Local involvement in Crossgar races

Crossgar has hosted racing since 1952 and had been famous for the Tommy Stewart Scramble before becoming the Billy Hutton Memorial in 2006.

This year along with the Knock Club’s Billy Hutton race we will be marking the 40th Anniversary of the Youth Motocross racing in Ulster.

Friday starts two days packed with action and nostalgia

At 5pm there will be Classic racing with all the noises of the bikes from days gone past.

After racing about 9pm there will a chat and picture show as part of the 40th Anniversary of youth motocross in a marquee adjacent to the track.

Guests will include former Motocross GP stars David Watson, Laurence Spence and Stephen Russell along with some of the people who were involved with the setting up of Youth Racing in 1973. It is hoped to attract Killyeagh’s former MXGP winner Alan Morrison along.

On the Saturday the club will be running the eighth Billy Hutton Memorial Scramble in memory of Mr Billy Hutton the land owner at Bell’s Hill, who passed away in December 2005.

The Hutton family have allowed the Knock Club to promote their Tommy Stewart Scramble at Bell’s Hill for sixty one years and makes Bell’s Hill the oldest running Motocross venue in Ireland.

This year’s event is again supported by Magee’s Bar in Crossgar. The Magee family have had a long association with the event and both Alan & Roger Magee were founding members of the NIJ youth motocross in 1973

Saturday’s scramble will be a fastest 40, the riders will qualify in graded timed practice starting at 9.30am.

The fastest top 40 riders going into group 1 and then the next 40 into group 2 and so on with three races per group. The first race will be 11am.

Along with the modern bikes there will be EVO racing class for bikes that are 10 years & older.

As part of the 40th Anniversary of Youth Motocross there will be parade laps during the lunch interval that will feature the former riders who all started racing motocross in the 70’s.

The track is situated on the main A7 Belfast to Downpatrick Road, two miles south of Crossgar,