Game On!
By TMX Archives on 10th Jan 06
No sooner had the traditional Christmas bird been reduced to bones, the roar of motocross machines replaced the sound of Bing, Cliff Richard and the rest of the 'Cash in at Chrimbo' brigade.Youth and adult riders enjoyed what looked like the No sooner had the traditional Christmas bird been reduced to bones, the roar of motocross machines replaced the sound of Bing, Cliff Richard and the rest of the 'Cash in at Chrimbo' brigade.Youth and adult riders enjoyed what looked like the last of the good weather for a while as they aired the 2006 machinery around the GP circuit at Desertmartin. While the rain and snow stayed away it was pretty cold which probably contributed to a few riders visiting the ambulance on the day.One such rider was none other than Philip McLaughlin who is starting to take this crash testing lark a little too serious and redesigned the shape of his all-new 250cc Yamaha in the process.Neil McKeown made an appearance on a quad which could cause concern to those involved in quad racing. Lurch is in great spirits and recently appeared on television as a member of the Margrave Park team who will represent Ireland in the forthcoming Spinal Games. Competitive as ever, Lurch seems to have found yet another talent in tennis. Since his accident towards the end of the summer Neil - in his usual manner - has shown the determination and attitude needed to continue his winning ways in life (I even hear that he has his own key for Musgrave Park Hospital, such are the demands put on Neil by the Beach Club at the Belfast Odyssey).The fifth annual charity football competition was a great success. Hosted at Dromore Rugby Club on December 28, the floodlit venue provided entertainment both on and off the playing field.As usual, riders from all disciplines - motocross, road racing, quads and enduro - swapped their helmets for shorts in the name of charity and the possibility of claiming the prestigious Bishops Court Trophy.It must be said that the MX team played out of their skin and reclaimed the silverware after a stellar performance on the playing field (what about your Stella performance in the clubhouse Stevie? - SL). Up front it was Andrew O'Brien, Scotty and young Jason Garrett who plagued the enduro team in the final. And well done MX goalkeeper Stephen Russell who managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the competition which put the team on good footing for the overall win.MX team manager Phil McCullough was in confident mood after his team qualified with a 3-0 drubbing of the road racers. "Man, if we don't win tonight I will never play again," said Phil who was delighted with his team's performance at the end of the night.Personality of the tournament was Doctor Fred McSorley who played well despite Rudolf's antlers being strapped to his head throughout the game while, behind the scenes, Dave Mulligan and Peter 'Bridgestone' put in the effort to make this worthy event grow in stature.The Emerald Isle will be well represented in this year's Maxxis British MX Championship. Gordon has already started his hectic winter training schedule as he prepares for the season that I believe will see him re-establish himself on the world stage.It's hard to put into words just how much Martin Barr accomplished in 2005 and now that he has moved up towards the front of the field the game will get harder. The Bike-it/Dixon team have brought Martin to this point and Steve Dixon knows that this will be a rookie year at a different level for his young star.Ricky McKeown will run Hondas in the MX1 class and will be joined by multi-time Ulster champion Tommy Merton who will campaign under the DG Williamson banner.GOMX/Russell's rider Robert Hamilton will also ride Yamaha machinery and other Irish riders - including Phil McLoughlin, the AJ Plumbing guys, Wulf Racing team, Adam McKee and probably Moto-One's Wayne Garrett - will all make an appearance during the season.Good luck to all of them...Words by Stevie Mills Photo by Sutty O'Sutton