled the places. The second heat was every bit as fraught, and once again littered with caution period for crashes. Kori Curran held on for the win after a great drive, with Mason Carberry and Tommy Johnson taking the places.
Murphy qualified pole for the final, but World Champion Carberry quickly raced ahead. Scotsman Melrose was showing well in second, and despite putting pressure on the leader over the closing laps, it was Carberry who took the win over Melrose and Riley Dawson-Stirling. All the young drivers received drinks and crisps from the Moffett family, who also put up prizes for the top white/yellow grade driver in each race.

Tipperary Raceway based Keith Kirwan joined the locals for the King of Aghadowey in the Lightning Rods, with James McKinney just holding off Nigel Jackson and Dean Catherwood to take the opening heat win. British and Irish Champion Stuart Agnew then won the second qualifier, ahead of Mark Corry and World Champion Ricky Shaw.
McKinney stamped his authority all over the King of Aghadowey final, pulling well clear to record an emphatic win over Corry, Jackson and Agnew.

The opening Superstox heat ended up being decided by the Stewards, with first over the line Graham Meek being docked two places for jumping the start. That handed victory to Jordan Robinson ahead of Craig McConnell. From then on the night was all about World Champion Kyle Beattie, who would dominate both heat two and the final.
Heat two saw Beattie leave Conor Murphy and McConnell trailing in his wake, before another decisive drive in the final saw Kyle take his second victory of the evening over Robinson and Murphy.

The new car of Andrew McLean raced to victory in the opening Thunder Rods heat, with Adam Graham and Zack McCombe filling out the top three. Heat two saw Samuel Murphy race home to the win in his unique Vauxhall Cavalier, with McLean and Graham following him over the line.
Tom Archibald led the way early on in the final, but this time he had McCombe chasing him hard right from the off. Zack slipped ahead on lap seven, and rounded out the rest of the distance to take the trophy. Graham chased him hard all the way for second but just unable to mount a challenge, with McLean, James Goldie and Murphy next to finish.

Cherry On Top At Tullyroan Oval

Local Tullyroan 10-year-old Casey Cherry was the star of the Tullyroan Oval meeting last Saturday night, the young driver taking a hat-trick of wins in only his third ever race meeting to take home the coveted Golden Helmet Trophy for Junior Productions.
During the meeting there were Tullyroan Challenge Cup wins for Strabane’s James McKinney in the Lightning Rods and Chris Hamill from Gawley’s Gate in the 1300 Stock Cars. To complete the programme, both Londonderry’s Dean McFarland and Portglenone’s Lewis Hazlett claimed heat and final doubles in the 2.0 Hot Rods and Ninja Karts repectively.

Scottish drivers Koddi Wright and Maia Thompson joined the regulars for a 20 car field of Junior Productions for the Golden Helmet, presented each year by the McKeown family. Novice grader Casey Cherry, in only his third race meeting, showed some great speed to pull clear of the field from pole position to win heat one. Robbie Dallas and Brandon Litter filled out the top three in that one, before Cherry again dominated the second heat. This time it was Lexi Crooks and Daniel Stewart who completed the top three.
The final on aggregate points from the heats saw Cherry on pole position with Crooks alongside, and despite his lack of experience, Cherry was quickly able to settle into the lead. Dallas challenged early on but Casey was able to edge out an advantage that he kept all the way to the chequered flag to seal a fantastic hat-trick of wins. Casey received the stunning Golden Helmet Cup from the McKeown family, with Weir and Harry Minish completing the podium finishers ahead of Callum Doak and Dallas.

Three welcome Republic of Ireland visitors in Padraig Palmer, Pat O’Sullivan and Jamie Bowen boosted the Lightning Rod numbers for their Tullyroan Challenge Cup. European Champion Nigel Jackson was aiming for five Challenge Cups in as many years, and he got his title defence off to the best possible start with victory in heat one over James McKinney and Ross Houston. McKinney had looked very rapid in the opener, and he turned that speed into victory in heat two ahead of Gerry Rogers and Mark McCambridge.
Despite the best efforts of Jackson in the final, McKinney blasted away from pole position and wouldn’t be challenged all the way home for an emphatic win. Jackson, McCambridge, Houston and Mark Corry completed the top places.

