Mystic Meg?
Published: 10th July 2007
Author: Words by Stevie Mills Photo by still-mx.co.uk
More like Mystic Mills - and our man in Ireland is riding high this month after tipping Marty Barr for a top result at Desertmartin
'Expect to see Martin Barr put in his best performance to date at Desertmartin.' Oh, what words of wisdom I uttered last month! Yep, following my predictions in last month's Blarney the boy only goes and puts his Bike-it Dixon Racing Yamaha in pole position!
I can honestly say that the first MX2 moto at the British championship round at Porters Pit nearly brought tears of joy to my eyes. The partisan crowd went crazy, the single most exciting race we have had the pleasure of witnessing for quite a while. Podium GP regulars Searle and Swanepoel had no answer to Barr until the Larne man slid off, remounted and stormed back to a personal best second place. Ace!
Sadly mechanical issues second time out robbed Martin of at least a podium result in front of his growing army of home fans. But he still did them all proud...
GC was on form and 3-2 on the day kept his championship hopes alive. Gordon's second race was especially impressive coming off a ninth-place start following a near fatal collision with James Noble at the end of the start straight.
Wayne Garrett rode his Moto-One KTM to points in both MX2 races while young Luke Wilde scored 18th position in his very first British championship event. Sixth overall went to Wulfsport rider Shaun Simpson while team-mate Drew Goudy collected 25th for his efforts.
In the MX1 class Tommy Merton placed the Rainey Bro's Honda in the points in both races while Mike Sinton and Phil McLaughlin narrowly missed out on point-scoring finishes.
On the domestic championship front the Ulster Premier series is gathering momentum. Coming into the second half of the season it's Wayne Garrett who is the man on form with Tommy Merton trying hard to re-ignite his blistering early season race speed. Third and ready to pick up the challenge if the leading pair make a mistake is GOMX/Russell's rider Mike Sinton.
In the MX2 Ulster series Wayne is heading the points table from his new team-mate Graeme Irwin with that 'Wilde Boy' the only other rider to win a moto so far.
Rain stopped play at round four of the Irish national championship scheduled for Seaforde but a new date in late August will keep the six-round series on track. With five moto wins under his belt Wayne Garrett is starting to look like the champion elect although Tommy Merton is within one race of being back in contention. Merton's DNF at Dundalk handed his fellow Comber rider a cushion at the head of the championship table.
Southern Centre champ Brian O'Connell is having a fine start to his season and is running third after some strong rides. Brain has rekindled his passion for the sport, coming into this season with a level of fitness and determination not seen since 2005. A podium finish in the Irish national championship would be a just reward for such effort.
Gary Gibson aboard his Holeshot Motocross-supported Honda has been another surprise this year. Gary took a big off at the recent mid-week motocross run by the Temple Club at Leitrim. First reports are that Gary sustained rib damage - let's hope he is back on form for the new round four scheduled for Tandragee (if this rain ever quits)!
Flying 15-year-old Graeme Irwin leads the Moto-One challenge from Garrett in the MX2 series following Wayne's DNF. Luke Wilde is the man to split the Moto-One boys, the Donegal rider won his first Ulster MX2 race recently, passing Irwin and Garrett in the process. Third in the points table at present, Luke has the speed to win races and if consistent could be a late challenger for top honours in this class.
Well done Jimmy McFerran. The Castlewellan man continues to make big waves in the British mini bike champs. James rode to three straight wins at round two of the series aboard a Monstermoto Mk1.
Moneyglass Demesne is the venue for the GP of Northern Ireland which will take place on August 26. Home advantage will be limited to crowd support as no-one will have ever ridden this circuit before as it's being built especially for the GP and des Nations. I hope by this date the summer will have arrived as it's based on a hard-pack surface with many jumps and spectacular viewing vantage points.
Most of our domestic series riders will face a tough task to qualify although I am sure a few brave hearts will give it a go. Let's hope the sun is out and the crowds flock to see the greatest sport in the world!
See you at the races...