Fundraising drive in memory of TT victim Brian Steenson

4 September 2019

THE Brian Steenson Memorial Group is hosting a fundraising car and motorcycle cavalcade in Crossgar this Sunday.

Owners of cars and motorcycles of any age are welcome to attend the event which the memorial group is organising in conjunction with the Crossgar Community Association, with participants asked to meet from 1pm at Central Garages at Killyleagh Street.

Organisers are also delighted that Dromara road racing legend Ray McCullough will be attending the fundraiser and is delighted with the plans to remember Steenson.

Ray will be bringing along his QUB racing machines, a 250cc twin cylinder water cooled bike — which was also raced by Steenson — and a 500cc single cylinder QUB machine.

Rising this particular bike, McCullough enjoyed many victories, including seven Ulster Grand Prix victories to equal road racing greats such as Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood and Stanley Woods.

This Sunday, the cavalcade is due to move off at 3pm, with a yard adjacent to the Corner Inn and the wide footpath in front of the premises scheduled to be used to park motorbikes and scooters.

Also this Sunday, the Ronnie Donnan Memorial Cup will be awarded to the most interesting motorcycle or scooter.

The £5 entry fee includes and exhibitor food ticket, while single food tickets can also be bought for £5. Tea and sandwiches will be served at 2pm in the Corner Inn Lounge.

There will be a range of vehicles on display this Sunday dating from the roaring twenties, forties, fifties swinging sixties, seventies and eighties, right up to modern day classics.

Graham Ritchie will be displaying photographs and memorabilia of Steenson and Trevor Lindsay will have the Aermacchi machine which Steenson rode in the 1968 and 1969 seasons on display.

Earlier this year, the Brian Steenson Memorial Group outlined plans to create a new memorial to the popular motorcycle racer in Killyleagh and a wall mural in Crossgar.

Steenson (23) sadly lost his life on the Isle of Man in June 1970 while competing in the world famous TT races.

Local motorsport enthusiasts to have to have the proposed memorials in place next June which marks the 50th anniversary of his death.

Sunday’s car and motorcycle cavalcade will head to Killyleagh with the procession making its way along High Street, Shore Street, Shore Road and the Shanes Lough Road before beginning the return journey to Crossgar.

The memorial group is working hard to remember their motorcycle hero who died at the Nobles Hospital on the Isle of Man five days after his third lap crash crash competing on a Seeley 500cc machine in the Senior TT.

Sunday’s cavalcade is the latest fundraising event to raise the cash they require to make their dream of providing a new memorial and mural a reality.

For further information, contact the Brian Steenson Memorial Group secretary, Alan Lyons, telephone 07771 689871 or email alan-lyons@hotmail.co.uk.

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