Spectators injured during race meeting at Tandragee

Spectators injured during race meeting at Tandragee

MOTOCROSS racing was overshadowed at the second round of the Irish Championship on Saturday at Tandragee when a last lap accident left three spectators injured and ended the day’s racing early.

The chequered flag had already been waved for the race winner in the second Semi Experts MX1 race and as the rest of the riders were making their way to the finishing line, one rider lost control of his bike.

The rider fell off and his bike ran into fencing around the track, which hit the three spectators and left them injured. The three people needed hospital treatment after the accident, but the last man was discharged the day after the event.

Before the accident there had been nine races and in the Clubman MX1 class Jordan Blakely ran away with the honours taking two race wins. He was followed home by Temple man Aaron Jordan who took 11th and 9th place finishes and Ballynahinch’s Terry McCann who came home in 21st and 14th position.

In the Clubman MX2 class Downpatrick’s Alexander Ellison and Boardmills rider Chris Eccles carried on their fight for the championship lead.

Ellison led the first race until the last lap when Scott Bailey passed him to take the chequered flag, leaving Ellison to take second with Eccles in third.

Championship leader Ellison continued to take top points as he won race two, with Bailey in second, Eccles in third and Ballynahinch man Stephen Maitland took 12th and 11th place finishes in the two races.

Both races in the Semi Experts MX1 class were won by Ryan Glover, with Loughbrickland rider Clifford Bailey taking third and fifth place finishes and Downpatrick’s Danny Curran coming home in 13th and 26th positions.

In the Semi Expert MX2 class former schoolboy racer Luke Smith won both races, with Moira man Mark Dynes taking third and second place finishes.

The first Experts MX1 and MX2 class race was the only other race of the day, as they were waiting on the line for the start of their second race, when the day was called off.

With two laps of the race to go Comber’s Wayne Garrett was fighting Lisburn rider Richard Bird for the lead when he came off and was left to come in at the back of the pack.

Bird took the chequered flag, with Dubliner Stuart Edmonds in second, Ballygowan man Gary Gibson in third and Loughbrickland rider Jason Meara taking fourth.

The top MX2 rider, Lewis Tombs, finished in fifth overall to win his class, with Loughbrickland’s Jason Meara coming home in third place in the class.