An impressive 19 car field of 1300 Stock Car took to the Tullyroan grid, with superb action and bumperwork throughout the opening heat. Ulster & NI Points Champion Chris Hamill stormed through from the rear to take a great win over Tommy McCrory and David Wilson. Heat Two again saw action all around the raceway, with Fionn Donnelly hanging on for a very welcome win ahead of Ivan Elliott and Marcus Crossett.
With Hamill on pole spot for the final, his rivals were hoping to get a hit on him early on, but he was equal to the challenge and made the perfect getaway to edge clear out front. Chris wouldn’t be challenged all the way to the Tullyroan Challenge Cup win, with Brown a gallant runner up and Josh McKinstry getting the better of an entertaining scrap with Elliott for third.

A healthy field of 2.0 Hot Rods was bolstered by visitors Sean Maher and Brendan O’Connell. Dean McFarland set the pace in the opening heat, but he had no answer to flying former World title holder Wayne Woolsey. He swooped right around the outside to take the victory in some style over McFarland and Michael Rodgers. Heat two saw McFarland this time get the head down and pull well clear early on, winning from Rodgers and rapid Irish Champion Drew McKeown.
McFarland again settle into the early lead in the final, with Scott Cochrane this time doing the chasing having broken free from the star grade. Scott really had the hammer down as he reduced the deficit lap by lap. He would ultimately run out of time though, with McFarland completing a very polished heat and final double in great fashion. Behind runner up Cochrane, Allen Cherry impressed in his new car in third.

The Ninja Karts kids once again entertained with three great races. Kori Curran took a commanding win in the opening race, heading home Jack Murphy and Keegan Turtle. Ethan McQuillan led for much of heat two, only being relegated by a flying Lewis Hazlett with two laps to go.
The final again saw the impressive McQuillan out front again until he and Curran spun out of contention. The rapid Hazlett hit the front and he reeled off the remaining laps to seal his double for the evening in great style. Irish Champion Charlie Johnston was second ahead of NI Points Champ Riley-Dawson Stirling in third.

Big Banger Wins for Bolton and Holmes

A fantastic afternoon of Banger racing entertained the sun drenched crowds at Aghadowey Oval on Sunday. Ballymoney’s Steven Bolton successfully defended his Shamwreck title in the Unlimited National Bangers, whilst Birmingham visitor Joey Holmes Jnr took the win in the 1600 Rookie Bangers Irish Open Championship.
The support races saw feature race wins for Bangor’s Craig McConnell in the Superstox and Portglenone’s Clifford Gordon in the Thunder Rods, both drivers having earlier won a heat too.

First up for the Unlimited National Bangers was their main event, Shamwreck 2023. Leonard Dunn burst ahead early on in the race, before rear end damage saw him drop out of contention. That handed top spot to Kieran McIvor, but he couldn’t withstand the advances of defending champion Steven Bolton, as the former World Champion swept past to make it two in a row ahead of McIvor and Deano McGrath.
The Allcomers saw a great dice for the lead between Bolton and Gordy McKee for much of the distance, with the lead swapped on a number of occasions. Bolton just had the edge when it mattered most, taking the flag ahead of McKee and McGrath
The Dash for Cash race saw Dunn take the victory, after only just surviving clipping the stranded Jonathan Compelli car on the home straight. The meeting concluded with the James ‘The Cat’ Smith Memorial Destruction Derby which fell to Strabane’s Tony Gillespie in his limousine as the last car moving.

A fantastic entry of 1600 Rookie Bangers took to the track for their opening heat, with English star Joey Holmes Jnr moving past early leader Craig Bodenham to take a clear win over Gavin Gamble and Bodenham.
Heat two was the race of the day, with a titanic battle for the lead with a number of cars involved. Marc Morrell and Gamble had spells out front before Seven Boyd went ahead late on, only to be then spun aside by the others! Another English ace, Swindon’s Brad Wickson, sneaked ahead to take the win over Morrell and the recovered Boyd.
Heat winners Holmes and Wickson shared the front row for the Irish Open Championship final, with Holmes quickly edging clear amidst the chaos all around him. As the action continued right through the event, Holmes took the win in emphatic style ahead of Wickson and Boyd, with Phillip Farrell and Dylan Connolly rounding out the top five.
The Dash for Cash support race fell the way of Boyd ahead of Josh Goligher and William McFaul, before the Destruction Derby was won by Farrell after he finished off Chris Herron on the Brown Trout Bend.

