Suitor Brothers Watt KTM Teamsters made a strong impression on the opening round of the Retink Irish Motocross Championships at a sunny Downpatrick on 24th March, writes Malcolm Beattie…
Team leader Richard Bird finished a fantastic third overall on the day after three strong races, of which he led two at one point, finishing second, third and fourth for 58 points, a strong start to the Championship for the Lisburn man.
Niall McAuley from Carrickfergus finished a steady 16th overall, despite a non finish in race two, were it not for that slip, he may have been knocking on the door of a top ten finish.
Backing this up was an impressive 18th overall for Saintfields Phil Harris, returning after a long break for shoulder surgery, Phil was happy with his riding on the day, and can only get stronger the longer he spends on the bike.
In the Premier MX2 class, Drew Goudy from Carrickfergus, who has moved to the smaller machine this year, poor starts spoiled Drew’s day, but solid top 6 finishes meant he finished 7th on the day, more time on the new machine, and better starts in this competitive class will help Drew’s Championship challenge this year.
In the Semi Expert MX1 class, Mark Patterson from Crossgar settled into his new role as a big bike rider by finishing joint winner of the Class with a win under his belt, a great MX1 class debut for the Crossgar native.
In the MX1 Clubman class, John Guy from Bangor took the 250 two stroke to a steady 15th overall, despite a non finish in race 3 due to gearbox problems. Unfortunately team owner, Rowley Suitor did not qualify for the Championship races, but enjoyed his racing as usual.
Lastly, to the Clubman MX2 where the team had a high and a low, the high being Steven Gill finishing third overall with three third places on the day, the low being fellow Ballynahinch man Jonathon O’Neill breaking his wrist in practice, an injury that will keep the youngster out of action for the next 8 weeks or so.
A satisfactory day for the young team, who look forward to the Easter weekend with the Ulster Under 21 & Veterans Championship on Easter Saturday, and the first round of the Ulster Open Championships on the Monday, both at Desertmartin.
Malcolm Beattie
MRA Press Officer