Easter victories for Nathan Green and Jack Meara as Ulster Open MX Championship roars into life
Nathan Green and Jack Meara opened the Ulster Open MX Championship season with overall victories at Loughbrickland MX Track on Easter Monday.
In the Expert MX1 class, Seaforde rider Nathan Green took overall honours aboard the GOMX Plews Yamaha. Green finished ahead of Lennox Dickinson on the MY SOLAR TRUE Husqvarna, with Niall Cregan completing the podium on his Kawasaki.
Reflecting on his day, Green said: “I had a couple of small issues over the day. In race one, the chain nearly came off, then I had a great scrap with Lennox Dickinson in race two before a couple of crashes left me in third in the sprint race. It is the first time in my career that I have led the championship after the opening round, so I’m happy.”
Coleraine rider Dickinson secured an excellent eleventh-place finish in race one at round two of the Motul ACU British MX Championship at Preston Docks the previous day. He used Saturday to run in the new bike before qualifying 22nd.
After switching to a softer mapping for race one, Dickinson charged through the field to secure 11th. His progress was halted in race two, however, after being taken out at the third corner, and later suffering a heavy crash that damaged the bike and forced his retirement.
After competing in virtually no racing for a year, Jason Meara claimed 12th place overall in MX1 on the Moto-Cycle Yamaha at Preston Docks, with Martin Barr 16th on the HTM Husqvarna. In the MX2 class, Glenn McCormick brought the Chambers KTM home in 11th, while Alfie Herron finished seventh overall in the 125 class.
Loughbrickland’s Jack Meara, riding the 250 Moto-Cycle Yamaha, claimed the Expert MX2 overall victory on home soil with two race wins and a second-place finish in the sprint race.
Meara said: “I had a pretty good day and it was nice to win the first Ulster championship round at home.
"I hole-shotted both opening races and led from start to finish in race one, before dropping back to third in race two, ten fought back to take the win. I nearly won all three races but just came up a bit short in the final race.”
A battered and bruised Lewis Spratt showed impressive determination to finish second overall at Loughbrickland aboard the Jet Products Yamaha, just a day after a heavy crash at Preston Docks.
“I hit a kicker over the back double and had a massive impact on landing, splitting my chin wide open,” he explained. “At the time, I just wanted to finish the race until I saw the blood all over the bike and pulled in.
"I enjoyed the battles with Jack at Loughbrickland, and to get two seconds and a win wasn’t too bad.”
Ryan Adair finished third on the MX2 podium.
Daniel Devine has continued his impressive run of form across recent race meetings, establishing himself as one of the standout performers in the B/W85 class.
At the Plews Tyres MX Masters, he finished second overall at Fatcat Moto Park in the opening round of the Championship. Devine carried his momentum into the opening rounds of the Cumbrian MX Championship, taking six wins and five holeshots on the Arline’s Mace Newmills GasGas.
Castlederg schoolgirl Erin Deazley made an impressive start to the Girls Nationals at Brookthorpe, finishing seventh overall on day one before charging to second on day two aboard her 65 KTM.
The strong result came despite riding through the pain of a twisted knee sustained in an opening-day crash.