Hughes Roars To Emotional Mervyn Emerson Memorial Victory

Delighted Antrim racer Conor Hughes was the big winner at Aghadowey Oval on Saturday night, September 26th, as he took victory in The Mervyn Emerson Memorial Trophy for 2.0 Hot Rods. The race is held annually in memory of Conor’s great friend, and he took what was an emotional win in some style. An exciting evening of short oval racing saw the other feature race wins fall to Cullybackey’s Keegan Turtle (Junior Productions), Ahoghill’s Karl Smyth (1600 Rookie Bangers), Nutts Corner based Josh McKinstry (1400 Stock Cars) and local Aghadowey driver Joshua McCahon (Thunder Rods).

2.0 Hot Rods
An ill-disciplined opening heat for the 2.0 Hot Rods saw Irish Champion Jordan Rochford take the win ahead of Callum Doak, the latter having gambled perfectly at a mid race restart. Heat two saw a clear and welcome win for Rob Barnett ahead of Adam Best and Conor Hughes.
The final was for the coveted Mervyn Emerson Memorial Trophy, and it was Hughes and Rochford who shared the front row of the grid on aggregate points from the heats. Hughes stamped his authority all over the race, quickly pulling clear to take the win in emphatic fashion ahead of Doak, Rochford and Barnett. It was obvious just how much the win meant to Conor, and it was an emotional podium as he received the stunning trophy from the Emerson family.

Junior Productions
The teenage aces in the Junior Productions delivered some of the best racing of the night, with Charlie Johnston continuing his recent form streak with the heat one win over Ryan Berry. Heat two saw Cullybackey’s Keegan Turtle bounce right back to form with a well deserved victory ahead of Berry and Leyton Hughes.
Turtle hit the front in the final but soon had Berry right on his case. The pair circulated side by side for many laps in a stunning race, with the closing pack joining in as the race progressed. A delighted Keegan just kept his nose in front to claim the DMC Gold Cup win after a fantastic encounter, with Johnston and Coalan Fegan completing the podium ahead of Ryan Abernethy. 1600 Rookie Bangers
A very healthy field of 1600 Rookie Bangers entertained in style all evening. An eventful opening heat went to Karl Smyth ahead of the Haugh brothers Alan and Steven. Heat two saw Aaron McGraw in the lead before Alan Haugh bundled past on the last lap for a great win over McGraw and his brother Steven.
The action didn’t stop in the final, with usual Superstox star Steven Haugh going ahead early on before a mid race stoppage for an issue with a retired car on the infield. At the restart Smyth saw his chance, and launched an assault on Haugh as the green flag dropped. Steven got spun out and collected by the pack, as Smyth powered clear to win in style. Alan Haugh, Steven Bolton and McGraw filled out the places.

1400 Stock Cars
The 1400 Stock Cars were competing in their final shakedown before the British Championship is staged at Aghadowey in two weeks’ time. Ballymena’s Jordan McFetridge led an action packed opening heat until he retired within sight of the flag. That opened the door for Josh McKinstry to take the win over Matthew Weir and Irish Champion William Taggart. Another busy heat two with plenty of action went the way of McFetridge, who this time went the full distance to win from McKinstry and Alexander McCreadie.
The final was action packed throughout, with McKinstry storming home to his second win of the night from Matthew Milliken, Curtis Greer and Fionn Donnelly.

Thunder Rods
The Thunder Rods once again arrived in big numbers, leading to some excellent racing. Joshua McCahon led the opening heat until Coleraine ace Mark McLaughlin slipped past in the closing stages for a popular win. Tom Archibald held sway out front in heat two before Lee McCloy this time came through for victory.
The final saw a great early battle between Archibald and McCahon for the lead, with McCahon finally settling into the premier spot. The local Aghadowey-based novice grader drove a very controlled race from there all the way home, holding off the advances of McLaughlin to take his first ever feature race win. James Goldie and Adam McKinney completed the top four.

Added 27/09/2026