Brian Lammey looked on course for his first ever win in the formula in the opening Superstox heat as he was well clear out front, but his victory hopes evaporated when a caution period was called for a stricken car in the second half of the race. That allowed the star men to pounce on the restart, NI Points Champion Craig McConnell taking the win over Neil Hyndman and Curtis Greer. Heat two again saw Lammey ahead, but this time David Beattie roared through for the win over Steven Haugh and Hyndman.
The final saw Beattie quickly hit the front, with Lee Davison charging him down until he hit trouble and retired. The opened the way for McConnell to mount a challenge for the lead, with Craig then going ahead with two laps to go and hanging on for the win. Beattie had to be content with second ahead of Haugh, Jordan Robinson and Davy Clarke.

Tom Archibald led the opening laps of the first Thunder Rods heat, before Clifford Gordon slipped past to take the win ahead of Sam Preston and Samuel Murphy. Heat two saw first over the line, Adam Graham, docked two places for contact which saw James Goldie elevated to the win with Gordon in second.
Gordon hit the front early on in the feature race final, and the Portglenone driver was not going to be headed as he romped home for his second final win in succession. Murphy was closing in second place, but never close enough to challenge. Archibald, Rab Preston and Norman Purdy were next home.

Big Tullyroan Oval Wins For Bell, Doak & Jones

Portadown driver Glenn Bell was crowned National Hot Rods Northern Ireland Champion at Tullyroan Oval on Sunday afternoon, the local star claiming the days feature race win and in the process taking the points win in the year long battle for Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. Fellow Portadown racer, teenager Callum Doak, scored a great win in the Junior Productions Tullyroan Challenge Cup whilst Hampshire visitor Kasey Jones took an emphatic victory in the National Ministox Irish Masters.
In the other feature races Richill driver Jake Barnett won the Ninja Kart final and Dundalk’s Gerry Rogers was a popular winner in the Lightning Rods.

National Hot Rods World, European and National Champion Robert McDonald from Scotland joined the local stars for the final round of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. Phillip McCloy, fresh from his wedding the previous day, led the opening heat until he hit engine problems, That handed the lead to Adam Hylands who took the flag ahead of Keith Martin and Derek McMillan. Heat two saw a fantastic race, with Keith Martin holding off the pack out front. Thomas Dilly just couldn’t find a way past, before John Christie stepped forward with a late race burst around the outside to take a superb win. Martin and Dilly were next home.
The final was lined up in season long points order for the finale to the World Series and the right to be crowned NI Champion. Bell got the jump from pole spot, and he edged clear of his nearest challenger Shane Murray. That was how they would finish, with Bell claiming the win and the title ahead of Murray, with Christie again excelling on the outside to take third ahead of Adam Maxwell and Ben McKee.

Three split heats were necessary for the Junior Productions Tullyroan Challenge Cup, with the locals joined by a healthy group of Scottish visitors. Ryan Berry led most of the way in heat one before getting outfoxed in backmarking traffic, leaving Joshua Murray to take the win ahead of Koddi Wright. Heat two saw Dylan Fegan just hold off Callum Doak at the flag, before heat three went to Jake Devlin ahead of Leyton Hughes and Andrew Russell.
The final paired Fegan and Wright on the front row, with Dylan taking up the lead before losing out to Devlin. Doak then went ahead as things got frantic into turn one, the young Portadown driver hanging on for the win over Daniel Stewart and Murray, after Fegan was docked two places in the final analysis.

