Five nominees revealed for new Female Trailblazer of the Year honour at Adelaide Irish Motorbike Awards in Belfast

The biggest night in UK motorcycling will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Friday, January 17.

Pippa Laverty, wife of former World Superbike rider Eugene who was appointed as the first Ambassador for ACU (Auto Cycle Union) Women in 2024, joined the event’s regular judging panel to help select the nominees for the inaugural award, which will be presented to ‘individuals, teams, or organisations that have made significant contributions to the promotion and advancement of women in motorcycling’.

The five nominees for the award – sponsored by Arbutus Catering – include Anne Forsythe, Clerk of the Course for the Tandragee 100 motorcycle races and Club Secretary for the North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club.

Anne’s leadership has been instrumental in securing the return of the popular road race in June 2025 after an absence of three years.

Nicole Lynch, who is the Women in Motorcycling Liaison for Motorcycling Ireland (MCI), actively promoting female participation in the sport, also made the shortlist.

Nicole founded the Women in Motorcycling Network which has increased the number of women becoming involved in motorcycling in Ireland and has served on the FIM Women’s Commission, and was recently elected to the FIM Technical Commission – only the second woman in history to join the commission and the first to specialise in E-Racing.

Schoolgirl Sophie Ferguson is another contender after the talented 14-year-old was crowned 2024 British Girls B-Class Trials Champion. It was Sophie’s second British title after she won the C class in 2022.

Next year, the British Trials Championship will merge into one series, with men and women competing together in the same category, which will present a much tougher challenge for the Northern Ireland youngster as she transitions from the current women-only championship.

Teenager Holly Denis makes the cut after she won the 2024 Ladies Enduro Pro Ride Champion at just 14-years-old to mark her out as a rising prospect in Enduro, while seven-year-old Macy Edgar is on the list after becoming Ulster and Irish Quad champion last year, signalling a bright future in quad racing.

A host of big names are set to attend the gala bash in Belfast, when the coveted Joey Dunlop trophy will be presented to the winner of the headline award, the 2024 Irish Motorcyclist of the Year.

British Superbike rider Glenn Irwin has won the main award for the past two years but faces strong opposition from Ballymoney’s Michael Dunlop, who set a new record of 29 Isle of Man TT victories last year, surpassing his uncle Joey’s tally of 26 wins, which had stood since 2000.

Irwin – who finished third in the British Superbike Championship last year and set a record of 11 Superbike wins in a row at the North West 200 – is confirmed among the special guests at the event along with six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea and Eugene Laverty, who finished as the title runner-up in the 2013 series.

The evening will be hosted by Stephen Watson and Keith Huewen.