Meara magic seals Temple win as Saintfield’s McMullan shines

Meara magic seals Temple win as Saintfield’s McMullan shines

31 July 2024

LAURELBANK Motocross Park, Saintfield, was the venue for round two of the Brian Bell Memorial event.

There was a huge entry for Temple Motorcycle Club’s second midweek motocross extravaganza.

Familiar faces from across the province made an appearance, with many locally renowned and respected riders in the line-up.

A return by Loughbrickland’s Meara brothers and an appearance from 2023 Brian Bell Memorial winner Tommy Merton, Larne rider Glenn McCormick and many more meant the start gate was peppered with a roster of Ulster and Irish championship title holders. 

With practices complete, the first race in the Evo class got underway with Glenn McCormick battling with John Meara out of the start gate.

Ultimately, Meara took first place with McCormick second and Jason Meara third. Race two saw Jason Meara take the win with Ben Kennedy in second place and David Russell in third.

The combined points left Jason Meara as the overall winner of the class across the two rounds. 

The Twinshock Class saw William Burgess win both rounds. Steven Beattie took second place in race one and the accumulative points from both rounds meant Steven Beattie was the overall winner. Chris Lappin was a close overall second and Burgess third, with Carter Burns and Declan Murray putting up notable performances on the night. 

In Class C, young Sam Logan won the first race with Newry man Ciaran Connolly and Mark Murphy chasing him down throughout.

Race two again proved Logan to be a serious contender. His lead over second-placed Matthew Lindsay was significant and he came home first for a second time.

Overall, Paddy McMullan, who won the class with Gavin McKee second and Sam Logan third.

Stuart Tweedie was at the head of the Class C pack for much of the round two racing and there was no doubt he was enjoying the midweek racing organised by the Temple club. 

In Class B, it was Charlie Simpson who led race one to win from Kyle Montgomery, leaving Jordan McMullan in third place. James Milligan took the win in race two from Jordan McMullan, with Steven Quigley in third.

Saintfield rider Jordan McMullan, who had come in strong from round one, had enough points in round two to win the class overall. Kyle Montgomery was a close second overall and James Milligan a not-too-distant third. 

Group A was a stronghold of well-known local names. Lisburn’s Richard Bird meant business and there were plenty of others up for the challenge.

Bird was the overall winner across the two evenings, beating Seaforde’s Nathan Green by a fraction of a second in the first race, with Jason Meara, Niall Cregan, and Glenn McCormick all within the same time bracket, only milliseconds separating them.

Race two saw Comber’s Tommy Merton move into third by lap two and hold this position, with Nathan Green and Richard Bird taking first and second, respectively. Jason Meara finished third overall Wednesday night racing provided a midweek release for adrenaline junkies and grease monkeys alike.

There were jumps and bumps, braking and raking, ranting and revving. Chip vans and motocross fans, families and friends, dogs on leads, and kids eating sweets—it all made for a fantastic family-friendly event which the Temple Motorcycle Club was proud to host. 

The Brian Bell Memorial feature race was the last race of the evening, and it was exhilarating.

The cat-and-mouse, back-and-forth battle between Jason Meara and Nathan Green had everyone cheering them on.

Green won on this occasion, but it was the thrill of the race that had the spectators hooked with both riders overtaking on tight bends and in midair, taking calculated risks, and pushing themselves on.

Niall Cregan was in the mix and finished third with Tommy Merton and Ryan Adair hot on his heels, and Richard Bird left trackside with a flat rear tyre. It was all going on. All the riders provided a grand finale to remember. 

A technical track such as Laurelbank 2024 is both demanding and challenging. The track highlights that daring and the desire to win are key at Laurelbank, and the guts it takes to put yourself out there are greatly admired and appreciated by those of us behind the chestnut fencing.

The fans enjoyed two great summer evenings of entertainment – a testament to the elite level of racing demonstrated by local motocross riders. 

The 2024 Brian Bell Memorial winner was Loughbrickland’s Jason Meara, with a hard-earned victory over Richard Bird who put up a fair fight. Ryan Adair came in a close third, James McAdoo was fourth and Nathan Green fifth.

John Bell presented Jason Meara with the Brian Bell Trophy. Each year, the Temple Club looks forward to welcoming the Bell family to the races and are grateful for their ongoing support of the club, the sport and the local motocross community over the past 55 years. 

Temple Motorcycle and Athletic Club feels honoured to play a part in growing and supporting NI motocross racing and expresses sincere thanks to all those who took part, from spectators to staff, competitors, volunteers, stewards, flag marshals, and club members, May Kincaid, the officers and first aid staff, timekeepers, Roy Neill, and the Bell family. 

The Temple Club wishes all the competitors involved continued success and safe riding for the rest of the 2024 motocross season.