By Stuart Campbell
THE Mourne Motorcycle Club held their annual evening of motocross racing at Millbridge, Ballynahinch, on Wednesday, June 19.
The grass track racing event was held to raise money for the Friends of the Cancer Centre and Dromore based charity Via Wings, with each class being offered three six lap races.
The first class on the line was the Clubman Green class with Bailliesmills man Eddie Hampton taking a hat-trick of wins.
Hampton’s closest competitors on the night were Dromore man David Flack (2,2 and 3) and Bryansford’s Aaron Shilliday who came home in second position in the final race.
The Clubman Blue class was next on the line with Dromore man Mark Wright winning the first two races ahead of Killinchy’s Paul McMinn.
In the final race McMinn led from the start, with Wright catching until he stalled on lap three and dropped back to fifth position.
After six laps, McMinn won comfortably, as Wright retook second place with a pass on the final corner.
Next up was the Clubman Yellow class with Killyleagh’s Dean Colhoun swapping the quad for two wheels.
In the first race Colhoun led off the line but had to settle for second, after Carryduff man Chris Boles passed him on lap three to take the win. Colhoun went on to take the chequered flag in races two and three, as Boyle had second and eighth placed finishes.
The Evo/Classics class was next out with Loughbrickland man John Meara and Glenoe rider Glenn McCormick battling for the honours. In race one Meara led from the start to win ahead of McCormick in second, before McCormick won race two and Meara came home in second after a poor start.
In the final race Meara took the honours again, as McCormick came home in second position.
The Quads class offered a difference from the solo racing with Lisburn’s Paul Edgar winning the first two races ahead of Newcastle man Mark Mulholland.
In the final race Dean Colhoun took the chequered flag in his only quad appearance of the night, ahead of Edgar in second and Mulholland in third position.
In the Grade B class there was another young rider from County Down leading the way as Brett Kelly earned two wins ahead of Moira’s Gareth Sloan and Cookstown man James McAdoo.
In the final race McAdoo was leading Kelly and Sloan, before Kelly and McAdoo came together in a corner on the fifth lap, leaving Sloan to take the win ahead of McAdoo in second and Kelly came home in fifth position.
The final racing came from the Grade A class with Seaforde’s Nathan Green taking the holeshot in race one, holding the lead until the hallway stage when he was passed by Glenn McCormick.
McCormick held on to take the win ahead of Comber man Tommy Merton in second and Green in third position.
Merton led race two from the start to take the win ahead of Green in third and McCormick in fourth position. In the final race McCormick won again, with Merton in second and Green coming home in third position.