All revved up for Brian Steenson annual motor event

All revved up for Brian Steenson annual motor event

30 August 2023

THE annual car and motorcycle cavalcade in Crossgar organised by the Brian Steenson Memorial Group takes place this Sunday.

Now in its fifth year, the event continues to grow in popularity with this year’s event supporting

the Marie Curie Hospice in Belfast.

Sunday’s event is scheduled to start at 3pm in Killyleagh Street, with the yard adjacent to the Corner Inn and the footpath in front of the building being used to park motorcycles and scooters, with cars assembling at Central Garage and in the forecourt opposite.

Owners of cars and motorcycles of any age will be welcome to attend and take part in this cavalcade to raise funds for the Hospice.

The £5 entry fee includes an exhibitor food ticket, while single food tickets can be bought for £5 with tea and sandwiches will be served between 1pm and 3pm in the Corner Inn lounge.

The star attraction this year will be a display of rally and competition cars, including the SOS Metro 6R4 Group B rally car owned by local rally enthusiasts Brian McKay and his son Gerard. 

This famous rally car won the British National Rally Championship in the mid eighties driven by Scottish rally legend David Gillanders and was painstakingly restored by the car SOS team.

A number of other famous cars will be on display on the day.

Organisers are also hoping that legendary road racer Ray McCullough will display his iconic race bikes at this year’s event. There will also be numerous other famous racing motorcycles on display.

Sunday’s event will also feature vehicles dating back to the roaring twenties, forties, fifties swinging sixties, seventies and eighties, right up to modern day classics, with Trevor Lindsay displaying photographs and memorabilia of Brian Steenson some of which have not been seen for years.

He will also have on show the Aermacchi motorcycle which Steenson rode in the 1968/1969 seasons to win the Irish championships. 

The Ronnie Donnan Memorial Cup will be awarded to the most interesting road motorcycle or scooter, with the J N Brown Memorial Cup awarded to the most interesting competition motorcycle. Cars are not be included as these are motorcycle memorial cups. 

The cavalcade begins from Killyleagh Street and makes its way to Killyleagh via the Derryboye Road and on to the Clea Lough Road and into Shrigley.

Vehicles then head into Killyleagh and travel along Castle Street and High Street before turning right into Catherine Street to head towards Downpatrick.

The cavalcade then makes it way over the Quoile bridge and along the Old Belfast Road before turning right at the roundabout to head out the Belfast Road and back into Crossgar.

The fundraising run is expected to take 30 minutes and is due in Shrigley and Killyleagh around 3.15pm, with organisers delighted that Roy Neill will again compere the event providing commentary between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.

Further information about the Marie Curie fundraiser is available by contacting Brian Steenson Memorial Group secretary Alan Lyons on 07999 954947 or email alan-lyons@hotmail.co.uk.