So here we are with a another year done and dusted. The 2011 G&G Ross Irish Motocross Championship is in the bag. Every year we say this was probably the best yet and to an extent this year probably was! Every championship went right down to the wire bar one. Andy McKee was the only guy to wrap up his title, Clubman MX2 with a round to spare. The Clubman MX1 was a do or die effort that was won in the final moments as Martin Portis triumphed over Chris Lappin. The Grade A MX2 was a nail biter if ever there was one. All podium positions were unsettled until the final chequred flag waved and that honour went to VMX KTM’s Michael Mahon, though rookie upstart John Meara pushed him every step of the way. Is Meara a threat for next years title? A definite yes… hell maybe even the overall if he continues to pull results like Gormanstown out of the bag. But the biggest honour of all fell to reigning champ Mr Tommy ‘Moto’ Merton when he successfully retained the Irish MX1 championship. He didn’t have it easy, it was a dog fight right to the end but then since when does the road to glory ever come easy. We salute you Tommy and everyone that took to the start line to put on a show. So that’s a wrap for this year, we hope you like what you’ve read and maybe we’ll all be able to come back and do it all over again next year. Take it away champions…
Tommy Merton (Irish MX1 Champion): “Phew… Man to come away with this championship has been a fantastic end to the season. You know I came here as defending champion and that adds extra pressure on you not to lose it, but all year we’ve been strong and we’ve been consistent. That’s how you win championships. We over came our bad day’s and never gave up fighting. Today was the icing on the cake. I knew what I had to do, I had an 18-point advantage over Richard so I just rode to protect that. Then when he crashed on the first corner it gave me the break I needed so I rode for the win. I hoped that might seal the deal right there but credit to Richard he’s pushed me hard and took it right down to the final race. I can’t thank everyone enough who’s helped me win this. Our team is like a little family and we all work hard together. Thanks to Ricky and Norman at Watt Motorcycles, Phil at No Fear, Phil at PMP Suspension, both my mechanics that put every effort they’ve got into this, Big Noel, my girlfriend and family for their support. It’s been fantastic!”
Michael Mahon (Irish MX2 Champion): “This win has been fantastic. Winning the championship as been a massive weight lifted off my shoulders! I was sort of stressed out coming into today but I just tried to keep focus on my own thing and bring it home. John Meara really stepped it up towards the end of the championship but I’d built enough of an advantage early on to hold for the win. To be an Irish champion is something I’ve worked towards for a long time and now my name is in the record books! My team behind me has been fantastic all year, Graeme and VMX KTM have given me everything I needed to get the job done so I’m delighted to pay them back with an Irish championship.”
Michael Mahon is your 2011 Irish MX2 Champ!
Richard Bird( 2nd Irish MX1): “I nearly got it! I knew I had to win them all to stand a chance and it nearly worked out. Maybe if I didn’t crash off the start in the second race things might have been different. It was a tough ask to win it but after being 34-points behind three rounds ago I clawed it back down to 18-points entering today. But thats racing, fair play to Tommy, he rode well all year. I happy with how my year has been; it’s been fantastic, probably my best yet. Second in the Irish, I won the Ulster MX1 and got to race in the Motocross des Nations, I can’t complain about all that! Think I’m going to chill out now for the winter and party a little! Also a big thanks to all my sponsors, Bodytech, Watt Motorcycles, Chris, Sorcha and all my family and friends.”
If Hamilton didn't break is wrist, would things have been different?
Robert Hamilton (3rd Irish MX1): “This year ended well but it didn’t start out great! A broken wrist in the off-season set me back and I missed the opening round. It was hard to come back and challenge for the title after that. By mid season I had worked my way back to eighth and just kept on pushing as hard as I could each race. It worked out in my favour and I managed to salvage third overall. Against Tommy or Richard I don’t think that I could have done any better. It’s nice to have got more wins than them in the final few rounds but the championship is what everyone aims for. Today was good and I’m glad to have finished in one piece. I’ll take a break now for the winter and try to come out strong and healthy next year!”
John Meara (2nd Irish MX2): “Unfortunately I just came up a few points short at the end, four points was all that was in it! Today was a good day’s racing, I came here needing to win and I did just that but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Winning that second race outright was brilliant feeling. I managed to holeshot it, stay out of trouble and ride my own race. I was wanting an overall race win all year and today I got it. My speed came good towards the end of the year and I improved all the time. Breaking my back in the winter probably put paid to my title hopes before they began but in all honesty I can’t complain with second, I was lucky to be racing at all. I’m heading now to the Under 21 team event in Belgium where hopefully we can cap off a good year.”
Jim O’Neill (3rd Irish MX2): “It’s been a roller coaster of a year this one. I was off the pace at the beginning of the season but sort of found another gear and upped it again. At one point I was nearly leading the thing but through some mistakes and that it set me back a bit. Still, it’s nice to come out of it with a medal for third. The last race was a bit of a nail biter between myself and Ryan Adair for third spot but I kept pushing and did what I has to do to get it!”
David Dickson (B MX1 Champion): “I’m delighted to have won this Irish championship. It’s been a really good year and my results were fairly consistent. Today I just tried to ride smart for the championship. I knew I had a good points cushion and was able to wrap up the title with a race to spare. It’s been a great battle all year. I DNF’d one race early on and I just kept pushing all year to bring back the points. I want to thank everyone that’s helped: carhandy.co.uk, Magotteaux.
Martin Portis raced his way back into contention to win
Martin Portis (C MX1 Champion): “I’m over the moon to have won it. It’s been a tough season and coming into today I didn’t just expect to win it. I was behind in the points and knew I had a lot to do to win, but thing’s seemed to work for me today. Coming into the final race I just rode as hard as I could and came out on top. Whoever won the race won the championship so I just forgot about the points and went for it. It’s been a long year. I seemed to start it off fast but struggled midseason. Thankfully things came right today and I’m Irish champion. I’d like to thank everyone thats helped me out, it’s been brilliant!”
Chris Lappin (C MX1 Runner up): “I got close but not close enough, but sure what can you do. In fairness Martin rode well today, he really stepped up his pace. We were very tight all year and coming into today I’d got a slight advantage but unfortunately it didn’t work out. I tried my best but today it wasn’t good enough. It’s been a good year, to come second in the Irish and also win the Ulster championship is a good way to finish this season off”
He loves it... he really does!
Andrew McKee (C MX2 Champion): “I’m lucky now to have won the championship with a round to spare. There wasn’t a lot to sing about today! I managed to snap a sprocket in the first race and then the bike stopped in the second one. I was struggling with my starts off the concrete so I tried third gear in the final race but it didn’t work out and I had to come back from last. But overall the year has been brilliant and I’d like to thank all those that have helped me out, Andy Owens, Balloo Hire, Mark Arnott from Holeshot and my Mum and Dad. It wouldn’t have been possible without their help.”
Ryan Glover (Grade B MX2 Champion): Ryan is your Grade B MX2 champ and if he could have given us a few words he would have, but a heavy crash in the final moto left the newly crowned champ celebrating his win with a quick swift trip to the local hospital. We wish him well and I’m sure he’ll agree the pain is worth the glory!
Andrew Gill let it all hang out in Grade B
…. And that’s a wrap!