THE Mourne Motocross Club held their latest charitable motocross event at Millbridge, Ballynahinch, on Wednesday, June 21.
This was the Mourne club’s 13th fundraising event and this year it was held to raise money for The Jenny Foundation, along with the Newry and Banbridge branches of St John Ambulance. The event attracted 148 competitors who were divided into three Grade C classes, two quad classes, an Evo class and a combined Grade A and B class.
Each class was given two six lap races, followed by a third race of five laps. The Grade C yellow class was first out with Saintfield quad rider Dean Colhoun out on a solo machine. Colhoun led all three races from the start to take three wins as Kilkeel man Darren Haugh finished second in the class with a fourth and two seconds, as a third and two fourths earned Sam Hamilton a third place finish overall.
In the Grade C green class Ballynahinch man Scott Rourke took first and second places in the first two races, ahead of Samuel Morrow in third and first. In the final race, Morrow led from the first lap, before Rourke caught and passed him with one lap to go. Rourke won the race, taking the overall ahead of Morrow in second and Belfast man John Allen finished third overall with a ninth and two fourths. Lurgan’s Gareth Knox led the way in the Grade C blue class, taking three wins ahead of Ballymena’s Ian Mairs, with third, second and fifth, as Saintfield man Jordan McMullan took third overall with second, sixth and third places.
The Quad Grade C race was next with Dromore men Simon and Matthew Clingan taking first and second overall. Simon Clingan took the overall honours with two race wins and a fourth, with two thirds and a second earning Matthew second place finish overall. Rathfriland’s Nathan Magowan finished third overall, despite not finishing race one, with fourth and first places in races two and three. Seaforde man Nathan Green led off the line in all three Evo class races, but accidents ended his first two races, before he finished with second place in race three. John Meara, from Loughbrickland, won the overall with three race wins, ahead of his brother Jason who finished second overall with three thirds and Lisburn man Trevor Cubitt taking third overall after a second and two fourths.
The Grade A and B Quad class was next with Banbridge man Dean Dillon taking the honours with two race wins and a second. Saintfield’s Dean Colhoun finished second and sixth, before winning race three and taking third overall, with Mitchel Adams taking third overall with fifth, second and fourth places.
The final race on the line was the Grade A and B solo class with two County Down men fighting for the honours. In the first race Ards man Tommy Merton took the holeshot and led until a mistake with two laps to go dropped him back to finish in third position, as the race was won by Loughbrickland’s John Meara.
Merton led the next two races from start to finish, taking two wins and the overall, as John Meara finished second in both races and overall, with his brother Jason Meara taking third overall with sixth, fourth and fifth place finishes.