ON an otherwise unassuming mild summer evening in Saintfield, there was an air of anticipation lingering; excitement and adrenaline hung heavy in the Drumlins.
Round two of the Brian Bell Memorial took place at the TempleMotorcycle Club’s MX Park at Laurelbank, and enthusiastic spectators arrived en masse, lining the track ready for the action.
There was a huge entry for the Temple Club’s second midweek motocross extravaganza with numerous riders lined up and signed up for an evening of incredible racing.
Familiar faces from across the province made an appearance, with many locally renowned and respected riders in the line-up. A return by Loughbrickland’s Meara brothers for round two and an appearance from 2023 Brian Bell Memorial Winner Tommy Merton, Larne rider Glenn McCormick meant the start gate was peppered with a roster of Ulster and
Irish championship title holders.
With practices complete, race one in the Evo class got underway with Glenn McCormick
battling with John Meara out of the start gate; ultimately, John took first place, Glenn second, and Jason Meara third.
Race two saw Jason Meara take Glenn on head-to-head, with Glenn succumbing to bike issues and Jason taking the win with Ben Kennedy in second place and Stephen Russell Motorcycles Rider David Russell in third.
The combined points left Jason Meara as the overall winner of the Evo Class across the two-round event.
The Twinshock Class saw William Burgess win both rounds on Wednesday evening. Steven
Beattie took second place in race one, and the accumulative points from both rounds meant
Steven Beattie was the overall winner, Chris Lappin a close overall second, and Burgess
third, with Carter Burns and Declan Murray putting up notable performances on the night.
In Class C, young Sam Logan won the first race, with Newry man Ciaran Connolly and Mark
Murphy chasing him down throughout. Race two again proved Sam Logan to be a
serious contender; his lead over second place Matthew Lindsay was significant, and Sam came in first place for a second time.
Overall, the points were held by Paddy McMullan, who won the class with Gavin McKee in second place and Sam Logan in third. Stuart Tweedie was at the head of the class C pack for much of the round two racing, and there was no doubt he was enjoying the midweek racing event organised by The Temple Club.
In Class B races on Wednesday night, it was Charlie Simpson who led race one to win over Kyle Montgomery leaving Jordan McMullan in third place. James Milligan took the
win in race two from Jordan McMullan, with Steven Quigley in third.
Ultimately, local
Saintfield rider Jordan McMullan, who had come in strong from round one, had enough
points in round two to win overall in the class. Kyle Montgomery a close second overall and
James Milligan a not-too-distant third.
Group A was a stronghold of well-known local names, and competition was always going to
be fierce. Lisburn’s Richard Bird meant business from the get-go, and there were plenty up
for the challenge.
It was Bird who took a well-deserved overall win in the Group A races across the two evenings, beating Seaforde´s Nathan Green by a fraction of a second in Wednesday’s Race one, with Jason Meara, Niall Cregan, and Glenn McCormick all within the same time bracket, only milliseconds separating them.
Race two saw Comber´s Tommy Merton move into third by lap two and hold this position, with Nathan Green and Richard Bird taking first and second, respectively. Nathan Green came in second overall and Jason Meara third.
The Brian Bell Memorial feature race was the last race of the evening, and it was
exhilarating. The cat and mouse back and forth between Jason Meara and Nathan Green had everyone cheering them on; Nathan won on this occasion.
Overtaking on tight bends and in midair, taking calculated risks, and pushing themselves on. Niall Cregan was in the mix and finished up third with Tommy Merton and Ryan Adair hot on their heels, and Richard Bird left trackside with a flat rear tyre.
The 2024 Brian Bell Memorial Race winner was Loughbrickland’s Jason Meara, with a hard earned win over Richard Bird who put up a fair fight. Ryan Adair came in a close third, James McAdoo came in fourth place and Nathan Green fifth.
John Bell presented Jason Meara with the Brian Bell Trophy on the night. Each year, the Temple Club looks forward to welcoming the Bell family to the races and are grateful for their ongoing support of the club, the sport and the local motocross community over the past 55 years.
Brian Bell Memorial Winner 2024 Jason Meara receives his trophy on the podium and the first place trophy in the Evo Group races.
John Meara leaving his competitors in his wake during the group races last week.
Local rider Ben Kennedy who came in second place during the Race 2 Evo class last week. Photos by Earl Boyd.
