Martin Barr confirms Motocross of Nations appearance in America before retiring from sport at end of season
Ballyclare’s Martin Barr has confirmed he will compete in this year's Motocross of Nations in America.
It will be a record 19th appearance in Team Ireland colours for the local rider.
Barr broke his leg at the VMXDN at Foxhills at the end of August, and it looked as though his ‘Nations’ dream was over.
However, Barr was determined not to go down without a fight, and after successful surgery, he was back on his Apico Honda on Monday past.
Barr said: “Two weeks today post-operation and I was back on the bike, and I am over the moon. I’m a racer at the end of the day, and recovery went really well."
Barr will race at this weekend's final round of the British Championship at Lyng, and it will be an emotional farewell as he retires from professional racing at the end of the season.
“It will be my last race with the team, and there will be mixed emotions as not all the team will travel to America for the ‘Nations’,” he added. “It will be great to do one last race with the whole Apico Honda team before heading to America.”
Lisburn’s Paul Edgar leads the Ulster Premier Quad Championship heading into the final round at Tinkerhill this weekend.
Edgar secured the overall victory at round seven of the series at Magilligan MX Park with two wins and a second place behind David Cowan in race one.
Edgar claimed the holeshot in race one, but by the end of the 11-lap race around the Magilligan sand track, it was Cowan, the fastest rider in qualifying, who took the win with Coleraine’s Travis Toye third.
Cowan was fastest off the start gate in race two, however Edgar overhauled the Banbridge rider on the opening lap before taking the chequered flag over ten seconds clear of his rival, with Emma Wray closing out the top three.
It was Wray who got the better of everyone in the sprint race leading from the gate, but again Edgar was flying and closed down the Lisburn man to take the lead six laps in, to finish well clear of his nearest rival with Cowan claiming third.
"I was really up for it today,” added Edgar. “I had raced in England the previous weekend and it paid off as I was really bike fit heading into Magilligan.”
Paul Murphy was the winner of the Semi-Experts after a third in race one, followed by two victories in race two and the sprint race.
Padraig McNulty was unbeaten in the Clubman class while Evie Travers won all three Y1 races. In the Y2 class, John Joe Malone ran out the winner with two wins and a second behind race two winner Grace McClintock. Kaelin McQuaid claimed the overall in Y3.
Jonny Wilson and Andrew Rowan were unbeaten in the sidecar class, where Andy McKibbin and English visitor Robert Moore, McKibbin’s fifth different passenger of the season, finished second with Cameron and Kyi Addis third.
Meanwhile, the dates for the Irish Winter Series Youth Championship at Magilligan MX Park sponsored by Beyond Signage are as follows: Sunday, October 19; Sunday, November 16; Sunday, December 14 and Sunday, January 11.