Locals enjoy success at Tandragee

And with the Club festooning the circuit with banners, and a hospitality marquee, there was a sense of occasion on the day, which the racing certainly lived up to.

In the Norman Watt Premier MX1 Classdefending Champion Richard Bird was unable to defend his title as he has broken his scaphoid and was absent from the race, his third place has now been overhauled by Jason Garrett on his AJ Plumbing KTM, with team mate Dromore man Davy Gorman fifth. Second on the day was Tommy Merton on his No Fear Watt Kawasaki, showing a return to form at the fast Tandragee circuit.

In the Nutt Travel MX2 Premier class, another injured rider, John Meara had a clean sweep of wins on the TMC Honda to take the top slot going into the last round, the Loughbrickland teenager carrying a dislocated shoulder sustained at the MAXXIS British Championship at Desertmartin last month,

Championship rivals and near neighbours Michael McCammond from Larne on his JAR Honda, and Glenoes Glenn McCormick on his Agnew Recovery Watt Kawasaki followed John home to round out the podium. This leaves the Championship table looking like a fight between Meara, McCormick and Jim O’Neill from Wexford at next week’s decider.

In the Core Drilling Semi Expert MX2 Class, the best racing all day was between the two Coupe de 85 team mates from Belgium last year, Loughbrickland’s Jason Meara on the TMC Honda, and Stuart Fee on the Fee Engineering 125 KTM, with Meara winning the battle of the 15 year olds with two wins and a second, the power of the four stroke maybe too much round the fast Tandragee circuit.

In the Championship, the fight remains between Jordan McClelland, Fee and Connor Campbell from Larne, all three teenagers fighting tooth and nail all season.