Young Guns To The Fore At Aghadowey Speedweekend

A full weekend of British Championship oval racing in the sunshine at the Aghadowey Oval Speedweekend saw big wins for some talented young drivers. Seventeen-year-old Portadown driver Callum Doak took a sensational victory in the 2.0 Hot Rods British Championship, whilst the youngest driver in the Stock Rods field, Scotland’s 16-year-old David Philp Jnr Jnr, also claimed British Championship glory.
In the junior formula’s there were another two British titles up for grabs, with Norfolk’s Ralph Payne winning in the Ninja Karts for 6-11 year olds and Antrim teenager Leyton Hughes successfully defending his British title in the Junior Productions.
Portadown’s Adam Heatrick took a perfect hat-trick in the National Hot Rods on Sunday, whilst Josh Goligher from Limavady took a heat and final double in Saturday night’s 1600 Rookie Bangers.

2.0 Hot Rods
There was some excellent racing in the 2.0 Hot Rods British Championship qualifying heats, with defending champion Conor Hughes taking the opening heat win, followed up by victories for World Champion Adam Hylands and local Aghadowey racer Aaron Stewart.
On aggregate points the polesitter for the British final on Sunday was Callum Doak, all the more creditable in that he had completed a 44-mile charity run between Tullyroan Oval and Aghadowey Oval on Saturday before racing commenced – an absolutely unbelievable achievement. Callum then went on to control the British Championship title race, briefly losing the lead the Hylands before snatching it back in the heavy backmarking traffic. As Portadown teenager Doak celebrated his first ever major title win on what was an absolute dream weekend for him, Scotland’s Jason Secker and Hylands completed the podium places.
Ethan Dilly drove the race of his life to win the British Revenge race, before Secker claimed the NI Open ahead of Jordan Rochford and Doak.

Stock Rods
A cosmopolitan field of Stock Rods competed in their British Championship, with the heats falling to Cork’s Darragh O’Shea, Meath’s Declan O’Connor and Tipperary’s Eogan Burke. Two excellent heats had annexed pole spot for O’Connor, but in an explosive start to the British Championship final he lost out as Scotland’s Davy Philp Jnr Jnr powered ahead. The sixteen-year-old showed experience way beyond his years to take the win in superb style, heading home Harry Minish and Sam McNeice at the chequered flag.
Sunday saw Irish Masters heats shared by O’Connor and McNeice, before O’Connor dominated the final to take the title ahead of Scotland’s Robbie Armit and Minish. Junior Productions
The teenage stars in the Junior Productions contested their British title on Saturday night, with heat wins shared between Antrim’s defending champion Leyton Hughes, Scotland’s Callum Ritchie and Portadown’s Jack Morrison. Hughes then held top spot in the British title race from flag to flag to successfully defend his crown, despite huge pressure for the majority of the distance from Morrison and third placed Casey Cherry.
Sunday saw heats wins going to Cherry, Noah Teggart and Hughes, before Cherry led the Irish Open Championship with Morrison right on his case. With just three laps to go Morrison saw his opportunity and grabbed it with both hands, surging home to win from Cherry and Charlie Johnston.

Ninja Karts
It was a real festival of Ninja Karts racing with a huge field on hand for their British Championship. Saturday’s heats fell to Scottish duo of Alfie Shevill and Rory Wilson, and England’s Ralph Payne. Sunday’s British Championship final was a nail-biting affair from start to finish, and after a late caution period it was Payne who raced home to the title win after a great drive ahead of World Champion George Cooper from East Anglia and Portadown’s Jaxon Cairns.
Irish Champion Jack Murphy then won the British Revenge race, before an exciting Irish Open Championship also fell to Murphy ahead of Wilson and Shevill.

National Hot Rods
The elite National Hot Rods raced in the opening round of their 2027 World Series, and it was Adam Heatrick who took both heat wins in his Mazda. Shane Murray chased him home in heat one before Allen Cherry claimed runner up slot in heat two.
The final turned into the race of the weekend, with leader Heatrick fighting a rearguard battle against Murray before much of the rest of the field joined the scrap late on. Murray was great value as he got his nose ahead by the slenderest of margins in the closing stages, but Heatrick just held on when it mattered to complete his hat-trick in a blanket finish. Murray, World Champion Glenn Bell and Derek Martin chased him across the line.

1600 Rookie Bangers
The exciting Rookie Bangers added an extra dimension to Saturday’s proceedings. Alan Haugh snatched the heat one win on the last bend from Karl Smyth, before Josh Goligher took a very lively heat two. Goligher then grabbed the King of Aghadowey final too to complete a double for the night, ahead of Haugh and Steven Boyd.

Many thanks to our Speedweekend sponsors, Cherry Pipes & Scrapco

Added 20/07/2026