The visiting National Ministox formula, which usually races the length and breadth of England, were the entertainment of the day for many. The opening heat fell to local girl Lexi Crooks who was guesting in a borrowed car, Lexi leading home Ollie Armstrong and Boden Murfin to the flag. Heat two saw a back straight rollover for Mason Whittle, as Kasey Jones took the win over Murfin and Freddie Rogers. The third heat again fell to Jones, the defending Irish Masters champion taking the win in an action packed race ahead of Freddie Hunter-Johnson and Luke Syrett-Barsby.
The Irish Masters final again saw Jones stamp his authority on the event, Kasey romping home to victory over Toby Partridge and Syrett-Barsby after a fantastic race meeting from the young stars of the future.

The Lightning Rods saw a debut for the stunning new BMW of Ross Houston, as European Champion Nigel Jackson raced home to the opening heat win over Gerry Rogers and James McKinney. McKinney then improved in heat two to take the win over World Champion Ricky Shaw and Jackson.
The final saw Rogers build a commanding lead early on, and despite the best efforts of Shaw once he had broken clear of the pack, Gerry held on for his first ever feature race win - and a very popular one at that! Shaw, McKinney and Stuart Agnew filled the places.

The 20-car Ninja Kart field included welcome Scottish visitors Katie-Lee Smart and Abigail Chalmers, but it was Kori Curran who raced clear to take a fantastic heat one win over Jaxon Cairns and Jake Barnett. Heat two saw Lewis Hazlett race home to the win over Jack Murphy and Keegan Turtle.
Ethan McQuillan led early in the final before Hazlett took over out front, and Lewis looked all set for his maiden feature race win. That was until the very last lap, when a number of the field slowed anticipating a yellow flag caution period that never came. In the confusion Barnett nipped ahead on the run to the line to take the win, with Murphy, Turtle and then Hazlett filling the premier places.

Successful Defence For Hughes & Murfin Wins Sensational Irish Title

Antrim’s Leyton Hughes and England’s Boden Murfin were the big winners at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night, when the young drivers took centre stage. Hughes was victorious in the Junior Productions Irish Open Championship, whilst a sensational National Ministox Irish Championship fell the way of Mufin after a titanic struggle.
Other feature race wins on the evening fell to Bleary’s Drew McKeown (2.0 Hot Rods), Larne’s Samuel Wilson (Stock Rods) and Portglenone’s Clifford Gordon (Thunder Rods).

A very healthy field of almost 30 Junior Productions, including a number of Scottish visitors, arrived for their Irish Open Championship. Callum Doak was first across the line in an incident-strewn opening heat, but in the final analysis he was excluded from the result for his part in a race stoppage. That handed victory to defending champion Leyton Hughes over Harry Minish.
Jake Devlin overcame early leader Andrew Hawe to win the second heat, with Minish again showing his consistency in second. Heat three went to Matthew Weir after he slipped past early pacesetter Dylan Fegan who had to be content with second.
The tension was at fever pitch before the Irish Open Final, with Hughes getting the jump on Minish at the start to move ahead. Hughes again settled into the lead after a mid-race caution period, and despite the best efforts of Minish it was Hughes who raced home to successfully defend his Irish Open Championship title. Minish, Daniel Stewart and Devlin completed the top four.

The stunning National Ministox arrived from England for their annual visit, and they once again thrilled the local fans with some outstanding racing. There was a great battle out front in the opening heat, before Luke Syrett-Barsby broke clear to take the victory over Kasey Jones.
That same lead pairing again fought out the win in the second heat, with this time Jones coming back hard to take the chequered flag ahead of Syrett-Barsby. Heat three saw Syrett-Barsby again in victory lane, after he demoted early pacesetter Ollie Armstrong.

The Irish Championship final saw the superb cars look very impressive under the floodlights. What followed was a simply sensational event, with a three way dice for much of the distance between Syrett-Barsby, Jones and Boden Murfin. They swapped the lead lap after lap, and sometime twice and three times a lap as they entertained the crowds. The sparks were flying as they thundered off the wall bend after bend, but it was Murfin who snatched the win in tremendous fashion, just ahead of Syrett-Barsby and Jones.

