Off-road riders Jay McCrum and Sophie Ferguson win big on glittering awards night
There were no more deserving winners at the Adelaide Insurance Motorbike Awards last weekend than Jordanstown’s Jay McCrum, who lifted the Racking Shleving Off Road Rider of the year award and the youngest winner on the night – 14-year-old Sophie Ferguson from Belfast – who was presented with the Kawasaki Young Rider Of The Year award.
McCrum, who started racing as a six-year-old on a KTM 50, winning national titles through the youth classes, decided along with his sponsor Steve Mills of GOMX 365 that he would concentrate on the Ulster and Irish championships in 2024.
After pre-season testing in Spain the Ulster rider was well prepared for the challenge ahead.
He explained: “The variation of tracks around the Barcelona area provide the perfect training in advance of the season.”
Consistency was the name of the game and by the end of the season McCrum was crowned Ulster, Irish and MX Pro Champion on the GOMX 365 Yamaha YZ450F.
“I hadn’t won both the Ulster and Irish titles in the same year since 2006 so 2024 was a dream year that took so much hard work,” added the 25-year-old.
McCrum was thrilled with his award, adding: “I was totally overwhelmed to be invited to an event with so many stars of the sport and genuinely delighted and honoured to receive the Off Road rider of the Year Award.”
On his plans this year, he said: “I’m sticking with the same team to try to retain the Ulster and Irish championships along with a few races on the mainland.”
Ferguson was equally over the moon with her accolade and was particularly pleased to have won in her discipline as a trials rider.
“It’s nice to get a bit of local recognition for the effort I put in and what I achieved in 2024,” she said.
"There was a strong list of racing nominees, so to win as a trials rider was special for me.
"I thought I was just going for a nice night out and I wasn't expecting to win anything despite the three nominations I had. Getting up on stage and speaking was scarier than riding the bike that's for sure.”
The Belfast schoolgirl is certainly flying the flag for local trials riding, becoming the first female rider from Northern Ireland to have won multiple British Championships in any motorsport.
In 2022 she won the Girls C class and in 2024 was crowned the B class champion.
Last year was busy for Ferguson as she competed in over 25 trials outside Northern Ireland. She has also competed against riders twice her age on the International stage riding in the FIM European championships in France, Germany and the Czech Republic, returning home with a top ten overall.
She added: “I had a lot of fun in 2024, travelling all over the mainland UK, the Isle of Man and the rest of Europe so a massive thanks to my family and sponsors because without their help I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.”
This year the teenager plans to ride in the new-look British Championship, which has a new format for 2025, and compete on the International stage again and possibly try enduro riding.
“I genuinely feel I have the potential to go far in the sport but I'm going to need backing to be able to see this through,”she said.