'From the Horse's Mouth #3

For this edition of ‘From the Horse’s Mouth we revisit last weekends mega Carrickfergus 2-Day motocross on the hills of Knockagh Lodge. Here we get low-down  on how the weekend panned out for those involved via some essential first hand information. For the chapter and verse lets kick things off with the winner of the event itself…

Gordon Crockard (1^st Premier): “The weekend got off to a great start when I won the opening race on Friday. Pushing for a good start in the second race I ended up crashing in the first corner. It put me on the back foot and I had to work hard to find my way through the field. Although I finished second and missed out on the win it was the race I enjoyed most during the weekend. The track was perfect, I was riding well and could find lots of different lines. I think being able to do that during the weekend really helped me as the course cut up. Although I won the second moto on Saturday, it too was a difficult race. A rock popped open the lens in my googles and kept letting the dust in. At times it made it tough to see but I made the best of it. I knew I needed a good result in the final race to take the overall but when I got into second I stubbed my ankle in a rut and aggravated an old injury. The pain was almost that unbearable that I actually stopped, told myself to “man up” and carry on! Luckily on the last lap Robert threw it down the track and gifted me the win! Overall it was a great weekend, once again the club put on a superb event but it wasn’t easy with all the rocks coming through.”

you can rest when it's over...

Tommy Merton (2^nd Premier): “I seemed to struggle yesterday. I’m not sure what it was but I found it hard to get grip, the track was slick leaving it hard work. My 6^th and 7^th results left me with a lot of work to do if I wanted a good result. Today though things were much better, it was drier and the grip was good. It boosted my confidence and I felt like I could push for the win or at least get a lot closer to it! The shortened final race didn’t quite work in my favour, I’m not great at sprinting early on and need time to build into it, gather momentum and be strong at the end. But with today’s results I’m now second overall which I’m happy with. I enjoyed the track, it was proper old school! Sure it was stoney in places but that’s what motocross is all about sometimes!

Hamilton went for broke in the final moto

Robert Hamilton (3^rd Premier): “I sort of felt like I had a point to prove with myself leading into that last race! I crashed hard yesterday morning and scared myself a bit. I actually hurt my shoulder and have been nursing it, rubbing plenty of Deep Heat on it to keep it moving! Gordon was strong all weekend but with the shorter final race I felt like could have a chance if I got a start and push hard in the first few laps. It nearly worked too but Gordon’s experienced and was right with me at the end. I went for a different line around a back marker but it didn’t pay off. The back end stepped out and spat me off. That’s racing though and I’m pleased with how I rode, I think I put on a good show! Thanks to the club they put on a great event and although track cut pretty bad no one knew what it was going to be like until the ground cut up. Hopefully we’ll get more races like these in the future.”

Jim O’Neill (Premier): “It wasn’t easy this weekend that’s for sure. It was tough work on the 250f against the bigger bikes, they had a strong advantage on the hills. All the same I managed to get some good results, 8^th in the first race and then a 6^th in the final one. Once I got a good start I was able to get away with the leading pack and it made the difference. I know I’ve got the speed to run upfront, I just need to keep pushing on. I felt comfortable on the track even though it was rocky in place. I think doing some sprint enduros helped and I was more confident in dealing with the rocky patches when the course cut up.”

Michael Mahon (Premier): I struggled a lot this weekend with bad starts. In the first race today, I went down in the first corner. There was a lot of bumping, my handlebars got tagged and I ended up hitting the deck. I got away mid pack for the final race and managed to get into a good rhythm. I caught up to Jim O’Neill and we had a good battle for 5^th Once I got past I was able to open up a gap. I felt strong right until the end so it’s good to end a tough weekend on a positive note. I’m looking forward to the next few weekends with the International in Downpatrick next weekend followed by the Red Bull Pro National in Desertmartin the weekend after that. I’ve even got a lend of a two-stroke to race on which is cool. I’ve never rode one before but I’m sure I’ll figure it out… how hard can it be!!”

Niki Adair (Premier): “It’s finally great to be back on track having been away from racing for the last four years! The weekend went pretty good to be honest. I was aiming for a top 20 result which I did. I struggled a bit with fitness and by half distance my arms were pumping up but it got better as the day wore on. My starts were better than I thought they would be, though at times it was tough work on the uphills against the bigger bikes. I’d like to thank Scarlett DIY for giving me a shot at it again. I’m chuffed to bits with my result but I’m knackered now!”