The 2.0 Hot Rods saw a debut for the new Allen Cherry Vauxhall, alongside a return for veteran campaigner Davy Potter. Dean McFarland took a clear win in the opening heat ahead of Scotland’s Frankie Cunningham, before Adam Best came home to the flag in a superb heat two ahead of Adam Heatrick and Denver Grattan. The NI Points Championship title was also up for decision, but unfortunately a retirement in this one for Drew McKeown meant the title went the way of defending champ Jordan Rochford.
McKeown was out to make amends in the final though, surging through the field to take the win in emphatic style ahead of McFarland and Rochford.

An incident packed opening Stock Rod race went to Stevie McNiece, after on-the-road winner Declan O’Connor was excluded for an incident early in the race that led to the demise of Joe Largey. Victor McAfee and Jonny Cardwell filled the top three. Heat two saw a fine win for Mark Overend, the Portadown driver staving off a hardy challenge from stalwart McAfee, with Victor having to settle for his second runner up spot of the evening.
Samuel Wilson quickly worked his way ahead in the final, holding off the pack before they were brought up short by an engine failure in the pack which coated the track in oil. At the resumption Wilson managed to hold them all off right to the flag, taking a very welcome and deserved win over Sam McNeice and Stevie McNiece.

Completing the programme were the competitive Thunder Rods division, with Adam Graham taking the opener over Clifford Gordon and Sam Preston. Heat two then saw a great outside line drive from long-time campaigner Graham Young to net the win, over Graham and Curtis Greer.
The final saw Gordon relegate Chris McNeill early on to hit the front, and Clifford even survived a mid race stoppage to hold on out front all the way to the chequered flag. It was just reward for all his hard work to repair his car after a big crash at the previous meeting. Graham, David Wilson and McNeill completed the top places.

Maxwell To The Fore At Tullyroan Oval

The conditions turned very wet during the second half of Saturday evening’s race meeting at Tullyroan Oval, with Crumlin’s Adam Maxwell turning on the style to win the feature race for the elite National Hot Rod. Aughnacloy’s World Champion Kyle Beattie won the Superstox Tullyroan Challenge Cup after another storming drive, with the other feature race winners being Armagh’s Mark Foster in the Stock Rods, Magheralin’s Stuart Agnew in the Lightning Rods and Monaghan’s Phillip Farrell in the Micro Bangers.

The opening heat for the National Hot Rods saw a deserved win for veteran Keith Martin, the former World Champion holding off Thomas Dilly and Mark Heatrick at the flag. In the damp in heat two, Philip McCloy celebrated a welcome win, just a week before his wedding. Martin and Derek McMillan filled the places.
The track was awash come final time, Round 13 of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. Heat winners Martin and McCloy squabbled over the lead early on, but neither had any resistance to offer to the flying Adam Maxwell. Adam’s pace in the wet was on another level to the rest, and he raced home to a very well deserved final win after a dominant drive. John Christie, Derek McMillan and Glenn Bell were next home, but all some way behind the winner.

The Superstox produced fantastic entertainment all evening, with novice grader Gerard Hartley hanging on for the opening heat win over Conor Murphy and Craig McConnell. Heat two fell to an impressive David McMenemy ahead of Steven Haugh, with Curtis Greer snatching third after a fantastic four way scrap.
The Tullyroan Challenge Cup final was the race of the night by some distance, with Haugh, Jordan Robinson, Kyle Beattie and McConnell trading blows and places throughout. In the wet conditions this was good, old-fashioned Stock Car racing with no quarter given, and certainly none expected! When the others tripped over a backmarker and lost time, Beattie was able to break clear to take the win and the trophy in emphatic style - all after starting the final at the back of the grid after not finishing either heat. Second went to McConnell ahead of Robinson and Haugh.

Mark Foster stamped his authority all over the opening Stock Rods heat, winning by a distance over Dan Shannon and Declan O’Connor after Mark Crawford was demoted from second for contact. Mark Overend then took a rare but very welcome win in heat two, as he drove an excellent race to hold off a whole posse of chasers. Foster and Stevie McNiece filled the places at the chequers.
Foster hit the front on lap four of the final, and he would never be headed as he stormed home to complete his double for the evening and earn a grading rise for the next meeting. Sam McNeice, Samuel Wilson and Crawford filled the premier positions at the flag.

