Riders flock to Bell’s Hill

Riders flock to Bell’s Hill

14 August 2013

THERE was a break from championship racing at the weekend for the Billy Hutton Memorial Scramble at Bell’s Hill.

The annual Crossgar race was hosted by the Knock Motorcycle and Car Club at Ireland’s oldest motocross track.

First to the line was the non-transponder class with local man Adam McKee leading the first two races from start to finish to take two wins.

In the Evo class Comber’s Michael Gibson was quickest off the line in race one, but by the end of the first lap fellow Comber rider Jason Garrett had moved into the lead, which he held to take the chequered flag and the win.

In the second race Garrett got the hole shot and won the race as Gibson, who was fourth in the first race, had to settle for fifth.

The third race for the Evo and non transponder classes was combined and Garrett took off close to the front of the pack. However, he had to wait until the fifth lap to take the lead which he held to the finish, followed home by Adam McKee in third and Michael Gibson in sixth.

The rest of the riders — Grades A, B and C — had taken part in timed qualifying and in the third group of qualifiers class Lisburn’s Davy McKee won the first two races. He didn’t start the third race, which was won by Adrian Sloss. Annacloy rider Matthew King took tenth, seventh and tenth, while Ballynahinch’s Stephen Maitland finished 11th, sixth and ninth positions.

In the second group of qualifiers another Lisburn rider, Ricky Portis, won the first two races, before finishing third in the last race, which was won by Comber’s Stephen Russell, who had finished seventh and second in the first two races.

Downpatrick’s Christopher Orr, grandson of Billy Hutton, enjoyed two second-placed finishes, but after stalling his bike at the start of race two he had to fight back through the pack to finish in tenth position. He was followed home by Leitrim rider William Herron, who had a day of mixed fortunes.

In the final group, for the fastest qualifiers, Newtownards man Tommy Merton started the day well by winning race one after the leader stalled his bike just before the last lap flag was put out.

Lisburn’s Richard Bird was second, but went on to win races two and three, with Merton taking the runners-up spot on both occasions.

Ballynahinch man Stephen Kelly earned a ninth and two sixth places, Annahilt’s Andrew McLarnin had two 16th positions and an 18th placed finish and top Grade C rider Alexander Ellison, from Crossgar, came home in 36th, 25th and 22nd positions.