MX Youth Championship finale showcases best of young Northern Ireland motocross talent

Run at the all new Magilligan GP-designed track, the racing was top class and was run like clockwork by Phillip McCullough and his team.

The youngest champion on the day was eight-year-old Jake Sayers from Londonderry, who secured the T Commercials Auto championship with victory in the final race, cheered on by his biggest fans, mum Shaneen and dad Gareth.

He took the chequered flag over two seconds clear of Archie Lavery with Ellik Millar completing the podium.

Lyall Rutherford was the fastest rider in practice in the Carmichael Cars 65 class. The Scottish visitor led all the way to the chequered flag in all three races to claim the title, keeping up his unbeaten record over the four-round series.

Larne’s Cole McAuley finished the final round with two seconds and a third to claim second overall with Moneymore’s Andrew Anderson completing the podium with a second, fourth and third on the day.

Portadown’s Ethan Gawley was fastest in qualifying in the Devine Auto Repairs S/W85 class, however when it came to the racing he had no answers for the three-time winner and newly crowned champion, Daniel Devine from Dungannon.

Devine who moved up to the S/W 85 class for 2024 is already a champion in the 65 class, winning the Cumbria and Donegal championship in 2023, but Saturday saw the 11-year-old lift his first winter series title on the bigger bike.

Gawley had to settle for three runner-up finishes for second overall with James McCann completing the podium with three third places.

England’s Hayden Statt was in devastating form in the Ziggicing Larne B/W 85 class, ending the day unbeaten, to claim the overall. The 13-year-old double British champion, who hails from Durham, took three convincing victories over newly crowned champion Bobby Burns from Londonderry and Armagh’s Ollie Holland.

Two wins on the new Fantic machine in the Ross Quarry Products 125 class was enough to give Castlederg’s Cole McCullough his first 125 championship for the Italian factory.

McCullough will race the Fantic in the European championship in 2024 and was pleased with his day’s work, saying: “I had a good practice ending up fastest. I expected to win all the races today but unfortunately the bike cut out on the last lap of race two with only two corners to go.”

He swapped to the spare bike for race three and took the chequered flag well clear of race two winner, Omagh’s Lewis Spratt, who came through from dead last to catch and pass Ballyclare’s Charley Irwin in the closing stages of the race.

McCullough added: “The main thing is that I’m feeling better on the bike every time I go out on it. It was good to have short sprint-like races today to find out where the bikes are at before my first race on February 25th at Hawkstone Park.”

Spratt, who claimed second in the championship and his first 125 overall win, added: “All in all I’m happy to come away with my first 125 overall win and now I’m looking forward to this weekend’s Arenacross in Belfast.”

Ballyclare’s Samuel Logan completed the 125 podium while Charley Irwin won the 250 class.

The rider of the day award went to Dungannon’s Archie Lavery.