The Lightning Rods opening heat saw another welcome win for Gerry Rogers, who had only tasted victory for the first ever time at the last meeting! James McKinney chased him home in that one, before James went on to record the victory in heat two over Rogers and World Champion Ricky Shaw. Nigel Jackson had edged ahead in this one, only to be sidelined with a gearbox fault.
Recent newcomer Ian Hobson impressed out front early in the final before Mark McCambridge powered clear. But British and Irish Champion Stuart Agnew was on a mission, Stuart sliding ahead with just three laps to go to claim the win. McCambridge, McKinney and Shaw rounded out the places.

A smaller than expected entry of Micro Bangers still put on a show, with Monaghan’s Phillip Farrell surging clear to win a tame ‘Micro Madness’ final ahead of Jay Gurney and Aaron Clarke. Gurney then went on to win the first Allcomers over Jonny Murdock, before that same duo claimed similar places in Allcomers 2.
The Destruction Derby completed the night, with Murdock getting the win after a great battle with Gurney and Josh Anderson. Murdock also claimed the Entertainer of the Day award whilst Gurney claimed Best Wreck.
Photos by John Wolsey

Practice Night - Aghadowey Oval Friday 26th May

There will be a practice night at Aghadowey Oval on Friday 26th May from 6pm-9pm.

All formulas are welcome.

Cost per car is £40.

Spectators are welcome to attend free of charge.

Big Wins For Martin and McNiece at Aghadowey

The annual pre-NW200 oval racing meeting at Aghadowey Oval took place on Friday night May 12th, with some great racing across all four formulas on show. Dungannon’s Derek Martin scooped the National Hot Rods final, with Enniskillen’s Stevie McNiece successfully defending his King of Aghadowey title in the Stock Rods. Kilrea’s Zack McCombe was the winner in the exciting Thunder Rods, whilst there was a first ever final win in the Junior Productions for Portadown’s Brandon Litter.

Local Aghadowey racer Richard Stewart was the star man in the National Hot Rod heats, taking the opener in style ahead of Philip McCloy and Gary Woolsey. Heat two saw Richard again take the chequered flag, this time ahead of Andrew Stewart with Nigel McCauley getting the best of a great scrap for third.
Richard Stewart again led the final early on, the twelfth round of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI. He wasn’t getting everything his own way this time though, as McCloy, Thomas Dilly, Derek Martin and Shane Murray joined in for a great 5-car dice for the lead. Stewart thwarted the efforts of McCloy and Dilly, but it was Martin who swooped around the outside to take the win ahead of Murray, Dilly, Stewart and McCloy.

Defending King of Aghadowey Stevie McNiece got his night off to the best possible start by taking the heat one win over Dan Shannon and Victor McAfee, before controversy and drama clouded heat two. Samuel Wilson was spun out early on with Mark Crawford collecting his stricken car. Mark Foster raced home to the win, but after video evidence was viewed he was deemed the cause of Wilson’s spin and was disqualified. That handed the win to Kells driver Adam Sloan over Sam McNeice and Stevie McNiece.
Stevie McNiece led Irish Champion Shannon and Sam McNeice early in the final, before a huge engine blow up and fire on Sloan’s car brought proceedings to a halt. At the resumption there was no stopping Stevie on his march to the title, as he duly took the win over Sam McNeice who managed to slip past Shannon late on for second.

Another excellent entry of teenage Junior Productions stars saw a first ever win in the opening heat for Lacy Bevan, who raced home ahead of Ryan Berry and Daniel Stewart after a great race. Heat two saw Stewart take the win this time with a commanding drive. Harry Minish and Berry finished second and third on the road, but were demoted for incidents during the race. That elevated Matthew Weir and Joshua Murray to the podium places.
Brandon Litter was first to show in the final, but he had Robbie Dallas chasing him down. Just as Robbie was about to mount a challenge for the lead he was unfortunately baulked by a backmarker, with the breathing space allowing Litter to calmly bring it home for his first ever feature race win after a great drive. Dallas, Minish and Berry filled the top places at the end of a fine night of action from the stars of the future.

Once again the Thunder Rods entry topped 20 cars, with Clifford Gordon taking a flag to flag win in the first heat over Zack McCombe and Tom Archibald. Heat two saw Graham Young ahead until the half way mark, before McCombe took over to win despite the close attentions of Andrew McLean.
The final was marred by a huge early crash which eliminated a number of the front runners and left Gordon, McLean and Josh Goligher amongst others with heavy damage. On the restart McCombe quickly hit the front, and he was never headed as he completed his double for the night to earn and upgrade for the next meeting. Curtis Greer, Daniel Rodgers, Adam Graham and Young were the next drivers home.

Tullyroan Challenge Cup Wins for Hughes & Jones

Antrim driver Conor Hughes and Hampshire youngster Jack Jones were both Tullyroan Challenge Cup winners at Sunday’s Tullyroan Oval race meeting, in the 2,0 Hot Rods and Ninja Karts respectively. Other feature race wins at the Coronation weekend meeting were Aghalee’s Chris Hamill (1300 Stock Cars), Birches driver Steven Haugh (Superstox) and Portadown star (Lightning Rods).

Denver Grattan was victorious in the opening qualifying heat of the 2.0 Hot Rods, the Banbridge driver showing excellent pace to lead home Conor Hughes and Ryan McCrory. With the grid reversed for heat two, it was World Champion Jordan Rochford who took the win, but only after first over the line Allen Cherry was docked 2 places for an over robust defence of his lead spot.
Consistency across the heats saw Drew McKeown and Hughes share the front row for the Tullyroan Challenge Cup final, and it was Hughes who got the jump when the green flag dropped. As Conor controlled the race to take a clear win, Grattan nipped past McKeown to take the runner up spot ahead of McKeown, Adam Best and Rochford.

A number of visiting Ninja Kart drivers joined the locals for their Tullyoan Challenge Cup, with Jaxon Cairns and Kori Curran having spells at the head of heat one. England’s Jack Jones surged into the lead late on to take the win over Curran and Keegan Turtle. There was late drama in heat two, with another English driver, Mason Carberry, taking the victory over Curran and Scotland’s Katie-Lee Smart.
The final turned out to be a cracker, with the destination of the trophy boiling down to a frantic last lap between a whole host of the top runners. As they came to the final bend they were confronted with a recovering backmarker. Some went inside, some outside, and there was a superb drag race to the line. Hampshire lad Jones just got the verdict by 0.06 of a second, ahead of Carberry, Riley Dawson-Stirling and Charlie Weston at the end of a superb day of racing from the primary school kids.

Some of the best racing of the day came from the all-action 1300 Stock Cars, with Michael Logan taking his aged Toyota Starlet to the heat one win ahead of Ryan Stewart and Chris Hamill. In heat two Hamill blew an engine late on, coating the track in oil and causing a multiple car shunt which saw Fionn Donnelly rolling onto his roof. At the resumption, Stewart took the win over Irish Champion Jonathan Brown and Josh McKinstry.
The final saw Hamill make the grid after a frantic engine change from his team. An action packed affair saw the bumpers being put to good use, and sensationally it was Hamill who made all the hard work worthwhile by charging through to take the victory and the silverware. Ivan Elliott and Matthew Milliken filled the podium places.

Top Scottish ace Dean Johnston joined the local drivers on the Superstox grid, as Gerard Hartley led the opening heat before being demoted late on by Curtis Greer. Curtis unfortunately was later docked a number of places for starting in the wrong grid position, which handed the win to Craig McConnell over Hartley and World title holder Kyle Beattie. Heat two saw Dungannon’s David McMenemy take the win over Jordan Robinson and McConnell.
The final saw Conor Murphy build a healthy lead early on, but he soon had the leading star men hunting him down. First to show was Irish Champion Steven Haugh, who burst through to take the win in some style over Murphy, McConnell and Johnston.

Strabane’s James McKinney took the opening Lightning Rods heat ahead of Nigel Jackson and Mark McCambridge, before Gerry Rogers held on for the heat two win. A delighted Gerry enjoyed his lap of honour for what was his first ever win, having been a stalwart of the formula for many years.
Rogers again went ahead in the final, being challenged initially by McCambridge. Mark went ahead with Dean Catherwood in tow, before Jackson produced one of his expert outside line runs to surge alongside and past to the lead. Nigel rounded out the distance to take his fourth feature race win (including a European Championship triumph at Tipperary) in as many weeks. McCambridge and Mark Corry filled out the top three.

Completing the programme were a trio of demo runs from Anthony Morgan's Classic Hot Rod and the National Hot Rods of Derek McMillan and Sean Dynes.

Dramatic Bank Holiday Racing at Aghadowey Oval!

A dramatic Bank Holiday Monday at Aghadowey Oval served up a great mix of fantastic racing and spectacular spills! Portadown star Glenn Bell won the feature event in the National Hot Rods, with Limavady's Stephen Goligher lifting the Rookie Bangers King of Aghadowey after an exciting final. Young Kilmore lad Ryan Berry took the honours in a fantastic Young Trophy for Junior Productions, with the other feature race wins falling to Glenavy's Joe Largey (Stock Rods) and Strabane's Adam McKinney (Thunder Rods).

Richard Stewart and Philip McCloy both had spells out front in the opening National Hot Rod heat, before Derek McMillan worked his way past both to take the win over Thomas Dilly and Shane Murray. The second heat saw a fantastic win for Richard Stewart, as he just held off McMillan, Dilly and Glenn Bell in a very close finish.
Stewart again led the final, Round 11 of Simpson Race Exhausts World Series NI, staving off the initial advances of McMillan on the outside line. As Derek dropped back, Murray took up the challenge and circulated side by side with Stewart for many laps. When the duo ran wide, and opportunistic Bell quickly filled the gap to nip past both and race home to the victory, with Derek Martin and Murray filling out the places.

The Rookie Bangers put on some excellent entertainment for the holiday crowd, with Garvagh's William McFaul the winner of the opening heat despite a last bend lunge from Josh Goligher. Stephen Boyd led heat two amongst numerous spins and skirmishes, only for Stephen Goligher to nip past on the last lap to take the win.
The King of Aghadowey final was another great race with action galore, with Stephen Goligher again taking the win over his nephew Lucas Goligher, with Marc Morrell taking third.

A record domestic entry of Junior Productions was bolstered by visiting Scots Baillie Glencross and Koddi Wright as they contested The Young Trophy, presented for many years now by the Young and Hosie families. Lexi Crooks took the opening heat win, holding off Ryan Berry at the finish ahead of Brandon Litter. Andrew Hawe led the opening laps of the second heat before Berry continued his good day at the office by slipping past to take the win over Callum Doak and Joshua Murray.
Berry led the way in The Young Trophy final, holding off the advances of the impressive Doak right from the off. There was then a lengthy stoppage after a horrendous crash between Crooks and Lauren Berry. Thankfully both were eventually able to walk from their cars, with Ryan Berry competing the distance to take the win in style over Doak. After a number of penalties were imposed Andrew Russell got third, with Lacey Bevan taking the best white/yellow grade finisher award.

The opening Stock Rod heat fell to Mark Foster, who took a clear win over a huge second place battle that went the way of Ethan Dilly over Victor McAfee. Liam Irwin and Dilly both had spells out front in heat two before Adam Sloan surged ahead for a clear win over Dilly and Declan O'Connor.
The final will long be remembered for a huge accident on the Brown Trout Bend, as Dilly clashed wheels with O'Connor and was sent vaulting headlong into the retaining wall. After a long delay while Ethan was carefully extricated from his car, Joe Largey went on to take the win over Sloan and Stevie McNiece.

The Thunder Rods started in spectacular style with Sam Watt rolling over early on in heat one. At the resumption of racing Gary Freeburn battled with Christopher McNeill and Simon McLaughlin, with McNeill taking the win. Heat two saw McLaughlin get his hands on the chequered flag after relegating Freeburn from the lead.
Freeburn again led the final, before Adam McKinney swept ahead to take the win and the silverware ahead of Jordan Nicholl and McLaughlin.

Photos by John Wolsey